The four plays chosen for the 22nd season of the Summer Cabaret at Yale share at least one quality in common: they all are meant to make the audience laugh. This year's productions include a classic English farce, a performance of one-act plays by Christopher Durang, a comic thriller and a new play that explores the power of dreams. "This year we celebrate great playwrighting -- giving life to the works of both classic and contemporary comic voices," says Preston Lane, who is serving his third season as artistic director of the Summer Cabaret.
All of the shows will run for one-and-a-half weeks. The schedule follows:
June 19-29 -- "Three Weeks After Marriage," a new adaptation of Arthur Murphy's classic comedy. Mr. Lane will direct this farce about quarreling newlyweds.
July 3-13 -- "A Dose of Durang," an evening of comic one-act plays by Yale School of Drama and Summer Cabaret alumnus Christopher Durang. Allison Narver, former director of Seattle's Annex Theatre, will direct the show, which includes the play "For whom the Southern Belle Tolls," a comedic tale about Southern hospitality.
July 17-27 -- "Faithful," a comic thriller about infidelity, deception and murder by Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri and directed by Mr. Lane.
July 31-Aug. 10 -- "If Only," a new work by Yale playwright Jeffrey B. Teitler about a couple trapped in a stranded car who pass the time with fantasy and dreams of the past and present while waiting to be rescued. Mr. Lane will direct.
Performances are Wednesday-Saturday at 8 p.m. with special Tuesday shows on June 25, July 9 and Aug. 6. Additional "After Hours" performances are at 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. A selection of appetizers, entrees, salads, sandwiches and desserts are available prior to the 8 p.m. performances; snacks and desserts are offered before the 10:30 p.m. performances. Patrons are invited to bring their own beer and wine.
Various subscription packages are available. These include Unlimited Passports, which allow members one admission for each of the four productions to be used at any time during the show's run; After Hours Passports to be used for any 10:30 p.m. performance; and Student Passports, which offers the benefits of the Unlimited Passports to students at reduced cost. Packages range in price from $30 to $48.
The Summer Cabaret is an extension of the Ensemble Company for the Performing Arts, an independent nonprofit organization created by students at the School of Drama to provide the New Haven community with professional theater during the summer months. The Cabaret is located at 217 Park St. For more information on the summer shows or to make a tax-deductible donation to the Circle of Friends Campaign, call 432-1567.