Twin Cities actors Sun Mee Chomet and Stephen Yoakam and music director Denise Prosek each have been awarded $25,000 McKnight Theater Artist fellowships.

The fellowships at the Playwrights’ Center recognize Minnesota theater artists other than playwrights “whose work demonstrates exceptional artistic merit and potential.” In addition to the $25,000 grant, each artist receives $7,000 in project development funds.

Chomet will perform her award-winning one-woman show “How to Be a Korean Woman” this September as part of the Guthrie’s 2013-14 season, after performing the show in South Korea this summer. She has worked throughout Twin Cities theater, including Mixed Blood, Ten Thousand Things, Mu Performing Arts, History Theatre and Penumbra.

Denise Prosek has worked as a music director, pianist and arranger in the Twin Cities for the past 20 years. As resident music director of Theater Latte Da, she has music-directed 40 mainstage productions and numerous cabarets. Prosek has worked at Children’s Theatre Company, the Guthrie, Park Square and Mu Performing Arts.

Yoakam has appeared in more than 75 Guthrie productions, including the recent critically lauded one-person show, “An Iliad.” He is a founding member of Mixed Blood Theatre and has appeared at the Jungle Theater and Pillsbury House Theatre.

The Playwrights’ Center has partnered with the McKnight Artist Fellowship program since 1982 to administer more than 150 fellowships.

Look for something old, something kinda new and something very, very new in Theater Latte Da’s 2013-24 season.

The very, very new is “NEXT: New Musicals in the Making,” a program of in-development musicals (to be announced later) that will be presented in the spring of 2014. The kinda new are “Our Town,” a version of the Thornton Wilder classic with songs added in a new take on the play by Peter Rothstein and Denise Prosek (it’s not, incidentally, the musical version of “Our Town” that includes the song “Love and Marriage”), as well “Steerage Song,” a docu-musical by Rothstein and Dan Chouinard, that premiered in a concert version in 2011 and that kicks off the season in September.

The old favorites are a production of “Cabaret,” in partnership with Hennepin Theatre Trust, and “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914,” which has become a holiday standard for Latte Da. For information or to purchase season tickets, call 612-339-3003.

Theater Latté Da announced yesterday that a season of four adventures in musical storytelling and the continuation of a major new work development program will comprise its 16th Season. Slated for production are Steerage Song at The Lab Theater (September 25 – October 20, 2013), All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 at the Pantages Theatre (December 19-22, 2013), Cabaret at the Pantages Theatre (January 15 – February 9, 2014), and Our Town at The Lab Theater (March 12 – April 6, 2014). In spring 2014, the company will bring back NEXT: New Musicals in the Making, their program to develop new works for the musical theater canon.

In keeping with Theater Latté Da’s mission to explore and expand the art of musical theater and to tell stories that resonate with our current world, the company will open their sixteenth season with Steerage Song at The Lab Theater September 25 – October 20, 2013. Steerage Song premiered in concert form at the Fitzgerald Theater in 2011. Creators Peter Rothstein and Dan Chouinard have continued to develop the docu-musical, blending the songs of 20 countries of Old Europe and the rhythms of Tin Pan Alley into a moving, fully-staged, new musical. The production will be directed by Theater Latté Da Artistic Director Peter Rothstein with musical direction by Dan Chouinard and choreography by Linda Talcott Lee. The cast features Bradley Greenwald, Dennis Curley, Sasha Andreev and Jennifer Grimm among others.

Back by popular demand, Theater Latté Da will once again join forces with Hennepin Theatre Trust and the renowned vocal ensemble Cantus to present All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. In 2007 Rothstein created what has become a holiday classic by melding European carols and war songs together with found text to tell the remarkable story of the World War I Christmas Truce. All Is Calm premiered on Minnesota Public Radio to great success, and has since been broadcast around the globe through

American Public Media and the European Broadcasting Union. All Is Calm will tour the country later this year ending with a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and six performances at the historic Pantages Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, December 19-22, 2013.

Theater Latté Da returns to the Pantages Theatre January 15 – February 9, 2014, Cabaret, the provocative, Tony Award-winning musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb. With book by Joe Masteroff, based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, Cabaret is the second installment of Broadway Re-Imagined, a dynamic partnership between Theater Latté Da and Hennepin Theatre Trust. It comes on the heels of partnership’s hit production of Elton John and Tim Rice‘s Aida. One of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time, Cabaret will be directed by Peter Rothstein, with musical direction by Denise Prosek and choreography by Michael Matthew Ferrell. The cast features Tyler Michaels as the Emcee. Michaels appeared as Melchior in Theater Latté Da’s 2012 Ivey Award-winning production of Spring Awakening, presented in partnership with the University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.

March 12 – April 6, 2014, Theater Latté Da returns to The Lab Theater for a compelling production of the great American play Our Town. For 75 years Thornton Wilder‘s play has played a profound role in American culture. Theater Latté Da will honor the play’s 75th anniversary with a unique production, which infuses this Thornton Wilder classic with live music. A multi-cultural cast of actor musicians become the citizens of Grover’s Corners in this exciting new concept directed by Rothstein with musical direction Denise Prosek.

