Theater

BLITHE SPIRIT
October 6, 7, 8, 2005, 8:00 pm
October 8, @ 2:00pm
By Noel Coward
Directed by Michael Lerner
Tansill Theater

The smash comedy hit of the 1940s London and Broadway stages. Novelist Charles Condomine invites into his placid country home an eccentric, breezy lady medium in order to learn the language of the occult for his latest work. Little does Charles or his lovely second wife, Ruth, dream that the seance staged by the medium will summon back Charles' first wife, Elvira, now "passed over" for seven years. But the lady from beyond, still handsome, still mischievous, appears and torments Charles by reminding him of their days and nights together. Only Charles can see or hear her. A floating vase, handed to her out of thin air, finally convinces Ruth that Charles is not losing his mind that his first wife is indeed in the room. Elvira has a ghastly plot in mind to make a ghost of Charles in order to pep up her life in the spirit world. Mistakes occur, however, and it is Ruth who meets with an untimely end and passes on only to return to plague Elvira and the utterly bewildered astral bigamist! How Charles manages to extricate himself from these two very blithe spirits makes an hilarious conclusion to this very unusual comedy. of the human heart.

DOCTOR FAUSTUS
November 17, 18, 19, 2005, 8:00 pm
November 19, @ 2:00 pm
By Christopher Marlowe
Directed by Donny Levit
Tansill Theater

Doctor Faustus is about the relentless pursuit of one’s cravings, both intellectual and guttural. It is about the rejection of all things learned - both academic and institutional. It is about the deep longing for the mastery of the unknown. In the most basic sense, this is simply a story about a deal that is made with the devil, told with a wry sense of humor and a bacchanalian darkness. The ensemble of Doctor Faustus will take on one the most intriguing and theatrical stories in our cultural canon.

THE WONDER OF THE WORLD
May 3, 4, 5, 2006, 8:00 pm
May 7, @ 2:00 pm
By David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Ashleigh Catsos ‘06
Tansill Theater

When a shocking revelation forces Cass Harris to leave her husband of 7 years, she does what any woman embarking on a journey of self-actualization would do: head straight for Niagara Falls. Armed with a list of 200+ things she wishes to accomplish in life—wear a large wig, learn Swedish, become friends with a clown—she sets out on a quest through which she hopes to make sense of her life and learn more about herself. Along the way, she meets a number of bizarre characters that both inform and complicate her goal, ultimately teaching her that the most important things in life cannot be limited to (or checked off of) a shopping list. Through a hilarious exploration of the interconnectivity of the world and coincidence versus destiny, this play is a demonstration of how, in the search for one’s “true destiny,” we cannot escape fate.

URINETOWN, the MUSICAL!
March 2, 3, 4, 2006, 8:00 pm
March 4@ 2:00pm
Tansill Theater
By Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann
Directed by Lawrence Thelen
Musical direction by Bill Thomas
Choreography by Stacey Kingston

One of the most uproariously funny musicals in recent years, URINETOWN is a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold. In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year draught, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public urinals instead...at a cost. Amid the chaos, a hero emerges who leads a revolution so people can pee for free! URINETOWN is outrageous, wickedly funny, and unlike any other musical imaginable!