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Colony
Curtain Call!
The Newsletter of the
Colony Theatre Company: January 2005
An Adventure Unlike Any Other ...
The final production of 2004-05 Season will be Climbing Everest, a
World Premiere adventure by Margit Ahlin
We are proud to announce that the 5th play of our 2004-2005
subscription season will be the World Premiere adventure Climbing
Everest by local playwright Margit Ahlin, directed by Al D'Andrea.
Mostly set on and atop the world's tallest and deadliest mountain,
Climbing Everest is a stunning, vibrant, and moving story of one
woman's quest to overcome family tragedy and to bring some peace to her
shattered life.
Mallory Falconer comes from a family of mountain climbers. She
suffers, along with everyone else in her family, when her father is
pulled into an avalanche while climbing in the Himalayas. When her
beloved brother later sets out to conquer the world’s tallest peak and
succumbs to hypothermia, Mallory is left devastated by the double loss.
She becomes obsessed with getting her brother's body off the mountain,
and sets out to climb the deadly peak and do the impossible ---
retrieve a body from the flanks of Everest. Against all odds, Mallory
pits herself against the summit that sits more than 5 miles high as she
climbs into the area called the Death Zone, seeking to overcome family
tragedy. In the end she takes a journey unlike any other on Earth.
"The biggest of the world's mountains,
it seems, has to make but a single
gesture of magnificance to be the lord
of all, vast in unchallenged and isolated
supremacy."
George Mallory, 1924
photo by Lance Turnbull,
The Everest Peace ProjectPlaywright Ahlin was
originally inspired to write Climbing Everest
after reading the Outside magazine article which later became the book
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. That article recounted the tragic events
of the spring climbing season of 1996, when 12 people died while
attempting to climb Everest. She says that while the story was
fascinating enough, there was a single element of the tragedy that
struck her and stayed with her. When somebody dies on Everest, it is
nearly impossible to retrieve the body for burial; if you die on
Everest, you stay on Everest, preserved in frozen silence forever. This
gruesome fact immediately reminded Ahlin of the classic tale Antigone
(in which Antigone breaks the King’s decree that her brother’s body lie
unburied on the battlefield). Ahlin says, "That's what started it--the
idea of all these bodies lying around unburied. So the first scene that
popped into my mind was Antigone, arguing with the King, saying
'please, let me take my brother's body away', and the King saying ‘no,
it goes against our rules’--instantly, it was woman, her brother, and
this antagonist in the form of a king-like character. That scene formed
in my mind, and the play went in every direction from there."
While the setting is unique, this play is so much more than an
adventure tale pitting (wo)man against nature. Ahlin has crafted a
beautiful and personal story of the search for empowerment in a world
that has spiraled out of control, an intimate tale of one woman facing
her demons and rediscovering life, set against the world's largest
backdrop. Director Al D'Andrea describes the heart of the play:
"Centrally, the play is about how Mallory is dead inside, by virtue of
the slings and arrows of life--especially her father's death--but her
journey, this journey of the play, brings her back to life. She is
resurrected into the world of the living, a world that includes both
love and pain."
Ahlin believed the idea of a woman retrieving her brother's body
from the flanks of Everest would make a great movie, and she initially
wrote a screenplay after months of extensive research. But then the
climbing movie Vertical Limit was released and she shelved her story,
thinking Hollywood wouldn't be making another climbing movie anytime
soon. However, Mallory’s story continued to haunt her, so she dusted
off her screenplay and set forth to turn it into a play. Ultimately,
Ahlin came to realize the story worked infinitely better on the stage:
"As it turns out, it's much more appropriate as a play, because of the
whole inner struggle, and the Buddhist concepts that imbue the story.
You see these terrible climbing movies where you have no idea what's
going on in the minds of the characters. That's why the book Into Thin
Air is so good, and every climbing movie ever made has been so bad. All
you see in a movie is these people wheezing behind an oxygen mask…you
have no idea what's going on in their psyche. A play, however, has
license to expose and explore the mind and emotions of the characters
in a theatrical, dramatic fashion. This story would not work as well as
a screenplay."
