"I am deeply disappointed to have to hold off presenting Kirsten's fantastic gem," said Magic artistic director Chris Smith, "but given the financial realities of the non-profit arts world and the dynamics of our new works mission, it's important to be responsible at this moment and scale back. Having Paula and [director and puppet creator] Basil [Twist] share their brilliant artistry with the Bay Area in the late spring will simply be the icing on the cake of what is still a remarkably ambitious season."
The shift in the Hot House lineup will allow the company to take advantage of both stages for the other works in the third annual repertory festival — Courtney Baron's Morbidity And Mortality and Steven Sater's The Golden Rooms of Nero featuring music by Duncan Sheik.
The 2005-06 Magic season now lines up as follows:
Paul Whitworth directs the American premiere of the playwright of The Country Girls trilogy which finds a woman returning to her rural Ireland home hoping "to forgive and be forgiven, [but] the shadow of a domineering patriarch continues to loom over the family."
Chris Smith stages the world premiere about a devoted husband and scheming wife who are unexpectedly visited by a pair of young lovers.
- Morbidity And Mortality by Courtney Baron
Loretta Greco stages the "portrait of one woman's most intimate pain and loss – and her obsession with the doctor who failed to save her baby." - The Golden Rooms of Nero by Steven Sater with music by Duncan Sheik
Beth Milles directs the work in which "the indulgent, political and personal world of [controversial boy-emperor] Nero comes to life in this feast of language, imagery, and music."
Art Manke directs this world premiere play by God's Man in Texas scribe about a "young PhD student on the verge of a momentous discovery [who] seeks an ally in a disgraced genius. Cold science gives way to warm emotion, leading them to reveal the passions and demons that drive their quests."
Puppetmaster Basil Twist directs the staging penned by How I Learned to Drive Pulitzer Prize winner which features his creations and actors playing three siblings and their parents on a wild ride home one night following a holiday gathering. Subscriptions to the new season at the Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center (Building D) in San Francisco, CA are available by calling (415) 441-8822. Single tickets go on sale Aug. 16. For more information, visit the Magic Theatre website at www.magictheatre.org.
