A multi-racial company of twelve actors will play over thirty roles in both plays. Returning to New Theatre after a long absence, Carbonell-winning actor James Randolph (Angels in America) will play the title role in Othello and then evidence his versatility going from tragic to comic as Feste in Twelfth Night. Opposing and opposite Randolph’s Othello, New Theatre veteran Carlos Orizondo (Anna in the Tropics) will move back and forth from the role of the evil Iago in Othello to that of the lovelorn Orsino in Twelfth Night. As the various women in their lives Ursula Freundlich and Deborah Sherman (Anna in the Tropics) will be, respectively, Viola and Olivia in ‘Night and Bianca and Emilia in Othello. Tara Reid (Tom Walker) returns to play Desdemona in Othello and Maria in Twelfth Night.

The company is rounded out by Gonzalo Madurga (Polonius in Hamlet) as Bravantio and Malvolio, David Perez-Ribada (Laertes in Hamlet) as Cassio and Sebastian, Ricky Martinez (On the Verge) as Rodorigo and Andrew and the ubiquitous Ken Clement as The Doge and Toby. Three recent graduates of South Florida universities will be the Interns for our summer of 2003 and supplement the cast in a variety of supporting roles.

Composers M. Anthony Reimer and David Ganon will provide the all-important music for the plays. Estella Vrancovich (costumes) and Travis Neff (lighting) will design. Leslie Ann Timlick is the text and diction coach, Ken Clement is the fight director, Margaret Ledford is the production stage manager. Rafael de Acha doubles as set designer and director for both productions.

The winter season at New Theatre will include world premieres of plays by Nilo Cruz -- his Beauty of the Father -- and Mario Diament – his Blind Date – as well as two Florida premieres: one of A. R. Gurney’s new play Human Events and another of a brand-new play by John Strand (Tom Walker). An exciting addition to the season is that of the world premiere of a new musical by David Ganon and Michael McKeever. The work has been commissioned by New Theatre and will be partially underwritten by a grant from an anonymous donor. With the working title Impressions, the musical deals with the life stories of several women artists.

2003 – 2004 Flexible Season Passes are now available. Call the box office at 305 443-5909 for more information.

RICHARD NELSON’ PLAY MADAME MELVILLE OPENS AT NEW THEATRE ON JANUARY 4TH

FLORIDA PREMIERE OF RICHARD NELSON’S MADAME MELVILLE Bridget Connors (Madame Melville) and Alex Weisman (Carl)

ABOUT MADAME MELVILLE

Nelson in his 90-minute work intertwines two familiar themes: the coming-of-age of a young man and the confrontation of American innocence by European experience. His hero, Carl, now with children, reminisces about Paris in 1966. We see how, as a 15-year old student in the American School, he falls under the spell of a beguiling literature teacher. One night, after an extramural excursion, Carl stays behind in her flat. For him, this offers a magical introduction to the world of art, music, and adult emotions.

At New Theatre, in a production directed by Rafael de Acha, young Alex Weisman plays Carl. Bridget Connors (New Times Best Actress Award, 1999) plays Claudie, Carl’s French teacher. Carbonell-nominated actress Barbara Sloan (Vivian Bearing in Wit) plays the role of Ruth, Claudie’s American neighbor. Michael McKeever is the set designer.

Ben Brantley, in his New York Times review wrote “Nelson revels in and shrewdly manipulates the conventions of the memory play in ways that are hard to resist. You probably experienced a similar heady moment of revelation when you were a miserable teenager, and you probably never found anything to match it in your adult life. Madame Melville may wind up melting even those determined to withstand its misty-eyed sensibility. Madame Melville is finally more about loneliness and consolation than about erotic attraction. A short, sweet and extravagantly sentimental play.”

Richard Nelson is a recognized American playwright whose work as a Resident Playwright for The National Theatre of Great Britain has brought him wide acclaim here and abroad. He is the author of the book and lyrics for James Joyce’s The Dead and countless plays. New Theatre produced his Between East and West in the 1998-1999 season. Madame Melville was originally produced in London, later transferring to Broadway, where it enjoyed a successful run in 1999 with McCauley Caulkin in the role of Carl.

The opening night is Saturday January 4th, with curtain at 8 p.m. and an informal reception with buffet and open wine bar, catered by Lovables, starting at 7 p.m. All New Theatre Partners who contributed to our recent Partners Campaign will be guests as a token of New Theatre’s appreciation.

Madame Melville runs through February 2 at New Theatre. Call for tickets (305) 443 5909.

IN THE NEWS

• Carbonell-winner Ken Clement who starred in Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol this past month added performances to his already-busy schedule by doing an additional morning show for Sunset High School and another one for theatre colleagues on their off-night on Monday December 16 at New Theatre. Ken next moves on to the cast of Sherlock Holmes’ Last Case at Actors’ Playhouse.
• Christine Dolen, in her Miami Herald Theater Highlights gave New Theatre a nice mention by saying “Cuban-American playwright Nilo Cruz gave his adopted hometown the gift of a world premiere play, the shimmeringly provocative Anna in the Tropics at New Theatre.” She also went on to single out Robert Strain (Tom Walker) and the buoyant production of John Strand’s play under David Mann’s direction. Dolen gave Ken Clement a smashing review for his tour de force work in Jacob Marley, saying “Changing accents, switching in an instant from Marley's imposing misery to the posture of a playful tiny sprite called Bogle, the always-impressive Clement reaches into his bottomless actor's tool kit to make Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol work. He's funny, fiery, bemused, moving. Not flashy -- just solidly good.”
• Jack Zink in The Sun-Sentinel also waxed poetic about Ken Clement… “(who) won South Florida's Carbonell Award just weeks ago as best supporting actor for a series of character vignettes ranging from comic to grotesque in New Theatre's recent Tom Walker. Already he's staking a claim for leading-actor award consideration, since he's all-alone on stage in Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol yet manages to create a wide array of colorful characters. Instantaneous changes in expression, posture and, most especially, his voice make him a one-man thespian tag team.” Jack Zink also singled out New Theatre’s Hamlet in The Best and Worst of South Florida Theater in 2002 as one of the year 2002’s top theatrical shows
• And not to be outdone, Bruce Miller in The Coral Gables Gazette wrote what amounted to a love letter to the show and actor, ending his review with “…rediscover for yourself why you fell in love with theater in the first place.”
• Deborah Sherman (Anna in the Tropics) stars in Mario Diament’s play House Guest soon to open at a new theatre space in Little Havana. Mario, whose work New Theatre has twice presented recently saw both his New Theatre works go on to major productions, one – The Book of Ruth -- at Romania’s National Theatre, the other – Smithereens – in a successful extended run in Buenos Aires. Felicidades! Congratulations also to David Perez Ribada who starred in The Modern Stage's production of Adam Rapp's Nocturne and, in the Herald’s words, “lured audiences to Performance Space 742 in Little Havana.” David Kwiat (Smithereens) will be appearing in Dirty Blonde at Gables Stage in January

Enero 2003
More info @ New Theatre Website