Next story: Letters to Artvoice
Curtain Up!
by Anthony Chase
The annual Curtain Up! celebration in Buffalo reminds us that our city boasts more abundant and diverse theater offerings than almost any other city of its size. Indeed, live theater is one of the great things about our town and something well worth celebrating.
While January is the time for the annual roundup in most endeavors, in the theater world the season traditionally begins after Labor Day. Now is the time when, in the years before air-conditioning, show folk historically returned to the cities after summers at outdoor summer stock theaters in mountain and lakeside resort towns. Still, to this day, the theater season begins in September.
Even in times of financial worry, our numerous local theaters soldier on, and new artists continue to enter the scene. More than a dozen different shows will play on Curtain Up! night, September 14, and all of them will probably be sold out. This presents a great opportunity for sampling something off your accustomed track. In addition to the official Curtain Up! roster, you could also check out Grease at Amherst Players; Viagra Falls at the Riviera in North Tonawanda; Oedipus Rex at Alleyway’s Main Street Cabaret; Oliver! at the Aurora Players; among other shows. Plan ahead, because theater seats will be reserved early. Remember that the shows start at 8:30pm on Curtain Up! night—a bit later than usual.
After the show, if you have the time and want to meet some show folk, stop by Studio Arena just before midnight. Artvoice will be crowning the Curtain Up! King and Queen from a roster of theater community hopefuls. So far, Lisa Ludwig and Marc Sacco will represent MusicalFare; Mary Kate O’Connell and Roger Paolini will represent O’Connell & Company; Connie McEwen and Jon Elston will represent Road Less Traveled; and we’re hopeful that the very regal Joyce Stilson will make an appearance for Alleyway. The winners will be invited to present at the Artie Awards in June, and will be showered with absurdly generous prizes, after competing in a theater trivia contest.
CURTAIN UP!
2007 PROGRAM
Act One: Cocktails/Dinner/
Entertainment
Scene one, 5-6pm: Cocktail reception in Shea’s Grand Lobby, open to the general public, with a cash bar.
Scene two, 6:15-8:10pm: Annual Curtain Up! Creative Black-Tie Gala Dinner on stage including additional seating on the balcony level. Gala Dinner tickets must be purchased in advance by calling 829-1172. Theatre District restaurants will also be accepting dinner reservations.
Act Two: CURTAINS RISE!
Theatrical performances, 8:30pm: The evening continues with performances at participating theaters, starting at 8:30pm. See schedule of performances below.
Act Three: Party!
10:15pm. Following the performances, a free outdoor party kicks into gear, with a variety of entertainment. Continue on Main Street in the Theatre District until 1am. The events also include outdoor entertainment and post parties. Artvoice will crown the Curtain Up! King and Queen between 11:30 and midnight at Studio Arena Theatre.
The shows
All Curtain Up! performances
start at 8:30pm.
Alleyway Theatre
1 Curtain Up Alley
Box office: 852-2600
www.alleyway.com
Located in the (well lit and attractive) alley that runs between Shea’s and the old Greyhound Bus Terminal it occupies, Alleyway Theatre is dedicated to brand new plays. The company continues to renovate the Art Moderne 1940 structure into an arts complex with a proscenium theater, a cabaret space, a gallery and fully equipped conference room. The original waiting area is now an attractive lobby space.
THE SEABIRDS
By William Orem
In the world premiere of a new play, the top rooms of a solitary lighthouse become both refuge and battleground during the American Civil War when a drowning man is saved from the Chesapeake Bay by a lighthouse captain. One man is carrying the brand of traitor and hiding from the Confederate authorities who would execute him; the other hopes to go unnoticed by the Union army. Confined to this small round universe, mistrust gives way to acceptance as the pair vie for dominance and the difference between controller and controlled becomes less and less clear. The play is the winner of Alleyway’s 2006 Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition. Tickets: $12 students, $24 general admission.
Irish Classical Theatre
Company
Andrews Theatre
625 Main Street
Box office: 853-4282
www.irishclassicaltheatre.com
Performing in the round on the stage of the Andrews Theatre, the Irish Classical Theatre Company exists “to present the greatest works of dramatic literature: international classics; modern plays of exceptional merit; and Irish plays, both traditional and contemporary. To produce them at the highest level of artistic excellence for the public of Buffalo, Western New York and Southern Ontario, and subsequently, for National and International audiences.” The Andrews Theatre is Buffalo’s only arena stage.
THE SCHOOL FOR
SCANDAL
By Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Dublin-born Sheridan’s classic comedy from the English Restoration period, in which wealthy, middle-aged Sir Peter Teazle has recently married a young and beautiful wife. The new Lady Teazle delights in fashion, young men and daily rounds of malicious gossip. Her new social connections put her in contact with some particularly nasty scandal mongers. None is more vicious than Lady Sneerwell, who is advancing a campaign of lies and forgeries in order to get her hooks into Charles Surface, and to break up his affair with Sir Peter’s ward. Convoluted comic complications accumulate as the motley crew of narcissistic aristocrats stumble over each other on their way to the happy conclusion. Tickets: $42.
