Director's Notes

TIBBITS SUMMER THEATRE

Working

August 4-13

A show for everyone who has ever held a job--or lost one.

Stephen Schwartz ("Wicked," "Godspell"), James Taylor ("Fire and Rain," "Sweet Baby James," "Carolina In My Mind"), Micki Grant, Craig Carnelia ("Is There Life After High School?") and a numbe rof other top notch songwriters adapted Studs Terkel's book of the same name. Terkel (a Pulitzer Prize winning author) wrote an oral history of the American worker. Terkel believed that there was not a voice that should not be heard, a story that could not be told. Stephen Schwartz was drawn to find a way to make the stories sing. He realized that it should not be a score from one man; he needed a large variety of sounds to let Americans truly express themselves.

"Working" opened on Broadway in 1978. You might have caught it on PBS in 1982. It has had a long life in regional theatre, with revisions to keep it current. It is a show-piece for the acting talent of the company as they become two, three, five people in the course of the production. I love this crazy quilt of experience in the American workplace. You will recognize yourself, your neighbor, and your UPS delivery guy. They all tell or sing about what makes teir job special, how they get through the day when t's not a special job, or how they find pride in an kind of job they hold. I find it funny, telling, and truly inspirational. I hope you will too.

"...a kind of maturity not often associated with Broadway shows." --Boston Globe

'Immensely moving... terrifically original in concept.. its' a glorious show that rethreads the fabric of American life and leave you cheering." --Daily News

out of order

July 21-30

This one is all about working to keep your job.

George, a hapless assistant to a junior minister in Parliament has been told to arrange an affair at a hotel with a typist from the opposition party. George will do anything to keep his job:  sort out the various people who keep popping in at inopportune moments, lie for his boss, fetch and carry for him, or even tote around a dead body if his boss tells him to.

I love this play. I directed it a number of years ago in Nashville, TN. It was in the round, with no doors to slam or to help with surprise entranceas, and it was still a great show. I think Ray Cooney is the master of the British farce. Think about the ever increasing complications endured by John Smith in last year's hit, "Run For Your Wife." This one is every bit as good. I love how in all his plays people careen around the stage, and just as you think it has to fall apart, one more lie is told, another door is opened, or disguise put on...

And it doesn't just make me laugh. It was named the 1991 Olivier Award for Best Comedy in London.

"Made me laugh more than any play I have seen in the West End this year." --Evening Standard

"Gleefully funny." --Guardian          "A triumph." --Financial Times          "Wildly funny." --Telegraph

"An inspired machine designed to cater to one of civilized society's greatest joys, which is to see someone else in the soup." --London Sunday Times

The Full Monty

July 7-16

What do you do when you're unemployed? You re-invent yourself.

Down and out former steel worker Jerry Lukowski has lost his job, his wife and is on the verge of losing his kid. How do you make some money, quick? He notices the Chippendale-like troop raking it in and hits on the idea that he and his other out-of-work friends should become male strippers--never mind what shape they are in, their talent or dance ability.

Of course, in the hands of Terrence McNally, one of our best playwrights, it's really a musical comedy about self-discovery and self-worth. Audiences may come for the slightly racy premise, but I have seen few shows that charm the audience into rooting so strongly for the protagonists to succeed. David Yazbeck's score is perfect for the show--contemporary, toe-tapping and just plain fun.

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"The Full Monty" was nominated for 10 Tonys and 12 Drama Desk awards, winning for Outstanding Musical.

On Broadway, Too: An irving berlin songbook

June 23 - July 2

Applause for a job well done. Let's start with famed composer ("Show Boat,") Jerome Kern's assessment of Irving Berlin:  "Irving Berlin has no place in American music. He is American music." I knew that after the success of the last year's revue of the current Broadway scene, we wouldn't want to just do a repeat of the same era. Since everything else on the season short list looked like it was going to be very contemporary, I thought it would be perfect to honor one of America's favorite song writers--with his writing for Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley. We'll be singing 'Heat Wave,' 'Alexander's Ragtime Band,' 'Cheek to Cheek,' 'Let's Face the Music and Dance,' and songs from "Annie Get Your Gun," "Call Me Madamn," Holiday Inn," and "Top Hat." To start listing Berlin songs that are either favorites or essentials threatens to turn his incredible output into just a list. He wrote close to a thousand songs during his very long life. We are doing some of the very best--and a couple you may never have heard before. After all, can you sing me a chorus of 'Pack Up Your Sins and Go to the Devil?' Well, you'll be able to after this.

Tibbits Popcorn Theatre

Abacadabra popcorn magic show

July 29 - August 6

Once again we welcome to the Tibbits stage some of the best Magicians performing with the Colon Magic Show. Each performance is a different artist, bringing different illusions to amaze and amuse.

Rick Fisher               July 29

Justin Holbrook/

     Krag Ryal             July 30

James Kesler          August 5

Jania Taylor              August 6

Sleeping Beauty

July 15-23

This verson of the famous Charles Perrault tale was adapted by the Birmingham Children's Theatre. It tells the beloved story of the christening of the Princess Rose by the fairies in the kingdom and how the whole family works to protect the young innocent from her fate. There are two things I particularly like about this version. The first is the warmth shown between several generatons of the family. The other is the nod it gives to one of the most famous ballets, with moments of dance for the young lovers. A story for everyone who likes a little romance mixed with laughter and suspense.

Back When the Animals Talked

July 1-9

Here is the story about a young man on a reservation who must make a life-changing decision. His grandfather draws on the Southwest Native American myths and legends to help him understand what he must do. Here are the timeless stories of the coyote--the trickster of the animals--the bear, the bluebird, and the two-legged creature known as man.

Hansel and Gretel

June 17-25

This new, updated version of the Grimm brother's story is a much more fun-loving approach to this dark and gloomy tale. Hansel and Gretel are merely lost in the forest (not left to starve by a desperate mother and father) while they are out camping in the wilderness. Soon the brother and sister follow their noses to the celebrated Gingerbread House and its evil occupant. How Hansel and Gretel emerge victorious under extreme circumstances will still bring cheers from children today as it did so many years ago.