Adds Colony Artistic Director Barbara Beckley: “I love a good
adventure yarn, and this one has it all---romance, danger, treachery,
humor, and a plucky heroine overcoming enormous physical challenges to
reach her goal. But there’s a much deeper level to the play in that
Mallory thinks she’s climbing the mountain to find her brother, but
she’s really going up there to find herself, and that’s what makes it
so satisfying. It’s an amazing journey, and I’m really looking forward
to taking our audiences to the top of the world!”
Ahlin received encouragement from The Colony from the first draft,
as we hosted a reading, and several members of the Colony artistic
circle offered constructive feedback during the play's initial stages.
The development of this play was made particularly satisfying to all of
us at The Colony by the fact that director D'Andrea is a long-time
Colony Company member, whom you may remember from roles in The
Matchmaker, The Living, Lost in Yonkers, and June Moon. He also happens
to be married to playwright Ahlin, bringing the journey of this play
full circle---just the way we like it.
Your tickets that currently read PLAY 5 TBA will be honored for
Climbing Everest. If you are interested in purchasing tickets for
guests or making any exchanges, you may do so beginning March 14, after
our production of Accomplice closes.
The Colony Theatre is pleased to announce
that we have recently received a grant from the Ralph M. Parsons
Foundation.
The award is in the amount of $35,000 for general operating support.
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation is highly selective, so it is with
great pleasure that we accept this gift.
“Ralph M. Parsons Foundation strives to support and facilitate the
work of the region's best nonprofit organizations, recognizing that
many of those in need today will go on to shape the future of Southern
California, to define it, redefine it, and help it set and achieve new
goals.” Ralph M. Parsons was born a fisherman’s son, and became a
self-made man. “By the time Mr. Parsons died in 1974 at the age of 78,
the company he’d begun at the close of World War II had completed a
list of projects that reads like a history of industrial and urban
development in the 20th century. Thirteen years before his death, Ralph
Parsons established the Foundation in 1961, with assets from stock in
the Parsons Company, the famed international engineering and
construction firm long headquartered in Pasadena.”
Get ready for a Bloody Good Time...
This is the space normally reserved for scintillating tidbits about
the next show coming up in your subscription---insights into the
director's vision, photos from rehearsal, or even certain plot points
designed to whet your appetite. Such a preview is impossible for our
next production, the comedy thriller Accomplice, by Rupert Holmes. We
have all been sworn to secrecy, and, as they say, if we tell you, then
we’d have to kill you. Ok, maybe not, but you get the idea.
So we are left to dazzle you with quotes from previous productions,
along with the trophy case of awards this show has accumulated from
other productions, combined with the pedigree of both the director and
the author, and, of course, the track record of The Colony---hopefully
all of which will be enough to inspire you to start counting the days
until it is your turn to see this dynamic production.
Accomplice premiered at The Pasadena Playhouse in January, 1989 and
went on to the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in April, 1990. The
play was honored by the Mystery Writers of America with its "Edgar"
(Allan Poe) Award, widely considered the Oscar of mystery awards. It
has gone on to hugely successful productions all over the world.
Directing Accomplice will be Los Angeles theatre veteran Simon Levy,
who, when not directing shows all over town, serves as the Producing
Director/Dramaturg for the highly regarded Fountain Theatre of
Hollywood. His recent production of Master Class won the Ovation Award
for Best Play in a Smaller Theatre and the Fountain's production of
Athol Fugard's Exits and Entrances won the trophy for World Premiere
Play. The Colony is honored and thrilled to be working with such an
accomplished artist.
Playwright Rupert Holmes is a Tony Award winner for his 1986 smash
hit musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The versatile composer / singer
/ novelist / playwright has also composed songs for such artists as
Barbra Streisand and Britney Spears, and his recent best-selling novel
Where the Truth Lies is about to be made into a motion picture starring
Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth and Alison Lohman. Oh yeah, he also wrote and
sang a little pop song in 1979 (The Pina Colada Song) that made him a
millionaire. Accomplice is very much a reflection of the wit and whimsy
of Rupert Holmes, a true Renaissance man of our time.