The Kavinoky Theatre
320 Porter Avenue
Box office: 829-7668
www.kavinokytheatre.com
With their home in the exquisite neo-classical theater on the D’youville College campus, the Kavinoky concentrates on recent plays and 20th-century favorites for a mainstream audience, with the occasional musical tossed in for flavor.
HANK WILLIAMS: LOST HIGHWAY
By Randal Myler & Mark Harelik
A musical biography of the legendary singer-songwriter, Hank Williams, by the authors of Always…Patsy Cline, which was a big hit for the Kavinoky two seasons ago. “The play follows Williams’ rise from his beginnings on the Louisiana Hayride to his triumphs on the Grand Ole Opry to his eventual self-destruction at twenty-nine. Along the way, we are treated to indelible songs like ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,’ ‘Move it on Over,’ and ‘Hey Good Lookin’.’” Tickets: $12-$36.
Kaleidoscope Theatre
Productions
Marie Maday Theatre at Canisius College, 2001 Main Street
Box office: 629-TKIT (8548)
www.KaleidoscopeTheatreProductions.com
Now in its sixth year, Kaleidoscope Theatre Productions was founded by four energetic young friends with a love of the art. Performing on the Canisius College campus, they strive for a sense of theatrical fun.
ALL THE GREAT BOOKS [abridged]
By Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor
Additional material by Matthew Croke & Michael Faulkner
Comic condensations of great works of literature. This light entertainment fits 89 great books jammed into approximately 90 minutes. The hype promises: “A Little Dickens. A Short Longfellow. Confused by Confucius? Thoroughly thrown by Thoreau? Wish Swift was swifter? Tennyson tinier? Buckle up and hop aboard as the three cultural guerrillas of KTP zip through everything you didn’t get around to reading in school. This compact compendium of the world’s great books will tickle your funny bone and guarantee that you won’t fall asleep in this class!” Tickets: $8-$12.
Lancaster Opera House
21 Central Avenue, Lancaster
Box office: 683-1776
www.lancopera.org
A centerpiece of the cultural life of Lancaster, the facility, built in 1896, is one of the nation’s few surviving town hall opera houses, located upstairs from the municipal offices. The opera house keeps the town supplied with a steady diet of family-oriented theater.
ARSENIC & OLD LACE
By Joseph Kesselring
A classic of 20th-century American comedy, sweet and elderly Martha and Abby Brewster murder lonely men to save them from their loneliness and bury them in their cellar. Tickets: $14-$16.
MusicalFare Theatre
Daemen College, 4380 Main Street, Amherst
Box office: 839-8540
www.musicalfare.com
MusicalFare presents new musicals, new versions of traditional musicals and area musical premieres in an intimate theater space on the Daemen College campus.
ALTAR BOYZ
By Kevin Del Aguila
The regional premiere of a current off-Broadway hit, Altar Boyz is a tongue-in-cheek presentation of a Christian “boy band” that comes to save a few souls with 90 minutes of witty music. The show is actually quite clever and great fun. MusicalFare has assembled a strong cast for their production. Tickets: $12-$34.
New Phoenix Theatre
on the Park
95 Johnson Park
Box office: 853-1334
www.newphoenixtheatre.com
Performing in a 19th-century building on Johnson Park, the New Phoenix theater strives to bring multiple arts together in a variety of new and sometimes experimental work.
THRILL ME: THE LEOPOLD
& LOEB STORY
By Stephen Dolginoff
Intimate two-person musical about the Leopold and Loeb murder case starring its New York-based author, Stephen Dolginoff, and local actor Joseph Demerly. The show enjoyed a successful run off-Broadway. Tickets: $15-$20.
Shea’s Smith Theatre
660 Main Street
Info: 847-0850
www.sheas.org
Shea’s Smith Theatre is Shea’s intimate second stage. For Curtain Up! they’re featuring an O’Connell & Company production. The company is Mary Kate O’Connell’s Snyder-based theater, dedicated primarily to musicals.
THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS—
THE MUSICAL!
Take the old melodramatic plot of an innocent waif unable to pay the rent to the evil landlord and who is rescued by her heroic suitor, tell it five times in five different styles, as though it were written by the most famous Broadway composers and lyricists of all time, and you’ve got this charming little musical. It was a hit for O’Connell’s company last season and should delight audiences again. For more information, visit www.oconnellandcompany.com. Tickets: $35. Call Ticketmaster at 852-5000, order online at www.ticketmaster.com or visit the Shea’s box office at 650 Main Street.
