November 2012

Five Women Wearing the Same Dress

Presented by Theatre at Barton

Thursday – Sunday
November 8-10, 2012 at 8 p.m.
November 11, 2012 at 3 p.m.

Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre
Barton College

“Dying is easy… comedy is hard!”  This acting maxim has been attributed to performers from Edmund Kean in the late 1700s, to Peter O’Toole in the 1980s. And, as with many crass, snarky adages, it remains in circulation because there is a great deal of truth to it.  Another favorite quote is “Comedy is tragedy, plus timing.”  This is a personal favorite because I feel that the best comedy develops out of a darker reality, and relies on irony to resonate with the audience.

In theatre, we have the luxury of being analytical with topics such as comedy, and it is indeed part of our mandate.  People who have not been present during a rehearsal process would be amazed at the attention, rigor, and time devoted to making a joke or “bit” seem off-the-cuff, executed right then and there for the very first time.  With all due respect to our academic brethren, comedy is indeed a “science!”

Our theatre students are ready for the challenge that a bold, contemporary comedy presents.  Alan Ball, an Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe winning writer, has provided the platform with his bridesmaid comedy, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.  Set during an elaborate wedding at the bride’s home in Knoxville, Tennessee, the five bridesmaids find refuge in the room of Meredith, the sister of the bride. Outrageous stories and experiences are disclosed, resolution and bonding ensues, but along the way, the breakdowns and hilarity will leave our audience in stitches.

I give this a rating of PG-13 for adult situations and the language used, so discretion would be advised for our audiences.  I am delighted to have you join us for this terrific show!

- Adam J. Twiss, Director of Theatre at Barton

April 2012

The Spitfire Grill

by James Valcq and Fred Alley

Thursday – Saturday, April 12-14, 8 p.m
Sunday, April 15, 3 p.m.

Though not unprecedented, it is certainly unusual for a theatrical piece to originate from the medium of film rather than literature. In 1996, a simple, daring motion picture won the hearts and imaginations of audiences at the Sundance Film Festival, garnering numerous awards and receiving the highest price ever paid for the rights to an independent, feature film. That film, The Spitfire Grill, intrigued musical duo James Valcq and Fred Alley to develop the story as a musical for the stage; and, in 2001, the show opened to standing ovations and numerous awards on Broadway.

This is a uniquely American tale of fall and redemption, value of community, and love lost … and found. The storytelling and the music are seamlessly integrated, and guest director Bryan Pridgen has assembled an outstanding company for our Barton production. This heartwarming show has been on our radar for a number of years; it’s a musical that we thought would fit exceptionally well in Barton’s intimate Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre. This year the stars finally aligned and provided the opportunity to produce this wonderful work. We could not be more pleased and honored to present it to you.

One tiny, little spoiler alert: If you are familiar with the film and not the musical, you can expect one ENORMOUS change from screen to stage!

We look forward to having you join us for this wonderful Theatre at Barton production of The Spitfire Grill.

September 2011

Oh, What A Night!

Presented by

Theatre at Barton and Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy

Saturday,  September 3,  7:30 P.M.
Sunday,  September 4,  3 P.M.

A star-studded concert of Broadway selections from shows too big to be fully mounted on the Hot Summer Nights or Barton stages!

Produced by Lauren Kennedy and starring Alan Campbell, Ray Walker, Yolanda Rabun, and a host of talented performers from the stages of Broadway and Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy, this is a fantastic way to wrap up a Hot Summer Nights theatre season and kick off Barton’s!

March 2011

Drood

by Rupert Holmes

March 3 – 6, 2011

8 p.m., Thurs., Fri., and Sat. evenings
3 p.m., Sunday afternoon

A musical by Rupert Holmes adapted from Charles Dickens’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood, this wildly warm-hearted theatrical experience kicks off with our actors playing actors playing characters in a flamboyant rendition of an unfinished Dickens mystery. The story itself deals with John Jasper, a Jekyll-and-Hyde choirmaster who is quite madly in love with his music student, the fair Miss Rosa Bud. Now, Miss Bud is, in turn, engaged to Jasper’s nephew, young Edwin Drood. Our title character disappears mysteriously one stormy Christmas Eve – but has Edwin Drood been murdered? And, if so, then whodunnit?

The giddy playfullness of this play-within-a-play draws the audience toward one of Drood’s most talked-about features: the vote, which allows the audience to choose the solution to the mystery as prelude to the most unusual and hilarious finale!

September 2010

Tell Me On A Sunday

by Andew Lloyd Webber

September 2 – 5, 2010

Tell Me on a Sunday brings Broadway star Lauren Kennedy back to Barton College and to the stage that bears her name. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black, Tell Me on a Sundayis a a one-act musical that tells the story of an ordinary girl whose romantic misadventures lead her to New York, Hollywood, and back again in search of love. The show will be directed by award-winning Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy veteran Matthew-Jason Willis.

November 2009

Waiting For Godot

by Samuel Beckett

November 12-14, 2009, At 8 P.M.
November 15, 2009, At 3 P.M.

Waiting for Godot has been called the greatest play of the 20th century and is by all accounts a modern classic. The play may be viewed in an existential or absurd light, but the playwright never desired a label.

Two characters pass the time waiting on the side of a road for someone named “Godot.” As they wait, other characters come along and offer bits of enlightenment, information, and entertainment.

The play has engendered incredible scholarly debate aimed at exposing a hidden meaning. Although overt political, biblical, and Freudian undertones exist, Waiting for Godot is more a comment on man himself than on those elements that comprise him.

The play has been adapted to film several times and was successfully revived on Broadway in 2009 with award-winning actors Nathan Lane, Bill Irwin, and John Goodman.