American Players Theatre, the 34-year-old repertory company based in Spring Green, has announced the lineup of its next season, which starts June 8, 2013.
Shakespeare is APT's specialty, and it shows. In 2013, the outdoor Up-the-Hill stage will host The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Hamlet, and the indoor Touchstone Theatre will get its first Shakespeare production, an adaptation of Antony and Cleopatra by APT Core Company member James DeVita.
W. Somerset Maugham's comedy Too Many Husbands will also unfold in the outdoor theater, as will Tom Stoppard'sHere are APT's descriptions of the plays:
Up-the-Hill
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Tim Ocel
One of Shakespeare's early comedies, The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a coming-of-age story about youth, friendship and forgiveness. Valentine and Proteus are the best of friends. But when Valentine moves to the big city of Milan and promptly falls in love with the beautiful Sylvia (whose father has promised her to another suitor), Proteus can't stay behind for long. Leaving his own newly won beloved Julia in Verona, Proteus also falls for Sylvia, committing the sin of putting his own desires before his friendship. But in friendship (and Shakespearean comedies) no one is ever beyond forgiveness. Featuring all the Bard's greatest hits -- mistaken identity, girls dressing up like boys, hilarious servants and one emotive dog -- Two Gents makes for entertaining theater.
Too Many Husbands (a.k.a. Home and Beauty)
Written by W. Somerset Maugham
Directed by David Frank
Prim English chivalry gets bushwhacked by fate in this hilarious comedy. In the wake of WWI, lovely Kate has lost one husband, but gained another. His charming best friend Frederick, in fact. But when husband number one is found unexpectedly alive, Kate and Frederick struggle to explain their relationship to chaotic (and very funny) results. Featuring characters who waltz with and around propriety, Too Many Husbands is one of those pieces that fits our players like an urbane second skin; an event not to be missed.
Hamlet
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by John Langs
The Prince of Denmark returns to the APT stage in all his hang-dog glory. A visit from the ghost of his murdered father sets Hamlet on a quest for the truth. Everyone is a suspect, from his uncle-turned-stepfather Claudius to his own mother, Queen Gertrude. But Hamlet's investigation sets in motion events he couldn't have imagined, as the kingdom grapples with what to do with their emotional and often dangerous Prince. Without hyperbole, Hamlet is one of the greatest plays ever written, covering all the big thematic bases -- love, madness, revenge and murder are just the beginning here.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Written by Tom Stoppard
Directed by James Bohnen
Hamlet bit players Rosencrantz and Guildenstern take center stage in Tom Stoppard's philosophical comedy about free will and identity. Mssrs. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try to make sense of the world through a series of insightful, witty conversations with each other (or themselves, as they often forget which one of them is which) and other characters who make appearances along the way. A funny, philosophical commentary about life, with moments of Shakespearean poetry. And P.S. -- All the players from APT's production of Hamlet will be reprising their roles in this play.
All My Sons
Written by Arthur Miller
Directed by William Brown
The Keller family struggles with tragedy and scandal in the wake of World War II. Patriarch Joe discovers that his youngest son, Chris, is preparing to propose to his deceased brother's fiancé. Which poses a problem, since Joe's wife, Kate, refuses to believe that their son Larry is dead. As it turns out, this is the least of the secrets at hand, and as more revelations come to light, the Kellers and their tight-knit community struggle to survive the fallout. A mystery in the guise of family drama from great American playwright Arthur Miller.
Touchstone Theatre
Dickens in America
Written by James DeVita
Directed by C. Michael Wright
Join Charles Dickens on the last performance of his final American tour. Featuring readings from classic works such as Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and David Copperfield seamlessly paired with off-the-cuff insights, Dickens in America is a spellbinding combination of literature, history and fiction. Originally created in 2006 for James Ridge to play Mr. Dickens on the Uphill stage, we feel its true hearth and home is in the Touchstone Theatre.
Molly Sweeney
Written by Brian Friel
Directed by Kenneth Albers
Molly has been blind since she was a small child, and with the help of her father has learned to live contentedly using a combination of her other senses. After marrying the well-meaning dilettante, Frank, a new option becomes available via a struggling surgeon -- one that may or may not restore at least some of her sight. Through a series of monologues, the three characters at the heart of this play investigate the question of "what have you got to lose", as they struggle to stay connected in a hazy fog of memory and trust.
Antony and Cleopatra
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Kate Buckley
Adapted by James DeVita
Mark Antony -- one of the three new rulers of the Roman Empire -- has fallen desperately in love with Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, with whom he wiles away the time (and shirks responsibility). When Rome is threatened, though, he is forced to return. While away from his Queen, he dutifully marries another woman in order to bring peace between clashing emperors, angering everyone involved to the point of war and tragedy. APT's new adaptation of Antony and Cleopatra allows the play to fit within the confines of the intimate Touchstone Theatre while retaining the power of the full production.