Theater Latté Da will cap its 2013-14 Season with the return of NEXT: New Musicals in the Making during the spring of 2014. NEXT engages Twin Cities audiences in the creative process as Theater Latté Da supports the development of new works for the musical theater canon. This past season, audiences were treated to When the Moon Hits Your Eye by Pulitzer Prize-nominated Jon Marans, C. by local actor and playwright Bradley Greenwald and Tony Award-nominated Robert Elhai, and an expansion of Bessie’s Birthday by emerging artists Katie Baldwin Eng and Jeff Tang. Works to be developed in 2014 will be announced at a later date.

Theater Latté Da will again offer season ticket packages. For information or to request a season brochure, call 612-339-3003.

Theater Latté Da is a Twin Cities theater company recognized for its ability to connect story, music, artist and audience through diverse stories and theatrical innovation. Theater Latté Da specializes in advancing the art of musical storytelling through emotional, visceral and intellectual performances that resonate with our current world. The company’s bold approach expands the genre by originating new works, radically reinventing classics from the musical theater canon, and experimenting with unusual forms, musical styles and storytelling techniques. www.LatteDa.org

Hennepin Theatre Trust, owner of the historic Orpheum, State, Pantages and New Century Theatres, is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to arts-inspired community cultural development. They achieve their mission by presenting a rich mix of live performances, creating inspiring arts education experiences and advancing a thriving Hennepin Avenue cultural district in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Trust’s activities include presenting Broadway touring productions and the related Broadway Confidential series, concerts, comedy, speakers and other variety entertainment plus educational initiatives including the SpotLight Musical Theatre and SpotLight Critical Reviewer programs for high schools, Teen Ushers, the Access Program and Family Day events.

Cantus is known worldwide for its trademark warmth and blend and its engaging performances of music ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st Century. The Washington Post has hailed the ensemble’s sound as having both “exalting finesse” and “expressive power” and refers to the “spontaneous grace” of its music making. As one of the country’s only two full-time vocal ensembles, Cantus has grown to prominence with its distinctive approach to creating music. Working without a conductor, the members of Cantus rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing to the entirety of the artistic process. Cantus has released 15 albums on its own self-titled label, each to considerable acclaim. Of That Eternal Day (2010) The New York Times said, “the Cantus recording offers many satisfactions, none greater than a touching, ineffably simple performance of “The 23rd Psalm (dedicated to my mother)” by Bobby McFerrin.” The latest Cantus recording, On the Shoulders of Giants, was released in October 2012.

2013-2014 SEASON AT A GLANCE:

STEERAGE SONG

By Peter Rothstein and Dan Chouinard

Peter Rothstein, Director
Dan Chouinard, Music Director
Linda Talcott Lee, Choreographer

September 25 – October 20, 2013
Wednesdays – Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.
Sundays, 2:00 p.m.
Previews: September 25, 26 & 27
Opening Night: September 28
ASL/AD: October 10
Post-show Director’s Dialogue: September 29
Post-show Discussions: October 3, 6, 10, 13 & 17

The Lab Theater
700 North First Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Box Office: 612-339-3003 or LatteDa.org

ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914

by Peter Rothstein
with musical arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach

A co-production with Cantus and Hennepin Theatre Trust

December 19-22, 2013
Thursday and Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, 2:00 & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, 1:00 & 6:30 p.m.
Opening Night: December 19
ASL/AD: December 22, 2:00 p.m.
Post-show Discussions: December 20, 7:30 p.m. & December 21, 2:00 p.m.

Pantages Theatre
710 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Box Office: 800-982-2787 or HennepinTheatreTrust.org

CABARET

Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Peter Rothstein, Director
Denise Prosek, Music Director
Michael Matthew Ferrell, Choreographer

Featuring Tyler Michaels as the Emcee

A co-production with Hennepin Theatre Trust

January 15 – February 9, 2014
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m.
Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.
Fridays, 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.
Sundays, 2:00 p.m.
Previews: January 15, 16 & 17
Opening Night: January 18
ASL/AD: January 30
Open Captioning: February 2
Post-show Director’s Dialogue: January 19
Post-show Discussions: January 23, 26 & 30; February 2 & 6

Pantages Theatre
710 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Box Office: 800-982-2787 or HennepinTheatreTrust.org

OUR TOWN

By Thornton Wilder

Peter Rothstein, Director
Denise Prosek, Music Director

March 12 – April 6, 2014
Wednesdays – Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.
Sundays, 2:00 p.m.
Previews: March 12, 13 & 14
Opening Night: March 15
ASL/AD: March 20
Post-show Director’s Dialogue: March 16
Post-show Discussions: March 20, 23, 27, 30 & April 3

The Lab Theater
700 North First Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Box Office: 612-339-3003 or LatteDa.org

NEXT: New Musicals in the Making

Spring 2014

Titles and specific dates to be announced at a later date.

For more information or to purchase season subscriptions, call 612-339-3003 or visit www.LatteDa.org.