Accomplice will preview on February 9, 10 and 11, will open on
Saturday, February 12, and will play through Sunday, March 13, 2005.
Accomplice does contain adult material, so it is not recommended for
children under the age of 13. Tickets may be purchased by calling the
box office at (818) 558-7000 x15.
“THE COMEDY-THRILLER OF ALL
COMEDY-THRILLERS!”
-L.A. Theatre & Entertainment Review
“DELICIOUS MAYHEM, STYLISHLY SERVED!
IT WOULD BE A CRIME TO MISS IT!”
-The Village Voice
“A PERFECTLY CRIMINAL GOOD TIME!”
- The Toronto Sun
“THE BEST THRILLER SINCE SLEUTH AND
TWICE AS CLEVER!”
-Rex Reed, N.Y. Observer
“IT’S CLEVER, SUSPENSEFUL, CHARMING,
AND FUNNY!”
-USA Today
Standing Room Only in this Grand Hotel
When we announced that our musical this season would be Grand Hotel,
the Musical, directed by Peter Schneider, we knew there would be
interest. We knew that the press would come out, we knew that we’d
probably sell a few more tickets than usual, and we knew that we had
the chance to present a memorable experience for our subscribers.
We
had no idea.
We have had sold-out performances. But we’ve never had a sold-out
run before. Every single performance of Grand Hotel sold out. Even the
very first preview. Even Halloween night. As subscribers, you should
know that you had tickets for a show that we turned away hundreds of
people for because we were not able to extend past our original closing
date due to scheduling conflicts. We always knew subscribing had its
benefits!
To say that our production of Grand Hotel, the Musical was a
phenomenon is putting it mildly. At the closing night party, for
example, two audience members who had come to see the show a dozen
times presented gifts to the entire cast. Testimonials from audience
members called the show Broadway-caliber and many said it was the best
show they’d ever seen at The Colony. And it became standard that each
performance would end with the entire audience on their feet.
The short but sweet run of Grand Hotel, the Musical, will go down in
Colony history as one of the most professional, artistically dazzling,
and luscious shows in our history. But we know it’s just the beginning
of what’s to come, as we approach our 30th Anniversary.
Although no show is totally review-proof, we felt that even if the
reviews were lackluster we still would’ve sold tickets based on
word-of-mouth buzz alone. It turned out we had nothing to worry about.
The critics, like the audiences, loved the show, and we reached another
Colony milestone: the show was The Colony’s fifth consecutive Los
Angeles Times’ Critic’s Choice selection.
Here’s some of what the critics had to say:
“Peter Schneider, former chairman of Walt Disney Studios and head of
Disney Animation, guided The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Aida
to Broadway. Before he left Disney in 2001, his achievements were on an
epic scale, so it's an intriguing surprise to see him helming a revival
of 1989 Tony winner Grand Hotel at the 276-seat Colony Theater.
Claiming an intimate production lets him get closer to the creative
process, Schneider applies visual ingenuity to this modern reworking of
the 1932 Greta Garbo-John Barrymore film, pouring on dances, moving
actors with bustling speed.”
-Daily Variety
“Grand Hotel, The Musical, based on Vicki Baum's 1928 novel, has the
Berlin setting and cynicism of Cabaret and a human poignance all its
own.... Peter Schneider, resuming his directing career after a 20-year
hiatus producing such spectacles as The Lion King and Aida for Disney,
proves he hasn't forgotten a thing. His special gift is the visual
quality he gives to the production on the Colony Theatre's smallish
stage, placing actors on balconies and letting one devastating dance
duo, Cate Caplin and Gary Franco, represent an entire chorus line.”
