If this year's presidential race is a tad too tame for your taste, if insider in-fighting and hair-pulling politics are what makes your heart pound, then vote "yes" to Proposition "First Lady" at the Yale Repertory Theatre.
Set in the fictional world of federal politics in the 1930s, the "deliciously wicked" satire by Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist George S. Kaufman and Washington insider Katharine Dayton will open the Yale Rep's season Oct. 15-Nov. 2; previews begin Thursday, Oct. 10. Directing the comedy classic will be Stan Wojewodski Jr., artistic director of the Yale Rep and dean of the School of Drama.
"First Lady" centers on Lucy Chase Wayne, granddaughter of a former U.S. president and wife of the secretary of state, a presidential contender. The play follows the would-be First Lady as she takes on her arch-rival, Irene Hibbard, wife of a deadly dull Supreme Court justice, in a battle for the White House.
The idea for a play about in-fighting among Washington society matrons was inspired by a series of columns titled "Mrs. Democratic and Mrs. Republican," which Katharine Dayton wrote for the Saturday Evening Post. As her collaborator in the venture, she chose noted playwright and director George S. Kaufman, who received Pulitzer Prizes for his work on the plays "You Can't Take It With You," "Of Thee I Sing" and "Of Mice and Men," and collaborated on many other works as well. In fact, Kaufman is second only to Shakespeare in the number of productions and revivals of his plays throughout the world.
When originally produced on Broadway in 1935, "First Lady" was a critical and commercial success, garnering rave reviews and running for 238 performances. In fact, one critic said the "cheerfully merciless comedy ... crinkles the mind in smiles." The play was revived in 1952 at New York's City Center with real-life Congresswoman Helen Galagan -- a former Broadway actress -- in the role of Lucy Chase Wayne.
For the Yale Rep production, the part of the scheming Lucy Chase Wayne will be performed by Broadway actress Maureen Anderman, who garnered a Tony nomination for her work in "The Lady from Dubuque" and has also appeared in "Social Security," "Benefactors" and "You Can't Take It With You." Other key roles will be played by Broadway veterans Susan Browning, a Tony nominee for "Company" and "Good Time Charley", Don Chastain, George Ede, Sam Groom, Cecilia Hart, John Randolph Jones, Peg Murray, a Tony Award-winner for "Cabaret", and Pippa Pearthree. Rounding out the cast are Russ Anderson, Annette Granucci, Karen Lee Pickett, Ken Parker, Joe Reynolds, Kimberly Ross, Herman Shemonsky and Kim Wimmer.
Also collaborating on the play are John Coyne, set designer; Meg Neville, costume designer; Stephen Strawbridge, lighting designer; Douglas E. Graves, sound designer; Catherine Sheehy and Kevin S. Wood, dramaturgs; and N. Elizabeth Vest, stage manager.
"An extraordinary cast and production team have been assembled to stage Dayton and Kaufman's deliciously wicked satire of Presidential politics," says Dean Wojewodski. "We invite the Yale community to celebrate the opening of the Rep's 30th season with a raucous and rousing reprise of a true American comedy classic."
Individual tickets for "First Lady" are $25-$30; group discounts are available.
Season subscription packages are also available for the Yale Rep's 1996-97 season, which will include: David Mamet's contemporary drama "The Cryptogram," Nov. 14-Dec. 7; the world premiere of a new musical, "Triumph of Love," based on the play by Marivaux, Jan. 16-Feb. 8; Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "The Skin of Our Teeth," a special project of the School of Drama featuring the graduating acting class, Feb. 20-Mar. 15; the world premiere of "The Adventures of Amy Bock" by Julie McKee, Mar. 27- Apr. 19; and "Thunder Knocking at the Door" by actor and playwright Keith Glover, May 6-24. The subscription packages range in price from $66-$205; student passes are$48.
The Yale Repertory Theatre is located on the corner of Chapel and York streets. For reservations and information, call the box office at 432-1234.