In keeping with Theater Latté Da’s mission to explore and expand the art of musical theater and to tell stories that resonate with our current world, the company will open their sixteenth season with Steerage Song at The Lab Theater September 25 – October 20, 2013. Steerage Song premiered in concert form at the Fitzgerald Theater in 2011. Creators Peter Rothstein and Dan Chouinard have continued to develop the docu-musical, blending the songs of 20 countries of Old Europe and the rhythms of Tin Pan Alley into a moving, fully-staged, new musical. The production will be directed by Theater Latté Da Artistic Director Peter Rothstein with musical direction by Dan Chouinard and choreography by Linda Talcott Lee. The cast features Bradley Greenwald, Dennis Curley, Sasha Andreev and Jennifer Grimm among others.

Back by popular demand, Theater Latté Da will once again join forces with Hennepin Theatre Trust and the renowned vocal ensemble Cantus to present All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. In 2007 Rothstein created what has become a holiday classic by melding European carols and war songs together with found text to tell the remarkable story of the World War I Christmas Truce. All Is Calm premiered on Minnesota Public Radio to great success, and has since been broadcast around the globe through American Public Media and the European Broadcasting Union. All Is Calm will tour the country later this year ending with a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and six performances at the historic Pantages Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, December 19-22, 2013.

Theater Latté Da returns to the Pantages Theatre January 15 – February 9, 2014, Cabaret, the provocative, Tony Award-winning musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb. With book by Joe Masteroff, based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, Cabaret is the second installment of Broadway Re-Imagined, a dynamic partnership between Theater Latté Da and Hennepin Theatre Trust. It comes on the heels of partnership’s hit production of Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida. One of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time, Cabaret will be directed by Peter Rothstein, with musical direction by Denise Prosek and choreography by Michael Matthew Ferrell. The cast features Tyler Michaels as the Emcee. Michaels appeared as Melchior in Theater Latté Da’s 2012 Ivey Award-winning production of Spring Awakening, presented in partnership with the University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.

March 12 – April 6, 2014, Theater Latté Da returns to The Lab Theater for a compelling production of the great American play Our Town. For 75 years Thornton Wilder’s play has played a profound role in American culture. Theater Latté Da will honor the play’s 75th anniversary with a unique production, which infuses this Thornton Wilder classic with live music. A multi-cultural cast of actor musicians become the citizens of Grover’s Corners in this exciting new concept directed by Rothstein with musical direction Denise Prosek.

Theater Latté Da will cap its 2013-14 Season with the return of NEXT: New Musicals in the Making during the spring of 2014. NEXT engages Twin Cities audiences in the creative process as Theater Latté Da supports the development of new works for the musical theater canon. This past season, audiences were treated to When the Moon Hits Your Eye by Pulitzer Prize-nominated Jon Marans, C. by local actor and playwright Bradley Greenwald and Tony Award-nominated Robert Elhai, and an expansion of Bessie’s Birthday by emerging artists Katie Baldwin Eng and Jeff Tang. Works to be developed in 2014 will be announced at a later date.

SEASON TICKETS
Theater Latté Da will again offer season ticket packages. For information or to request a season brochure, call 612-339-3003.

ABOUT THEATER LATTÉ DA
Theater Latté Da is a Twin Cities theater company recognized for its ability to connect story, music, artist and audience through diverse stories and theatrical innovation. Theater Latté Da specializes in advancing the art of musical storytelling through emotional, visceral and intellectual performances that resonate with our current world. The company’s bold approach expands the genre by originating new works, radically reinventing classics from the musical theater canon, and experimenting with unusual forms, musical styles and storytelling techniques. www.LatteDa.org

ABOUT HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUST
Hennepin Theatre Trust, owner of the historic Orpheum, State, Pantages and New Century Theatres, is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to arts-inspired community cultural development. They achieve their mission by presenting a rich mix of live performances, creating inspiring arts education experiences and advancing a thriving Hennepin Avenue cultural district in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Trust’s activities include presenting Broadway touring productions and the related Broadway Confidential series, concerts, comedy, speakers and other variety entertainment plus educational initiatives including the SpotLight Musical Theatre and SpotLight Critical Reviewer programs for high schools, Teen Ushers, the Access Program and Family Day events.

ABOUT CANTUS
Cantus is known worldwide for its trademark warmth and blend and its engaging performances of music ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st Century. The Washington Post has hailed the ensemble’s sound as having both “exalting finesse” and “expressive power” and refers to the “spontaneous grace” of its music making. As one of the country’s only two full-time vocal ensembles, Cantus has grown to prominence with its distinctive approach to creating music. Working without a conductor, the members of Cantus rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing to the entirety of the artistic process. Cantus has released 15 albums on its own self-titled label, each to considerable acclaim. Of That Eternal Day (2010) The New York Times said, “the Cantus recording offers many satisfactions, none greater than a touching, ineffably simple performance of “The 23rd Psalm (dedicated to my mother)” by Bobby McFerrin.” The latest Cantus recording, On the Shoulders of Giants, was released in October 2012.