-curtainup.com
“Schneider's return to humbler enterprises has, of course, generated a
lot of buzz. Yet while his work here is plenty slick, it is also
graciously unobtrusive. By subtly streamlining the story and gently
coaxing forth its emotions, Schneider has uncovered riches heretofore
unsuspected.”
-Los Angeles Times
“In addition to bringing down the roof as one of Grand Hotel's dancing
‘reflections,’ Cate Caplin is the show's choreographer. Her dancers --
principal and ensemble -- are magnificent, and the musical seems so
much more on a grand scale for their presence....A Grand Hotel well
worth your reservation.”
-The Daily News
“One of the more delicious experiences in theater is watching a company
of extraordinarily talented performers who are obviously having a ball
on stage. It's infectious: it brings on a rash of delighted smiles from
everyone in the audience. Such an experience is the defining attribute
of Peter Schneider's Grand Hotel---the Musical which opened last week
at the beautiful Colony Theatre in Burbank. Grand Hotel is everything a
musical should be, and, happily, it DOES embrace all the blessed
possibilities.”
-KABC Radio
Free Reading Kicks off the Holiday Season
Even though most agree that a Colony subscription membership is
already the best deal in town, we are constantly looking for ways to
make our members feel even more special, and our presentation of the
staged reading The
Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge by Mark Brown, directed by Stefan
Novinski, was the most recent example of us wanting to give something
back to our loyal supporters.
Lisa
Beezley and Kevin SymonsWhile we are always seeking
opportunities
to present free shows to our members, it oftentimes takes an alignment
of circumstances to actually make it happen. Such was the case with The
Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge. The project was first brought to our
attention by Brown and Novinski back in July, following the successful
run of their show Around the World in 80 Days. They commented then to
Colony Artistic Director Barbara Beckley that they had a Christmas play
that they thought would be perfect for The Colony. While we have longed
to present a holiday show, the logistics of mounting a full production
during such a busy time had always seemed too daunting, so even though
she loved the script and would have loved to work with Brown and
Novinski again, Barbara politely passed on the project, hoping that
maybe one year it would be able to happen.
Tony Maggio as Scrooge and Louis
Lotorto as the Ghost of
Christmas Come
But then, three months later, our neighbors, the Burbank Town Center
(the mall that shares our parking structure) called us and asked us if
we’d like to be a part of their annual “12 Days of Holiday Cheer”
event. The “12 Days of Holiday Cheer” is an annual Burbank tradition,
which often includes such holiday festivities as Christmas tree
lightings, performances by local Burbank vocal and instrumental groups,
visits from Santa, and other merry offerings. This was the first time
we were invited to participate, and we considered it an offer we just
could not refuse. Barbara, remembering the wonderful script that she
had read back in July, had the idea of doing a staged reading of the
show for one night, with the possibility of adding a second night. That
way, we could participate in the “12 Days of Holiday Cheer” and, at the
same time, invite our subscribers to a free reading---a holiday gift
for everyone!
We were given the third night of “The 12 Days of Holiday Cheer,”
Friday, December 3 for our performance (and it turned out we had to add
a performance on Saturday, December 4 because so many people wanted to
see the show), so all that was left was to find a cast. We were lucky
enough to enlist the talents of Colony Company members Kevin Symons,
Tony Maggio, Lisa Beezley, Denise Dillard, David Carey Foster, and Don
Mackay, in addition to Colony guest artists Larry Cedar (Around the
World in 80 Days) and Louis Lotorto (The Ladies of the Camellias).
The play, set a year after A Christmas Carol, takes place in a
courtroom, as Ebenezer Scrooge is suing the Ghosts of Christmas Past,
Present and Future for emotional distress, among other things. It is a
holiday comedy for all ages and proved to be a very popular attraction,
as both nights sold out and were filled with appreciative audience
members. Thank you to all of you who joined us for these special
evenings and for your generous donations which were used to offset the
cost of putting the shows on.
It was the perfect way to kick off the holiday season and we look
forward to doing more holiday-themed events in the future!
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