The New England Premiere Runs From October 24th to November 28th

From October 24 to November 28, 2015, SpeakEasy Stage Company will proudly present the New England Premiere of CASA VALENTINA, a hilarious, provocative, and touching new play about gender identity, self-acceptance, and the struggle to find the right pumps.

A 2014 Tony Award nominee for Best Play, CASA VALENTINA is the most recent work by Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein

Based on actual events, CASA VALENTINA takes place in 1962 at a Catskills resort where a group of heterosexual men secretly gather to dress and behave like women. Away from their families, in their beehives and brassieres, these men enjoy a carefree camaraderie of cocktails and McGuire Sisters. But when challenged to publicly reveal their female alter-egos in the pursuit of political acceptance, “the sorority” must decide whether freedom is worth the risk of ruin.

A 2014 Tony Award nominee for Best Play, CASA VALENTINA is the most recent work by Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein, whose credits include the books for the hit musicals Kinky Boots, Newsies, La Cage aux Folles, and A Catered Affair as well as the play Torch Song Trilogy. As an actor Mr. Fierstein is known worldwide for his performances in films like Mrs. Doubtfire and Independence Day, and his stage work in Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, La Cage aux Folles, and Torch Song Trilogy.

Director Scott Edmiston returns to SpeakEasy having previously directed the company’s productions of Far from Heaven; The History Boys; The Light in the Piazza; Five by Tenn; Other Desert Cities; Next Fall; In the Next Room (or the vibrator play); Reckless; The Women; The Last Sunday in June; and The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told. He has directed more than 60 productions across New England and is the recipient of SpeakEasy’s Outstanding Artist Award, three Elliot Norton Awards, two IRNE Awards, the StageSource Theatre Hero Award, and the Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence in Theatre. He is a Professor of the Practice and Chair of the Theatre Department at Northeastern University.

For this New England Premiere production, Edmiston has assembled an impressive cast of veteran Boston actors, including Timothy Crowe, Thomas Derrah, Kerry A. Dowling, Deb Martin, Greg Maraio, Will McGarrahan, Sean McGuirk, Robert Saoud, and Eddie Shields.

 The design team consists of Edmiston’s frequent collaborators: Janie E. Howland (scenic), Gail Astrid Buckley (costumes), Karen Perlow (lighting), and Dewey Dellay (sound).

CASA VALENTINA will run for six weeks, from October 24 to November 28, in the Roberts Studio Theatre in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End.

Ticket prices start at $25, with discounts for students, seniors, and persons age 25 and under.

For tickets or more information, the public is invited to call the box office at 617.933.8600 or visit www.SpeakEasyStage.com.

Appearing November 6th at 8:00 P.M.

When blues legend James Montgomery plays the harmonica, he “brings it on home”. Whether it’s recording with Kid Rock, sitting in with Gregg Allman, or fronting his hot band of thirty years, Montgomery plays with authority. While growing up in Detroit he learned first-hand from the masters – James Cotton, John Lee Hooker, and Jr. Wells – at the legendary “Chessmate.” Over the years, he’s carried on in the tradition and continues to be a vital presence in Blues as one of the most dynamic performers on the scene.

James Montgomery and his band will be playing live at Jonathan’s Ogunquit on Friday, November 6, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.

In 1970, while attending Boston University, Montgomery formed the James Montgomery Band. His inimitable (oh yeah, he majored in English) harmonica playing combined with his incredibly energetic live shows led to the band’s quick ascension on the New England music scene. Within two years, the James Montgomery band was among the hottest acts in Boston along with J. Geils and Aerosmith, and they were quickly signed to a multi-album deal with Capricorn Records.