SEASON AT A GLANCE

STEERAGE SONG

By Peter Rothstein and Dan Chouinard

Peter Rothstein, Director
Dan Chouinard, Music Director
Linda Talcott Lee, Choreographer

September 25 – October 20, 2013
Wednesdays – Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.
Sundays, 2:00 p.m.
Previews: September 25, 26 & 27
Opening Night: September 28
ASL/AD: October 10
Post-show Director’s Dialogue: September 29
Post-show Discussions: October 3, 6, 10, 13 & 17

The Lab Theater
700 North First Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Box Office: 612-339-3003
LatteDa.org
 

ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914
by Peter Rothstein
with musical arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach

A co-production with Cantus and Hennepin Theatre Trust

December 19-22, 2013
Thursday and Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, 2:00 & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, 1:00 & 6:30 p.m.
Opening Night: December 19
ASL/AD: December 22, 2:00 p.m.
Post-show Discussions: December 20, 7:30 p.m. & December 21, 2:00 p.m.

Pantages Theatre
710 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Box Office: 800-982-2787
HennepinTheatreTrust.org
 

CABARET
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Peter Rothstein, Director
Denise Prosek, Music Director
Michael Matthew Ferrell, Choreographer
Featuring Tyler Michaels as the Emcee

A co-production with Hennepin Theatre Trust

January 15 – February 9, 2014
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m.
Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.
Fridays, 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.
Sundays, 2:00 p.m.
Previews: January 15, 16& 17
Opening Night: January 18
ASL/AD: January 30
Open Captioning: February 2
Post-show Director’s Dialogue: January 19
Post-show Discussions: January 23, 26 & 30; February 2 & 6

Pantages Theatre
710 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Box Office: 800-982-2787
HennepinTheatreTrust.org
 

OUR TOWN
By Thornton Wilder

Peter Rothstein, Director
Denise Prosek, Music Director

March 12 – April 6, 2014
Wednesdays – Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.
Sundays, 2:00 p.m.
Previews: March 12, 13 & 14
Opening Night: March 15
ASL/AD: March 20
Post-show Director’s Dialogue: March 16
Post-show Discussions: March 20, 23, 27, 30 & April 3

The Lab Theater
700 North First Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Box Office: 612-339-3003
LatteDa.org
 

NEXT: New Musicals in the Making
Spring 2014
Titles and specific dates to be announced at a later date.

For more information or to purchase season subscriptions, please call 612-339-3003 or visit www.LatteDa.org.

###

When I walked into the Lab Theater last night for the final selection in Theater Latte Da‘s new works project “NEXT: New Musicals in the Making,” they were playing Dolly Parton. I took that as a good sign. Not that I needed one, I’ve really been enjoying NEXT and this is the one of the three pieces that I’ve seen before, as part of a triptych of one-act musicals called Passage of Dreams, presented in 2009 and one of my favorite shows of that year (and this was my favorite of the three pieces, which I thought at the time would make a great full-length musical). Like the music of Dolly Parton, Bessie’s Birthday is funny, homespun, sweet, and surprisingly poignant at times. Writers Katie Baldwin Eng (book and lyrics) and Jeff Tang (music) have worked with director Peter Rothstein and music director Denise Prosek to continue to develop and expand Bessie’s Birthdayover the past few years, with the results being presented for three shows this weekend.

Like Theater Latte Da’s most recent full production, Light in the Piazza, Bessie’s Birthday is about a young woman who is emotionally still a child because of brain damage suffered in her youth. But that’s where the similarity ends. Light in the Piazzais a love story set in Italy in the 1950s, with a gorgeous, almost operatic score to match. Bessie’s Birthday is about a family in Wisconsin in the present day, with a score appropriate to the story. The songs are funny (when the men sing about grilling meat), or touching (the sisters sing to each other), or both (splash!). There’s not a whole lot of action, but we get to know this quirky little family. Bessie (Caroline Innerbichler, who was in Passage of Dreams but not this piece) is turning 30, even though she’s still a little girl in many ways. Her sister Delphine (Elizabeth Griffith, who was also in last week’s C.) is returning home to Wisconsin with her New York boyfriend (Sasha Andreev) in tow. Their parents May (Janet Hanson, the only returning cast-member from the 2009 production) and Sam (James Detmar) are throwing the usual summer pool party for Bessie. The only other guests are funny neighbor Jack (John Gamoke) and his wife Grace (Julie Madden), who provide much of the comedy. They prepare for the party, have conversations, light fireworks, tell jokes, and toast the birthday girl.

Bessie loves to swim, and is most at home in her pool. It gives her the freedom to be herself and see the world in her own particular way. Bessie’s birthday tradition is to push her guests into the pool, fully clothed. In an effective story-telling device, as each character gets pushed into the pool, they freeze for a few moments in mid-air and speak their truth. Funny or poignant, whatever it is, but very real. The entire play has been building to this moment, and it’s a satisfying ending to the story, while still knowing that the stories continue in these characters lives. As has been the case throughout this series, the entire seven-person cast gives fully realized performances, despite the scripts and music stands before them. Caroline portrays Bessie with a sweet innocence and a lovely voice to match. I think I like Elizabeth even more than I did in C., she’s very in the moment. Sasha is genuine and likeable as the outsider trying to make sense of this new environment. Janet brings much heart to the role of a mother trying to protect her daughter and afraid to let her go off on her own (another similarity to Light in the Piazza), and James Detmar nails the part of the typical Midwestern dad. Last but not least, John and Julie are a hoot as the crazy neighbors (as was Julie inCompany last fall – she’s a great comic singer).

