Yale Bulletin and Calendar

June 21-July 19, 1999

Volume 27, Number 34

Summer Cabaret marks 25th year
of 'ambitious theater'

The Summer Cabaret at Yale's 1999 season will be an amalgm of new works, musicals and special events celebrating the company's 25 years in New Haven, says artistic director Wier Harman.

Offerings will include a classic by Molière, a musical adaptation of a Jack Kerouac novel, a suspenseful staging of Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw," the world premiere of an off-beat one-woman show, and special performances by monologist/comedienne Reno and playwright Glen Berger.

"The Summer Cabaret has long been known in New Haven for its irreverence, vitality and resourcefulness," says Harman. "It was founded out of a desire by Yale School of Drama students to produce ambitious theater on their own terms, beyond the constraints of their academic projects, in a rare and special venue that affords a uniquely intimate relationship between audiences and performers. This 25th anniversary season is offered as a tribute to the durability of those impulses and values."

The season opens June 23 with "The Sisterhood" by Molière, translated and adapted by Ranjit Bolt and directed by Alec Wild. Set in contemporary Paris, the play is an adaptation of "Les Femmes Savantes," which pokes fun at a group of self-important artists and their hangers-on. "The Sisterhood" will run through July 3.

The season continues July 7 with the East Coast premiere of "Maggie Cassidy," a new musical by Chris Jeffries from the novel by Jack Kerouac, directed by Allison Narver. Featuring nine performers and a score for piano and guitar, the play tells the story of a young man torn between his loyalty to friends, family and his first love, and a restless poet with a growing sense of horizons. The play closes July 17.

Jeffrey Hatcher's "The Turn of the Screw," opening July 21, is an adaptation of the novella by Henry James, directed by K. Elizabeth Stevens, a 1999 graduate of the School of Drama. Characters include a naive governess, her mysterious employer, and the two too-perfect children in her charge, who are living in a haunted mansion. The play runs through July 31.

The season closes with the world premiere of "A Bob Called Hope" by Brian W. Robinson, featuring Alicia Roper and directed by Cabaret artistic director Harman. The one-woman show describes the experience of an otherwise typical American housewife with an unusual obsession: She maintains that comedian and actor Bob Hope has for years "interfered with her normal thinking," as well as "the normal thinking of millions of Americans." She wages a quixotic campaign to alert the authorities and allow America again to live "free from mind control." The play runs Aug. 4-14.

In addition to these four shows, the Summer Cabaret will present two late-night special events. New York-based actress and solo performer Reno will offer three nights of comedy June 24-26, at 10:30 p.m., after performances of "The Sisterhood." Reno has been seen on VH-1, Comedy Central, and most notably, in her one-woman HBO special, "Reno in Rage and Rehab." Her Yale visit is part of International Festival of Arts and Ideas activities.

Glen Berger, New York-based playwright and comedian, will present his one-man show, "The Wandering Jew," Aug. 5-7 at 10:30 p.m., after performances of "A Bob Called Hope." Berger was in last season's School of Drama production "Great Men of Science Nos. 21 + 22."

The Summer Cabaret is located at 217 Park St. Dinner service begins at 6:15 p.m. on performance nights. Seasonal fare, provided by new Summer Cabaret chef Maureen Nuzzo (of Gilford's Tastebuds restaurant and catering) will include an array of homemade soups, salads, sandwiches, hot entrees and desserts. Beer and wine also are served. Limited food and full beverage service is available for late-night performances.

Individual tickets for all Summer Cabaret productions and special events are now on sale. Prices range from $9 to $16. Discounted tickets are available for students, senior citizens and groups. Several subscription options are currently on sale, including four- and six-show packages (including both special events) . For more information, call the Summer Cabaret box office at
432-1567.

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Schell Center for International Human Rights announces new appointments . . .
Traveling fellowships are awarded for students' research
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Students make cross-country trek on behalf of charity
Summer Cabaret marks 25th year of 'ambitious theater'
Tours of historic Grove Street Cemetery are being offered
How to order extra copies of the Yale Bulletin & Calendar
Campus Notes