A musical backdrop of rocking rhythms will highlight the Yale Repertory Theatre's production of "Curse of the Starving Class," Sam Shepard's play about disharmony on a small family farm.

The Obie Award-winning tragicomedy will be staged Feb. 3-26 under the direction of Jim Simpson. Highlighting the Rep's production will be live performances of original rock, blues, jazz, punk and Latin-style music composed and arranged by Steve Bargonetti and Diane Gioia.

"'Curse of the Starving Class' is a quintessentially American play written by a rock-and-roll poet of the theater," says Stan Wojewodski, Jr., managing director of the Yale Rep and dean of the School of Drama.

Shepard's tale of infidelity, sibling rivalry and neglect is set on a failing family farm owned by the Tate family. The household consists of a father who is a drunk, a mother who is burnt out, a daughter who is a hot-headed rebel and a son who has inherited his father's "liquid dynamite of the blood" -- each of whom is plotting his or her own fight for freedom and security.

When "Curse of the Starving Class" opened in New York in 1978, Newsday described the work as "A vision of the American family tearing itself apart in its angry search for some substance in life."

"We're accentuating the musicality of Shepard's words with hot guitar licks and eclectic musical underscorings," says director Simpson, "making 'Curse of the Starving Class' as much of a no-holds-barred musical event as it is a driving, powerful evening of theater."

A graduate of the School of Drama, Simpson previously directed three plays at the Yale Rep: Tennessee Williams' "Summer and Smoke" in 1989, "Chopin in Space" in 1984 and "The Resurrection of Lady Lester" in 1981. He founded Bat Theater Inc. and built Flea Theater in Tribeca, where he serves as artistic director and president of the board. He directed the Obie Award-winning production of "Benten Kozo" and the award-winning film "Six Slippers of Death," and received an Obie for directing "Bad Penny."

The cast includes Kristine Nielsen, another graduate of the School of Drama, as Ella, the self-absorbed mother. Nielsen received an Obie Award and nominations for Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards last year for her performance as Ms. Siezmagraff in Christopher Durang's "Betty's Summer Vacation."

Weston, the drunken and absentee father, will be played by Guy Boyd, whose Broadway credits also include "Betty's Summer Vacation" and who has appeared in over 60 films during the past 15 years, including "Sister Act," "Body Double" and "Streamers," for which he received the acting prize at Venice Film Festival.

Completing the family as daughter Emma and son Wesley are Mandy Siegfried and Danny Seckel, both of whom are making their Yale Rep debut. Siegfried appeared most recently in the premiere of "Refuge" at Playwrights Horizons, and Seckel most recently appeared in "The Cockfighter" at the 23rd annual Humana Festival of New American Plays.

Rounding out the cast are Paul Boocock as Malcolm, Ron Faber as Slater, Steve Mellor as Taylor, Dan Moran as Ellis and Chime Serra as Emerson.

The husband-and-wife team of Bargonetti and Gioia most recently wrote and performed the music for an off-Broadway adaptation of Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya." They also composed and performed all the original pre-recorded music for the concert Woodstock '99. Bargonetti will play guitar onstage for "Curse of the Starving Class." He has performed in numerous Broadway productions; played with Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Garth Brooks, among others; and can be heard daily on "Sesame Street." Gioia is a former music supervisor and director of production at RKO Pictures.

The production staff for "Curse of the Starving Class" includes scenic designer Heesoo Kim, costume designer Miguel Angel Huidor, lighting designer Thomas Dunn, sound designer Vincent Olivieri and production dramaturgs Amy Rogoway and Katharine Spencer.

Showtimes for "Curse of the Starving Class" are 7 p.m. on Monday and 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. There will be 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays, Feb. 12, 19 and 26 and on Wednesday, Feb. 23. Tickets are $10-$34; discounts are available for students, senior citizens and groups. For information, call the Yale Rep box office at (203) 432-1234 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

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