There was a lot of talk in the post-show discussion, from the creators and audience members alike, about how this is a quiet and delicate story, not your typical big and splashy musical. It’s still short for a musical, about 75 minutes with no intermission, but perhaps that’s what best serves the story. It’s the little moments that touch the heart, the simplicity of the story and interaction between the characters. I could easily spend two hours with these characters, but not at the expense of those quiet moments of poignancy. That’s the challenge.

Whenever I happen upon a post-show discussion, I almost always stay, along with typically about 10% of the audience. It’s worth noting that all three of the NEXT shows I’ve attended have had a much larger retention rate for the post-show discussion, probably about 75%. Perhaps the type of audience that’s drawn to the reading of a new work is more invested in it than the average theater-goer. The creative teams have seemed very interested in what the audience has to say, as that’s a big part of the development of a new work. I would be happy to see any of these three pieces - When the Moon Hits Your Eye, C., or Bessie’s Birthday - as a full production. If I had to pick just one, I would choose When the Moon Hits Your Eye. The characters and their stories really drew me in, I loved the use of music and mix of styles, I found the characters reading stage direction and descriptions of other characters to be a fresh and interesting story-telling method, and I can imagine lots of interesting possibilities for staging (the three levels of the apartment building, the sunset at the end). But even if I don’t see any of them again, being a part of the creation of these three diverse new works has been a great experience. I look forward to next year’s NEXT!

Theater Latté Da announced the cast for Bessie’s Birthday, book and lyrics by Katie Baldwin Eng, music by Jeff Tang. This musical comedy is being developed as part of NEXT: New Musicals in the Making, a major new work program to develop new musical theater in the Twin Cities.

Bessie’s Birthday features Caroline Innerbichler as Bessie, ElizaBeth Griffith as Delphine, Janet Hansen as May, John Gamoke as Sam, Julie Madden as Grace, Jim Detmar as Jack, and Sasha Andreev as Max. Public readings of Bessie’s Birthday will take place tonight, April 26-28 at The Lab Theater in the Minneapolis Warehouse District.

This hilarious and insightful new musical, Bessie’s Birthday, is set in rural Wisconsin and reunites a family for its annual celebration of Bessie’s birthday. Although Bessie is turning 30, she suffered a seizure as a child that has left her perpetually six years old, or so they think. But this year’s party is different; Bessie is on the cusp of change, ready to take the plunge. In the end, everyone is indeed changed as they all leap into the family pool.

Theater Latté Da presented a 40-minute version of Bessie’s Birthday in 2009 as a part of Passage of Dreams, a triptych of new musicals at the Southern Theater. NEXT allows Eng and Tang to develop the piece into a full-length musical. Baldwin says, “Peter Rothstein is both intelligent and brave which allows him to be respectful of the creative process and let it unfold organically.”

NEXT will provide Twin Cities’ audiences the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the creative process and witness new musicals in the making. Peter Rothstein, Theater Latté Da Artistic Director, sits on the board of directors of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and has been highly involved in their festival of new musicals. NEXT enters Theater Latté Da into this national arena and fulfills the organization’s commitment to the next generation of the American Musical Theater.

Rothstein says, “I have been attending and assessing new work festivals for a number of years. I believe NEXT will put playwrights, composers and lyricists at the center of the process and engage our audience as a key collaborator. It’s a thrilling step for the company.”

Theater Latté Da is a Twin Cities theater company recognized for its ability to connect story, music, artist and audience through diverse stories and theatrical innovation. Theater Latté Da specializes in advancing the art of musical storytelling through emotional, visceral and intellectual performances that resonate with our current world. The company’s bold approach expands the genre by originating new works, radically reinventing classics from the musical theater canon, and experimenting with unusual forms, musical styles and storytelling techniques.

]]> http://www.theaterlatteda.com/caroline-innerbichler-stars-in-bessies-birthday-at-theater-latte-da-beg-tonight/feed 0 http://www.theaterlatteda.com/theater-latte-da-announces-cast-for-bessies-birthday-at-the-lab-theater http://www.theaterlatteda.com/theater-latte-da-announces-cast-for-bessies-birthday-at-the-lab-theater#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:23:32 +0000 Abby Zimmer http://www.theaterlatteda.com/?p=10081 Bessie’s Birthday features Caroline Innerbichler as Bessie, Elizabeth Griffith as Delphine, Janet Hanson as May, John Gamoke as Jack, Julie Madden as Grace, James Detmar as Sam, and ...]]> (Minneapolis/St. Paul) — Theater Latté Da announced the cast for Bessie’s Birthday, book and lyrics by Katie Baldwin Eng, music by Jeff Tang. This musical comedy is being developed as part of NEXT: New Musicals in the Making, a major new work program to develop new musical theater in the Twin Cities.

