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Sweeney Todd
April 29, 30, 2016; May 1, 6, 7, 8, 2016
Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to 19th century London seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up, and the carnage has only just begun!
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Getting Out
January 29-31, 2016; February 5-7, 2016
Released from prison "Arlene" returns to a rundown apartment in Louisville, intent on starting her life over. Rebellious and disruptive as a young girl, she has found strength in religion and wants to put her youth (as "Arlie") behind her. But her struggle to find her way in the present (as "Arlene") is counterpointed by flashbacks of her past (as "Arlie"), her two personalities being represented by two performers, who sometimes appear on stage simultaneously. We meet the guards and prison officials with whom "Arlie" waged a running battle; and the unfeeling, slatternly mother, the lecherous former prison guard, the pimp ex-boyfriend, and the touchingly friendly neighbor with whom "Arlene" is confronted in the present. Ultimately the play, like life, offers no simple answers—but it conveys, with heartrending honesty and compassion, the struggle of someone fighting for her life against incredible odds
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Machinal
October 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 2015
The play's title means "automatic" or "mechanical" in French and is based loosely on the murder trial of Ruth Snyder and her lover, Judd Gray, who together murdered Snyder's husband. Convicted of murdering her husband, Snyder later received the electric chair. A woman's role during this era in history is confined and regimented to wife, mother, housekeeper, and sexual partner. Love is considered unnecessary, and thus many women are trapped in their dependent status, living a hellish life in a loveless marriage. The relationship between Helen Jones and her husband, George H. Jones, is no different. However, when a man intercedes and Helen is given a momentary glimpse of passion, her life is forever changed. She sees how society confines her, how her husband unconsciously dominates her every decision, and she feels that there is no escape. With a feeling of hopelessness, Helen commits an egregious crime, murdering her husband to free herself from the constraints of society and, ironically, to save her husband from the pain of a divorce. This heavy play is a powerful expressionistic drama about women's forced financial dependency upon men during the 1920s and their trapped existence in a male-dominated, oppressive wasteland.
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Pinocchio Commedia
September 26-27, 2015
This Harlequinade version of Pinocchio is one of his theatre’s most successful productions. Simons uses the original Italian commedia names, such as Arlecchino, who later became the French Harlequin. The name “Pinocchio” may be spoken with its Italian pronunciation as pee-no-kee-o. In true commedia fashion, this wild and uninhibited play begins with a troupe of strolling players exploding into the theatre with their noisy props and crude scenery. Arlecchino plays a Cricket; Pantalone plays Geppetto; Razullo, a fox; Beltrama, a cat; Pulcinella, the wicked puppet master; Pedrolina, a donkey and a fool; Columbina, a spirit and Pinocchio plays himself. The commedia flavor gives the story vigor and makes it entertainment for adults as well as children without losing the charm and significant message of Collodi’s famous story.
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As You Like It
May 1-10, 2015
Comic twists and turns abound when a disguised Rosalind seeks refuge after being wrongfully banished by her uncle. Her unfortunate exile is transformed into a charming adventure when she encounters some of Shakespeare’s most beloved characters - colorful fools, witty rustics, and the handsome, lovesick Orlando. A clandestine, gender-bending courtship ensues, in Shakespeare’s timeless comedy about love, transformation and the roles we play.
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