[ back ]
CVLT season opens with 'Jekyll, Hyde'
(by Herb Hammer - August 18, 2010)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
CVLT season opens with 'Jekyll, Hyde'
The fall theater season approaches, and Chagrin Valley Little Theatre has announced a full slate from October right through August of 2011. Six productions will appear on the main stage, with four additional productions scheduled for the smaller River Street Playhouse.
Let's take a look.
Beginning Oct. 15, Jeffery Hatcher's stage adaptation of Robert Lewis Stevenson's novel "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" will be on the CVLT main stage. The story is set in 1883 London, where Dr. Henry Jekyll, a scientist, develops a second monstrous personality, Edward Hyde. Dr. Jekyll has many friends, while Hyde, his alter ego, roams the streets of London terrorizing people.
Daniel Takacs directs. This should be scary good fun. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" closes Oct. 30.
On Oct. 29, "The Last Five Years," by Jason Robert Brown, opens at the River Street Playhouse. This two-character little musical studies the troubled marriage of Cathy and Jamie. Cathy tells her story backwards, beginning at the end of the marriage, while Jamie tells the story from the beginning with falling in love. The storytelling is a bit of gimmick, but, with 15 songs, a bittersweet plot and the social troubles of modern marriage mixed in, director Jaqci Loewy should be able to pull it off. "The Last Five Years" closes Nov. 13.
Nearly everyone has seen the musical "Annie" at least once. Well, here it is again. CVLT is bringing the 1977 musical back to the main stage Nov. 19 running through Dec. 18. The musical adaptation of the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" never seems to grow old. The Charles Strouse score, along with Martin Charnin's lyrics, continue to keep the show alive. Andrew Cruse directs.
CVLT is showing its political nerve. "Hillary: A Modern Greek Tragedy" will play River Street from Nov. 26 through Dec. 11. Wendy Weiner's comedy "With a Somewhat Happy Ending" is told as a personal war between the influences of Greek gods Aphrodite and Apollo. Familiar characters Monica Lewinsky and ultimately Ken Starr make appearances. And then there is Bill.
"Bloody Murder," by Ed Sala, opens Jan. 14, directed by Douglas Farren. The Agatha Christie-style mystery brings six characters to a countryside estate and then locks them in. As they try to unravel a murder, major hilarity breaks out. The show closes Feb. 5.
On March 18, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" opens on the main stage. David Yazbek's musical is based on the 1988 film that starred Michael Caine and Steve Martin. The comedy pits one con artist against the other. A bet over a young woman's money inspires the plot. The book is by Jeffrey Lane. It runs through April 16.
River Street will present well-known local actor Robert Hawkes in Glen Berger's one-man show "Underneath the Lintel," beginning April 29. Mr. Hawkes plays a Dutch librarian who comes across a book that was anonymously returned 113 years overdue. The one-man show takes us on a journey in search of the history of the Baedeker Travel Guide, the book. "Underneath the Lintel" plays through May 14.
On June 3, CVLT will give us a second look at "Don't Dress for Dinner," reviving the highly successful farce that played here a few seasons back. Barbara Rhoades will again direct Marc Camoletti's comedy. The play closes June 25.
On July 1, the theater, as it did last season, will present 10 one acts, all written by local playwrights. The chances of a perfect 10 are remote, though some may prove to be interesting. River Street will run the 10 through July 16.
Richard O'Brien's 1973 hilarious and somewhat bloody "The Rocky Horror Show" will open on July 22. Teenagers Brad and Janet come across a haunted castle only to find themselves in the middle of murder and mayhem. The movie version, which added the words "Picture Show," became a midnight classic. The play is much funnier and runs through Aug. 20.
Finishing out next summer's season at the River Street Playhouse is Jerry Mayer's two-character romance "2 Across." On a San Francisco commuter, two strangers find each other. It's 4:15 a.m. when the train leaves the station. The comedy centers on the New York Times crossword puzzle. It runs from Aug. 12 through 27.
Chagrin Valley Little Theatre has offered up an ambitious year. The two stages will be very busy with a slate that looks extremely promising.
[ back ]