Bessie’s Birthday features Caroline Innerbichler as Bessie, Elizabeth Griffith as Delphine, Janet Hanson as May, John Gamoke as Jack, Julie Madden as Grace, James Detmar as Sam, and Sasha Andreev as Max. Public readings of Bessie’s Birthday will take place April 26-28 at The Lab Theater in the Minneapolis Warehouse District.

This hilarious and insightful new musical, Bessie’s Birthday, is set in rural Wisconsin and reunites a family for its annual celebration of Bessie’s birthday. Although Bessie is turning 30, she suffered a seizure as a child that has left her perpetually six years old, or so they think. But this year’s party is different; Bessie is on the cusp of change, ready to take the plunge. In the end, everyone is indeed changed as they all leap into the family pool.

Theater Latté Da presented a 40-minute version of Bessie’s Birthday in 2009 as a part of Passage of Dreams, a triptych of new musicals at the Southern Theater. NEXT allows Eng and Tang to develop the piece into a full-length musical. Baldwin says, “Peter Rothstein is both intelligent and brave which allows him to be respectful of the creative process and let it unfold organically.”

NEXT will provide Twin Cities’ audiences the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the creative process and witness new musicals in the making. Peter Rothstein, Theater Latté Da Artistic Director, sits on the board of directors of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and has been highly involved in their festival of new musicals. NEXT enters Theater Latté Da into this national arena and fulfills the organization’s commitment to the next generation of the American Musical Theater.

Rothstein says, “I have been attending and assessing new work festivals for a number of years. I believe NEXT will put playwrights, composers and lyricists at the center of the process and engage our audience as a key collaborator. It’s a thrilling step for the company.”

ABOUT THEATER LATTÉ DA

Theater Latté Da is a Twin Cities theater company recognized for its ability to connect story, music, artist and audience through diverse stories and theatrical innovation. Theater Latté Da specializes in advancing the art of musical storytelling through emotional, visceral and intellectual performances that resonate with our current world. The company’s bold approach expands the genre by originating new works, radically reinventing classics from the musical theater canon, and experimenting with unusual forms, musical styles and storytelling techniques. www.LatteDa.org

BESSIE’S BIRTHDAY AT A GLANCE

Book & Lyrics by Katie Baldwin Eng
Music by Jeff Tang

April 26-28, 2013
Friday – Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, 2:00 p.m.

Single tickets are $14.

The Lab Theater
700 North First Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Box Office: 612-339-3003
LatteDa.org

The musicals being presented as part of NEXT are works in progress and not fully-realized productions. As such, reviewer tickets will not be available. For more information, please call 612-339-3003 or visit www.LatteDa.org.

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The 1897 French play Cyrano de Bergerac has been adapted many times and in many forms, so much so that everyone knows the story of the poet Cyrano and his unusually large nose, who writes the words for a handsome but ineloquent man to woo his love Roxane. After musicals, operas, and countless movies (including the 1987 movie Roxanne, the only version of the story I’ve seen), it may seem like there’s nothing new to say. But Bradley Greenwald’s new musical adaptation (with composer Robert Elhai), presented as part of Theater Latte Da’s new works initiative NEXT, strives to do just that. It lies somewhere in the intersection of theater, musical, poetry, and opera, emphasizing the music and poetry that is in the original piece. Or as Bradley writes in a note in the playbill, “It’s the story of Cyrano and music, of Cyrano andpoetry, and the story of what music and poetry mean to Cyrano, Roxane, Christian, me, you, all of us in this room right now.” Still in its earliest form (they’ve been working on it for less than a year, and I saw the very first public presentation – how cool is that?), it feels a little rougher than the last week’s NEXT piece, When the Moon Hits Your Eye, but it also feels like it has great potential. There’s a lot going on, with many characters (a 13-person cast, many of whom play multiple characters, plus someone reading a few stage directions) and a fairly ambitious staging, so it’s quite remarkable that in just two weeks the creators, cast, director Peter Rothstein, and music director Denise Prosek have gotten it into the shape that it is. They’re still making changes, they mentioned in the post-show discussion (which is a big part of NEXT – getting audience feedback to make the work better) that another song will be added after the curtain call tonight. I feel privileged to have seen it in this early form and look forward to seeing where it will go from here.

As I said, we all know the story. Cyrano loves Roxane, a childhood friend, but she loves Christian. Cyrano reluctantly agrees to help Christian woo her by giving him words to say (“we poets always have epistles to our imaginary lady loves in our pockets”), because he is unable to express himself in the poetic way that Roxane desires. Roxane falls even more deeply in love with Christian from the letters that he sends her when he’s away at war, not realizing that who she’s really falling in love with is Cyrano. When she tells Christian she would love him even if he were ugly, he realizes that she doesn’t really love him, and is devastated. He begs Cyrano to tell her the truth, but tragedy intervenes. (Not at all like the happy ending I remember from Roxanne!)