O’Connell & Company
The Cabaret in the Square Theatre
Snyder Square, 4476 Main Street, Snyder
Box Office (716) 839-3949
www.oconnellandcompany.com
ON GOLDEN POND
By Ernest Thompson
“Norman! The loons!” This sentimental family drama is best remembered from the film version starring Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn and Jane Fonda. It’s the story of a couple facing the twilight of their years together. Tickets: $25.
Paul Robeson Theatre
at the African American Culture Center
350 Masten Avenue
Box office: 884-2013
www.PaulRobesontheatre.org
There’s always something happening at the African American Cultural Center and the place really jumps with a musical in the house. The Robeson is an intimate theater, dedicated to plays reflecting African-American history, culture and experience.
IT AIN’T NOTHIN BUT THE BLUES
By Charles Bevel, Lita Gathers, Randal Myler, Ron Taylor and Dan Wheetman
“This rich, evocative, rousing show, with some 50 musical numbers ranging from African chants and spirituals to Delta and Chicago blues, with plenty of stops along the dusty roads, river banks, broken county hearts and juke joints in between, is more that a musical feast” (New York Times). Tickets: $19.50 senior/student, $23.50 general admission.
Road Less Traveled
Productions
Road Less Traveled Theater
639 Main Street, inside the Market Arcade Film and Arts Center
Box office: 629-3069
www.roadlesstraveledproductions.org
A relative newcomer in the Buffalo theater roster, Road Less Traveled is committed to new works by local writers. They perform in a converted cinema space in the Market Arcade movie complex.
BOILERMAKERS AND MARTINIS
By and starring Emanuel Fried
Boilermakers and Martinis is by and stars nonagenarian Emanuel Fried. It’s billed as the true story of his notorious career as a union organizer and champion of American civil liberties, set against the backdrop of the greatest romance of his life. A Western New York premiere! See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSTVWwB6-5Q for a sample. Tickets: $20-$25.
Studio Arena Theatre
710 Main Street
Box Office (716) 856-5650 or 1(800)77STAGE
www.studioarena.org
Buffalo’s fanciest theater facility, dedicated to contemporary plays and classics, the goal of the institution is to offer professional theater of the highest quality.
DON’T TALK TO THE ACTORS
By Tom Dudzick
Buffalo-born and raised playwright Tom Dudzick’s brand new comedy stars Denny Dillon, best known for her roles on Saturday Night Live and Broadway’s My One and Only; Richard Kline, who played Larry on television’s Three’s Company and the title character in the American premiere and pre-Broadway run of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s By Jeeves; and Broadway veteran Lewis J. Stadlen, who starred in the national tour of Mel Brooks’ The Producers and was seen at Studio Arena with Kathy Bates in the world premiere of Howard Sackler’s Semmelweiss. Dudzick’s work, which is usually set in Buffalo, is always popular at Studio Arena. He is best known as the author of Over the Tavern, with its affectionate take on life among Polish Catholics on Buffalo’s old East Side. In the tradition of Kaufman & Hart’s Light Up the Sky or Michael Frayn’s Noises Off, the play tells the story of a young Buffalo playwright who is “thrust into the high stakes, big money, ego driven world of Broadway after being discovered by a big-time producer…the best-laid plans go awry when the people involved only think of themselves and turn to bribery, temptation and chaos to get what they want.” Tickets $42-$56.
ASSOCIATED EVENTS
American Repertory
Theater of WNY, Inc.
“A.R.T. Is Coming To Buffalo!”
Town Ballroom
852-3900
681 Main Street
www.artofwny.org
6:30pm: “Celebrate art and Buffalo’s newest theater company with music, masquerade and revelry!” Acts include the Barroom Buzzards, Caribbean Extravaganza, the one-act play Superhero Blues and Southern rock band Dick Whiskey. Tickets: $30 through Sept 9, $40 after Sept 9. Available at Town Ballroom by calling 852-3900 or at any Tops Markets location.
CEPA Gallery
617 Main Street, Market Arcade Building
856-2717
www.cepagallery.com
BEYOND/IN WESTERN NEW YORK
One of 11 venues participating in region wide exhibition in collaboration with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Free admission.
MARCELLA SHOW CLUB AND LOUNGE
Theatre Place, 622 Main Street
Information: 847-6850
MY FAIR LADY: Female
Impersonation Spectacular
Two evening shows, 10:30 p.m. outside, midnight inside: Marcella’s annual Curtain Up! drag extravaganza began years ago as an Artvoice event. The club took the idea and turned it into a venerable tradition. (Well, venerable might be pushing it, but it sure is a tradition and it’s always a lot of fun—for grown-ups.)
|
Issue Navigation> Issue Index > v6n36: Curtain Up! (9/6/07) > Curtain Up! This Week's Issue • Artvoice Daily • Artvoice TV • Events Calendar • Classifieds |
Current Issue