Montgomery has toured with many major artists, including Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, the Allman Brothers, Steve Miller and others. He has jammed on stage with B.B.King, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Jr. Wells, James Cotton, Charlie Daniels, Bonnie Raitt, Greg Allman, Laverne Baker, Patti LaBelle, and Peter Wolf among others, including an impromptu session with Mick Jagger at New York’s “Trax”
Over the years Montgomery’s band has been a springboard for many musicians. Members of his band have in

cluded Billy Squire, Wayne Kramer (MC-5), Jeff Golub (Rod Stewart), Jim McCarty (Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels), Nunzio Signore Bo Diddley), Jeff Pevar (Ray Charles Orchestra, Crosby, Stills & Nash), Bobby Chouinard (drummer with Ted Nugent, Squire and Robert Gordon), Jeff Levine (Joe Cocker), Aerosmith’s Tom Gambel, and many others.

Back by popular demand, James Montgomery has become a regular at Jonathan’s Ogunquit. Coming up in the afternoon, grabbing dinner at Jonathan’s, playing some music and staying over in Ogunquit…They love the set up and so do their fans!
The James Montgomery Band will be playing live on Friday, November 6th, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are available on line at http://tickets.jonathansrestaurant.com Tickets start at $22.50.

For more information about the concert please visit Jonathan’s Website.

Jonathan’s Restaurant is located at 92 Bourne Lane, Ogunquit, Maine.

From September 12-October 10, 2015, SpeakEasy Stage Company will proudly present the New England Premiere of appropriate, the thrilling new drama about race and identity by acclaimed African-American playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

A 2014 Obie Award-winner for Best New American Play, appropriate follows the estranged members of the Lafayette clan as they gather at their crumbling Arkansas plantation home to mourn the loss of their father and settle his estate.  While sifting through a lifetime of memories and junk, they make a gruesome discovery that forces them to examine their own lives and confront their family’s dark past.

appropriate will run for five weeks, from September 12 through October 10, in the Roberts Studio Theatre in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End.

Jacobs-Jenkins has said in interviews that, when writing appropriate, he was inspired by and “appropriated” bits from iconic American Family Drama plays such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Buried Child, and August: Osage County.  By remixing and riffing on his source material, Jacobs-Jenkins uses a genre traditionally dominated by white American playwrights to comment on race relations in both America’s history and theatre.

Director M. Bevin O’Gara returns to SpeakEasy Stage to direct the New England premiere of appropriate. This is her fourth project for the company, having directed A Future Perfect, Tribes (Elliot Norton and IRNE Award, Best Production) and Clybourne Park. Bevin is the Associate Producer at the Huntington Theatre Company and a recipient of the Lois Roach Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Boston Theatre Community.

To bring the Lafayette family to vivid life, Ms. O’Gara has gathered an exceptional cast of Boston-based actors: Bryan T. Donovan, Katie Elinoff, Tamara Hickey, Melinda Lopez, Brendan O’Brien, Alex Pollock, Eliott Purcell, and Ashley Risteen.

      The design team includes Cristina Todesco (scenic), Tyler Kinney (costumes), Wen-Ling Liao (lighting), Arshan Gailus (sound), and Angie Jepson (fight choreography).

appropriate will run for five weeks, from September 12 through October 10, in the Roberts Studio Theatre in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End.

Ticket prices start at $25, with discounts for students, seniors, and persons age 25 and under.

For tickets or more information, the public is invited to call the box office at 617.933.8600 or visit www.SpeakEasyStage.com .

Disco Comes To The Ogunquit Playhouse

With The Opening Of

Saturday Night Fever

On September 23^rd

The music and dancing craze of the seventies will come to life on the stage of the Ogunquit Playhouse as Saturday Night Fever runs there from September 23^rd through October 25^th.

The musical is based on the popular movie of the same title and will feature the music of the Bee Gees, featuring such songs as How Deep Is Your Love, More Than A Woman, You Should Be Dancing, and, of course, Stayin’ Alive.

This is a show that will surely bring back memories for the baby boomers out there. If you still have your disco outfits hanging in the closet, it will be a great time to dust them off.

The story revolves around Tony Manero, a talented, streetwise kid from Brooklyn who attempts to escape his dead-end life through dancing. Tony is a humble paint store clerk by day, but transforms into a stallion dance king each Saturday night at the disco, where the nightclub crowd falls under the spell of the disco beat and Tony’s astonishing dance routines. When a big dance competition is announced, he convinces the beautiful and talented Stephanie to be his partner.

