Montgomery Davis, artistic director of Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, said MCT's 1997-98 season would be "filled with sparkling stars of plays by some of this century's greatest playwrights." With a 15th subscription season boasting of prize-winning works by Shaw, Albee, Fugard and Kushner, he may be right on the mark.
MCT, which is dedicated to producing classic and contemporary plays iof literate and philosophical meriti using a pool of resident professional actors, starts its 6-play subscription season with Angels in America: Perestroika, part two in Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning drama. This is being presented in a first-time partnership with Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, which precedes MCT's production with Angels in America: The Millennium Approaches.
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre also offer premieres of Athol Fugard's Valley Song and Edward Albee's Three Tall Women. Part of their season includes the 16th annual Milwaukee Shaw Festival, which will have Shaw's comic parody Too True To Be Good and Beckett's Waiting for Godot alternating during the two and a half week festival.
The company is scheduling special student matinees for the Fugard and Albee works and the Shaw Festival.
Also on tap will be a revival of MCT's 1985 hit Beyond the Fringe, which, according to Davis, will have ian all-new, next generation cast. In addition to the subscription season, there will be an "extra ticket, added attraction." MCT has been invited by the (Roman Catholic) Cathederal of St. John's Fine Arts Series to present the North American premiere of Christopher Fry's One Thing More in celebration of the cathedral's 150th Anniversary. The production, with a cast of ten, will take place at the church in downtown Milwaukee at 812 North Jackson Street.
The MCT season will include the free Readers Series, featuring three staged readings. The series will have a new play, Freddy, by Milwaukee playwright (and city alderman) Wayne Frank and (during the run of the Shaw Festival) Shaw's rarely performed Jitta's Atonement.
Performances for the subscription season will take place at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 North Broadway, in the 358-seat Cabot Theatre and 96-seat Studio Theatre.
For MCT subscription information and single tickets, call (414) 276-8842. For tickets to and information on the Fry premiere at the Cathedral of St. John, call (414) 276-9814.
Beginning Monday, August 25, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre subscribers can purchase tickets to MCT's Angels in America: Perestroika. Milwaukee Rep's production of Angels in America: The Millennium Approaches begins performances Sept. 19 and concludes Oct. 19.
The Milwaukee Chamber Theatre Season:
* Oct. 18-Nov. 9 -- Angels in America: Perestroika, A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Cabot Theatre.
William Leach, known for his work at Baltimore's Center Stage, has the role of Roy Cohn. C. Michael Wright, who did the national tour of Master Harold...and the Boys, will play Louis Ironson. Veteran Milwaukee actress and MCT co-founder Ruth Schudson will portray Hannah Pitt.
* Dec. 6-Jan. 4 -- Beyond the Fringe by Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Cook and Dudley Moore. Studio Theatre.
* Feb. 21-March 8 -- 16th Annual Milwaukee Shaw Festival. Cabot Theatre. In repertory: Shaw's Too True To Be Good and Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Cabot Theatre.
* March 28-April 19 -- Valley Song. Studio Theatre.
Montgomery Davis, MCT artistic director, will co-star.
* April 18-May 3 -- Three Tall Women. Cabot Theatre.
Denise du Maurier, who did the national tour, will co star.
-- By Ellis Nassour
