Princeton, New Jersey's McCarter Theatre has chosen a new Eric Bogosian play as the final selection of its 2001-02 season. The new work, Humpty Dumpty will run March 26 through April 14 and be directed by Bogosian's longtime partner Jo Bonney.
That time slot was previously announced for Don Juan by Moliere, directed by Stephen Wadsworth. The Moliere will now close the season, running April 30-May 19.
Eric Bogosian, who made his name starring in fiery one-man shows penned by himself, made an impressive debut as a conventional playwright with subUrbia, which eventually played Lincoln Center Theater and was later made into a movie. Other works include Griller and one of the one-acts in the omnibus Public Theater evening Love's Fire.
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The McCarter preceded the opening of its 2001-02 season with a candlelit vigil in observation of the national day of prayer and remembrance in honor of the victims of last week's terrorist attacks. The event was held on Sept. 14 at 7 PM just before the opening night of Romeo and Juliet. McCarter staff, trustees and cast members took part, gathering outside the large fieldstone theatre on University Place. The show followed at 8 PM. *
Emily Mann, the artistic director of the McCarter Theatre directed the tragedy. Romeo and Juliet is, of course, the Bard's classic story of the doomed teenage lovers of Verona. Though one of Shakespeare's best loved plays, it is infrequently staged in the U.S. The cast is made up by Remy Auberjonois, Sterling K. Brown, Jeffrey Carlson, David Cromwell, Sara Drew, Johnny Giacalone, David Greenspan, Mirjana Jokovic, Karl Light, Christopher Rivera, Steven H. Rowe, Myra Lucretia Taylor and Joe Wilson, Jr.
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The 2001-02 season will also include, in early 2000, a new staging of Albee's obscure drama All Over. The original 1971 staging of All Over starred Jessica Tandy and Colleen Dewhurst under John Gielgud's direction. A recent Off-Broadway revival played in October 2000. In the past year, the popular Albee has seen major mountings of his Tiny Alice and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, as well as the New York City debut of the new The Play About the Baby.
Also on the roster is Vienna Notes, a 1979, pre-Reagan, pre-Clinton play by Richard Nelson about "an American senator who turns out to be as much of an actor as a politician"; and a new look at Moliere's Don Juan.
The recently announced 2001-02 McCarter season includes:
• Romeo and Juliet directed by Emily Mann, Sept. 11-30
• Vienna Notes by Richard Nelson, directed by Daniel Fish, Oct. 16 Nov. 4
• A Christmas Carol, Dec. 6-30
• All Over by Edward Albee, directed by Emily Mann, Feb. 12-March 3, 2002
• Humpty Dumpty by Eric Bogosian, directed by Jo Bonney, March 26-April 14, 2002
• Don Juan by Moliere, directed by Stephen Wadsworth, April 30 May 19.
—By Robert Simonson
