Jennifer Laura Thompson.
Thompson, given the Tony nod for her turn as Hope Cladwell in Urinetown, has also appeared on The Great White Way in Footloose and OB in Strike Up the Band! (Encores!), Tip-Toes and A Doll's Life.
Composer of Broadway musicals such as The Wild Party and Marie Christine, LaChiusa's new musical, Little Fish, centers around a neurotic New Yorker who reflects on her attempts to quit smoking, exercise regularly, and find the man of her dreams. Hyphenate Graciela Daniele (Once on This Island, Marie Christine, A New Brain) directs and choreographs the work with book, lyrics and music by LaChiusa. * Playwright Regina Taylor also directs her new play with music, Crowns, to kick off the season Nov. 13 and officially open Dec. 4. Broadway favorite Lillias White will headline in the Off-Broadway production based on the book by photographer Michael Cunningham and journalist Craig Marberry — a volume of photos of African-American women in their Sunday church hats — the new play features gospel music.
Playwright Craig Lucas' Reckless — originally produced in 1983 — gets a second staging at Second Stage under the direction of Mark Brokaw (Lobby Hero, Marty) set to begin April 1, 2003. In Reckless, a suburban wife lives in bliss until one Christmas Eve when a hitman — hired by her hubby — makes an attempt on her life.
In Metamorphoses — which began at Second Stage then transferred to Broadway — Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman drew on the tales of Ovid, re-envisioning the ancient texts — with the help of a large pool as the actors' stage. The Chicago-bred director-adapter next dramatizes the ideas of the Italian Renaissance scientist, inventor and artist in The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. The co-production with Chicago's Goodman Theatre is set to begin at Second Stage June 3, 2003, following its run in Illinois.
For subscriptions or single tickets, call Second Stage, 307 West 43rd Street, at (212) 246-4422. For more information, visit the Second Stage website at www.secondstagetheatre.com.
— by Ernio Hernandez