Apparently there are no limits to Bradley Greenwald‘s talents. He has an incredibly gorgeous voice, and could easily make a career doing nothing but musicals and opera. But he doesn’t just rest on that effortless voice, he also does non-musical theater – from drama, to comedy, to an Ivey-winning performance in the one-man show I am My Own Wife. Adding to that list of talents, he did his own translation of Cyrano from the original French, so as not to be influenced by anyone else’s interpretation of the work (I knew he could speak and sing German, but French too!). He’s taken this literal translation and formed it a fresh new perspective on the story. The original play is all in verse, but Bradley chose to have only Cyrano speak in verse to distinguish his poetic voice from the masses. He focuses on the music that’s in every scene, so when we hear music it feels organic to the story – the first scene takes place in a theater, another with a group of composers in the next room, another at war where soldiers sing to keep their spirits up. The plan for a fully staged production is to have the musicians be on stage and part of the action, rather than a separate band or orchestra. After all that creative muscle, Bradley also sings beautifully and expressively, and has a glorious death scene.

Bradley has a large and talented cast supporting him, some of whom I know from other shows and some who were new to me. One of the latter is Elizabeth Griffith, who is sweet and serene as Roxane, with a lovely voice, but also shows her longing and grief. Sean Dooley (whom I don’t think I’ve seen since the 2004 Michael Brindisi production ofHair, one of my favorite local theater memories) is a great choice for Christian. His voice doesn’t have the depth and richness of Bradley’s (but whose does?), rather, his voice is like Christian’s own words – simple and straight-forward and from the heart. Cyrano speaks in poetic flourishes, with a singing voice to match, and it makes sense that when Christian sings, his voice also matches his words. He’s charming and sweetly awkward when trying to express himself and falling short, showing that Christian really does love Roxane as much as Cyrano does. “I love you and want you to always know it, that’s the best I can say it, I’m no poet.”

The music, composed by Robert Elhai, is comprised of a variety of styles, which he chose to do to give the piece a timelessness, or as Peter Rothstein said, “immediacy.” There’s a marching-off-to-war-WWI-ish song, a charming Renaissance era duet between Cyrano and Roxane recalling their childhood, a rousing duel song (in which Cyrano appears to be making up the lyrics as he goes), a touching love song “Love Lies Waiting,” and what sounds like a folk song from Gascony. It’s a nice collection of songs that fit the story and enhance it.

The two pieces I’ve seen so far in Theater Latte Da’s “NEXT: New Musicals in the Making” have been so different, but equally intriguing, satisfying, and promising. When the Moon Hits Your Eye is an intimate and modern story with just seven characters, each of whom we get to know and love, featuring songs from the public domain. C. is more epic and timeless, with a huge cast of characters (sometimes difficult to keep track of, especially without costume changes to give us a clue), and original music that feels like a real part of the story. So far NEXT is showing the great diversity that can be found in music-theater, and I can’t wait to complete the trilogy next week with Bessie’s Birthday. But you still have two chances to see C. - don’t miss out! For more information and to purchase tickets for this weekend and next weekend, see Latte Da’s website, or just show up at the Lab Theater (a great setting for this series because of its vast open space like a blank slate).

C. features Bradley Greenwald as Cyrano. The talented cast also includes Laurel Armstrong, Lauren Asheim, Patrick Bailey, Sean Dooley, Elizabeth Griffith, Josiah Gulden, Reid Harmsen, Eric Heimsoth, Kim Kivens, John Middleton, David Roberts, and Max Wojtanowicz.

Public readings of C. will take place April 19-21 at The Lab Theater in the Minneapolis Warehouse District.

C. will be the second work presented at NEXT. Greenwald is one of the Twin Cities most cherished performers and was a key writer in the opera work of Theatre de la Jeune Lune. Elhai is a prolific film composer and orchestrator based in the Twin Cities. He was nominated for a Tony and a Drama Desk award for his orchestrations for The Lion King on Broadway.

Greenwald says, “We drown in an ocean of words that are talked, typed, texted, tweeted, twisted and turned to the breaking point of losing all meaning, and thereby their truth and beauty. This new adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s great play reminds us of the power of language, and of one of its greatest champions.”

NEXT will provide Twin Cities’ audiences the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the creative process and witness new musicals in the making. Peter Rothstein, Theater Latté Da Artistic Director, sits on the board of directors of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and has been highly involved in their festival of new musicals. NEXT enters Theater Latté Da into this national arena and fulfills the organization’s commitment to the next generation of the American Musical Theater.

Rothstein says, “I have been attending and assessing new work festivals for a number of years. I believe NEXT will put playwrights, composers and lyricists at the center of the process and engage our audience as a key collaborator. It’s a thrilling step for the company.”

