The Indiana Repertory Theatre announces its upcoming 41st season, featuring Grammy-winning vocalist Sylvia McNair in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music; new takes on classics like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and A Midsummer Night’s Dream; a world premiere by James Still; a debut from playwright Matthew Lopez and the return of Millicent Wright as the voice of Charlayne Woodard.
IRT 2012-13 Season
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson
from the novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
September 5-30
A smart, sexy and suspenseful new take on Stevenson's look at the evil that lurks in the hearts of men. Hatcher’s adaptation takes us from Victorian drawing rooms to the grim alleyways of London as it examines the inner workings of two very different personalities and the ties that bind them dangerously close.
Going Solo Festival
September 18 – October 13
This festival features two intimate one-actor plays.
Syringa Tree
By Pamela Gien
September 19-October 13
Out of the shadow of apartheid comes this joyous, personal tale of ties that cannot be broken. Elizabeth Grace is a young white girl growing up in South Africa in the 1960s, making her way through a world losing its innocence. Along her journey she meets friends and strangers, black and white, young and old. Through her we see the complexities of the world they share—their dreams, struggles and laughter — and their shared humanity.
The Night Watcher
by Charlayne Woodard
September 20-October 15
Family ties reach beyond blood in this moving, one-woman piece by acclaimed playwright Charlayne Woodard. Investigating the social and cultural challenges that come with raising kids, Woodard’s tales of her “children” are transfixing and tragic. Millicent Wright returns to channel the voice of Woodard in the fourth of her autobiographical plays, continuing an IRT cycle from previous seasons that includes Pretty Fire and Neat.
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The House That Jack Built
by James Still
October 30-November 25
The world premiere from IRT Playwright-in-Resident James Still takes us to a rambling Thanksgiving get together in Vermont where friendship and family are intertwined and memories of the past have a place at the table. It’s a funny and affecting visit with three women, their significant others and their not insignificant desire to recapture what they once shared.
A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
November 25- December 24
Join Scrooge, Tiny Tim and a host of spirited ghosts in this timeless story of regret and redemption. The holidays aren’t complete until you’ve treated the family to a tradition that has spanned the decades-- A Christmas Carol at IRT, the season’s most heartfelt gift.
Jackie and Me
by Steven Dietz
adapted from the book by Dan Gutman
January 11-February 16
A young boy’s school report on Jackie Robinson finds him travelling back in time to meet one of the most influential baseball players in history. But a strange twist gives him a unique understanding of the struggles faced by the first black man to play in the major leagues. This tale of an American icon leaves the history books and lands on stage in this brilliantly adapted play based on the young adult novel by Dan Gutman.
Click below to read reviews of past IRT Dietz plays
Dracula Review
Becky's New Car
A Little Night Music
by Steven Sondheim
January 23-February 17
This season, one of Sondheim’s most beautiful works waltzes onto the IRT stage. This captivating tale of romance and loss that exquisitely reminds us: the best dance is done with a partner you love. Inspired by one of Ingmar Bergman’s most enchanting films, this Tony Award Winner for Best Musical features the bittersweet classic, Send In The Clowns. Starring international vocalist Sylvia McNair.
The Whipping Man
by Matthew Lopez
March 5-24
As the Civil War comes to a bloody close, a Passover Seder in a shattered antebellum mansion reveals hidden truths about the nature of freedom and the frailty of family. Everyone carries scars in this emotionally stirring period drama that binds three men whose world has changed forever. What comes next when the end of bondage brings uncertainty rather than liberty? Find out in this impressive debut from playwright Matthew Lopez.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
by William Shakespeare
April 10-May 12
Mistaken identities, love charms and magical encounters all run amok in Shakespeare’s classic comedy set in an Athenian forest inhabited by sprites, fairies and a group of amorous couples who change partners at the drop of a spell. This exuberant tale of young lovers in the woods for a night of mischief is sure to please anyone who remembers the magic of true romance. What fools these mortals be.
Images: submitted by IRT
Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated fine-living, travel columnist, freelance writer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. Read her new column, Infused, at GottaGo.us and FoodandDrinkDigital.com and catch her as Indy’s Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC. Gotta Go is published on Gottago.us, BroadwayWorld.com, in M and Retired Living magazines and several Indianapolis area newspapers. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.
In 1886 a gentleman named Robert Louis Stevenson set pen to paper and created characters so intense and a subject so fascinating that it is considered one of the most adapted stories to this day. In fact, the very names of his characters are synonymous with good and evil. Stage and film versions have been successful over the years as good vs. evil continues to captivate audiences' imagination.
What some may have found confusing at first, others were able to understand immediately director Risa Branin and Hatcher's intent that nothing is black and white. One doesn't slip into evil in one fell swoop but by degrees, inching toward it with variables and factors weighing in throughout the fall from good.