Luke Hamilton who is making his Ogunquit Playhouse debut will play the role of Tony. Jennifer Florkowski will play Stephanie, and Haley Hannah will take the part of Annette.

This is a show that will surely bring back memories for the baby boomers out there. If you still have your disco outfits hanging in the closet, it will be a great time to dust them off.

For further information, contact the Playhouse at:

Ogunquitplayhouse.org

Or call 207-646-5511

Walk in the Footsteps of Theatre Legends

The fall is a perfect time to take an exclusive backstage tour of the National Historic Register theatre at the Ogunquit Playhouse. The historic theatre is one of Maine’s cultural jewels and a cornerstone of America’s theatrical heritage. It has produced the finest Broadway shows for more than 80 years, showcasing over 300 Broadway, television and film stars on its stage. Come walk in the footsteps of theatre legends guided by a group of enthusiastic docents who are eager to share the fascinating stories of the Ogunquit Playhouse.

Walk through the stage door and go behind the scenes to see how the magic on stage is made, from wigs, sound, sets and costumes to the dressing rooms, where luminaries such as Bette Davis, Celeste Holm, William Powell and Van Johnson prepared for their performances in years past – just as stars still do today! The live tour highlights the history of the theatre, including how it survived the Great Depression, thrived after WWII (when hundreds of summer theatres closed permanently), and how it became America’s Foremost Summer Theatre.

Tours are scheduled on the following dates: Fridays, September 4, 11, 18 and October, 2, 9; Sundays, September 13, 27 and October 4; and Monday, September 28. A 90 minute tour is $10. The abbreviated 45 minute tour is $5. For tour times, to purchase tickets and for more information on the backstage tours please visit the website at www.ogunquitplayhouse.org.

The Ogunquit Playhouse will produce two more Broadway musicals in 2015. Saturday Night Fever, with a newly revised book and musical arrangements, comes to life on stage from September 23 to October 25. The Irving Berlin classic White Christmas will be presented just in time for the holidays, December 9 to 20 at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Kevin Bacon To Lead Cast At Hartford Stage

It has just been announced that Kevin Bacon will play the lead in the Hartford Stage production of Rear Window which will run from October 22nd  through November 15th.

From the Hartford Stage:

REAR WINDOW
OCTOBER 22 – NOVEMBER 15
Adapted for the Stage by Keith Reddin
Based upon the Story “Rear Window”
by Cornell Woolrich
Directed by Darko Tresnjak

Tresnjak said, “I read Cornell Woolrich’s classic crime story ‘Rear Window’ in high school, and it made a lasting impression. I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to direct a stage version thirty years later, when the issues of surveillance and voyeurism have become even more pertinent. Keith Reddin’s taut adaptation takes place inside of a sweltering, claustrophobic apartment, very much like the addled brain of the leading character, who will be played by Kevin Bacon. I can’t imagine finer collaborators than Kevin and Keith in exploring the terrifying psychological landscape of this timeless thriller.”

Kevin Bacon is a Golden Globe Award winner and Emmy Award nominee, whose films include A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, Footloose, Murder in the First, JFK, The Woodsman, X-Men: First Class, Sleepers and The River Wild. His theatre credits include Forty Deuce (OBIE Award), Spike Heels, and the Broadway productions of Slab Boys and An Almost Holy Picture.

The high voltage-voltage rock and roll musical Million Dollar Quartet will run at the Ogunquit Playhouse from August 19th through September 19th. The play is was inspired by the true story of a meeting at Sun Records Studio in Memphis that brought legends Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash together for an afternoon that turned into a legendary jam session.

The Playhouse production will feature the original Broadway set designed by Derek McLane. I will be reviewing this play over the weekend. I’ll let you know what I think as soon as I get back. Looks like there will be a whole lot of shaking go on in Ogunquit, so i hope I am not all shook up after seeing this.

For information contact the Playhouse at www.ogunquitplayhouse.org   or 207.646.5511