ABOUT THEATER LATTÉ DA

Theater Latté Da is a Twin Cities theater company recognized for its ability to connect story, music, artist and audience through diverse stories and theatrical innovation. Theater Latté Da specializes in advancing the art of musical storytelling through emotional, visceral and intellectual performances that resonate with our current world. The company’s bold approach expands the genre by originating new works, radically reinventing classics from the musical theater canon, and experimenting with unusual forms, musical styles and storytelling techniques. www.LatteDa.org

NEXT: NEW MUSICALS IN THE MAKING AT A GLANCE

WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE
by Jon Marans
April 12-14, 2013

C.
Book & Lyrics by Bradley Greenwald
Music by Robert Elhai
Adapted from the play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
April 19-21, 2013

BESSIE’S BIRTHDAY
Book & Lyrics by Katie Baldwin Eng
Music by Jeff Tang
April 26-28, 2013

April 12-28, 2013
Fridays – Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.
Sundays, 2:00 p.m.

Single tickets are $14.

The Lab Theater
700 North First Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Box Office: 612-339-3003
LatteDa.org

The musicals being presented as part of NEXT are works in progress and not fully-realized productions. As such, reviewer tickets will not be available. For more information, please call 612-339-3003 or visit www.LatteDa.org.

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Continuing their mission to “create new connections between story, music, artist, and audience by exploring and expanding the art of musical theater,” Theater Latte Da is presenting three new works as part of “NEXT: New Musicals in the Making.” The creators spend two weeks workshopping the piece with Theater Latte Da’s Artistic Director Peter Rothstein, Music Director Denise Prosek, and a talented cast of local actor/singers. At the end of that period they present the work to audiences, who are invited to give feedback on what they’ve seen. For a musical theater fan like myself, it’s an exciting opportunity to observe and maybe even take part in the creation of a new piece of music-theater.

The first installment, When the Moon Hits Your Eye, was presented last weekend at the gorgeous Lab Theater. This “play with music” was written by playwright Jon Marans (who also wrote Old Wicked Songs, which Latte Da did at the Guthrie Studio in 2008) and features several diverse songs in the public domain. It’s a slice of life in the neighborhood known as Hell’s Kitchen in NYC, specifically the corner of 48th Street and 9th Avenue. It’s a fantastic neighborhood that’s rich with stories (if you’re in NYC to see some shows, do not eat anywhere near Times Square, instead head over to 8th or 9th Avenue, where the real people live, work, and eat). Our characters include engaged couple Natalia (Emily Gunyou Halaas) and Larry (Rudolph Searles III), Natalia’s mother Felizbella (Michelle Cassioppi), her ex Matthew (Steven Grant Douglas), and the grieving Debbie (Sara Ochs), all of whom live in the same building. Their landlord Gian Carlo (Raye Birk) also works in the barber shop on the ground floor, and the widow Liz (played by Nancy Marvy), who used to teach in the neighborhood, is friendly with the residents. These seven characters make up a little family, and the play shows us a few days in their intersecting lives – weddings, affairs, first dates, illnesses, break-ups, career changes, and other usual stuff of life. And of course, music accompanies their life. Music as diverse as an Italian opera, the plaintive Boll Weevil song (“lookin’ for a home”), a haunting Scottish border ballad, a Mongolian love song, and a Portuguese celebratory song. The characters narrate each others’ actions (partly due to the fact that this is a reading, partly as a story-telling choice), but in a really interesting and interactive way. They don’t just blankly read the narration, rather they convey their feelings about what’s going on through the reading. The language is beautifully descriptive; you can easily visualize the action as it plays out in different areas of the building. All of these pieces combined to tell a really lovely story, funny, poignant, and completely engaging. I think the creators have something really special here, and I’m excited to see where it will go next. Although I might call it a musical rather than a play with music. Characters sing to each other in character, espressing their emotions, and walk down the street singing. That, to me, is the very definition of a musical.

I know this is supposed to be about the work, but without the fabulous performances by every one of the seven cast-members, you cannot appreciate or even really see the work. They spent about two weeks with this material, and though they had scripts in front of them, they were able to create fully rounded characters with a wonderful chemistry and sense of family between them. Steven and Emily’s duet on the border ballad is an absolute dream, Sara sings gorgeously in Mongolian, and Rudolph’s Italian opera is thrilling. Raye and Michelle portray a sweet and tender later-in-life love story, and Nancy’s character is the heart of the building. And did I mention that they all speak in authentic-sounding accents, and sing in multiple languages? This wouldn’t be an easy piece to do with four weeks of rehearsal, how much more challenging with only two weeks and a constantly changing script!

As anyone who reads this blog knows, musical theater is my favorite thing in the world. But I think I love it most for what it can be, and often isn’t in whatever movie has been most recently adapted to the Broadway stage. Theater Latte Da strives to elevate the art form that is musical theater and move it into the future. That’s what NEXT is all about, and judging from the first selection, it’s going to be an amazing three weeks at the Lab Theater. Up next is C., a new musical adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac by Robert Elhai and Bradley Greenwald. Following that is Bessie’s Birthday, which has been expanded from the one-act musical presented as a part of Passage of Dreams four years ago (one of my favorite shows of the year). I remember thinking when I saw it that it could and should be expanded into a full-length musical, so I’m thrilled that they’re doing just that.

If you’re a fan of music-theater, or just enjoy seeing the creative process at work, I highly recommend you attend one or both of the remaining selections in “NEXT: New Musicals in the Making.”