In an effort to keep our Station community healthy – in accordance with CDC and CU-PDH recommendations and precautions – unfortunately we had to postpone our spring 2020 productions of The River and Falsettos.
Season 48
October 3–19, 2019
Farinelli and the King
By Claire van Kampen
Directed by Tania Arazi Coambs
Cast
Philippe V (King) /Vincenzo (tailor): Aaron Miller
Miguel (servant to the King)/Jethro (opera house stagehand): Jimmy Ladd
Isabella Farnese (Queen): Cara Maurizi
Don Sebastian de la Cuadra: Rodney Woodworth
Dr. Jose Cervi: Todd Knabusch
John Rich: David Heckman
Farinelli: James Hevel
Story
Set in Spain at the court of King Philippe V, this whimsical and imaginative play is based on the real life encounter between Philippe and the celebrated castrato Farinelli (Carlo Broschi). When Philippe appears unfit to rule his kingdom, his wife Isabella Farnese, the Queen of Spain, seeks the help of the famous opera singer, Farinelli, in the hopes that the power of music will help restore her husband’s sanity.
October 31– November 16, 2019
The Realistic Joneses
By Will Eno
Directed by Deb Richardson
Cast
Pony Jones: Lindsey Gates-Markel
John Jones: Jeremiah Lowry
Jennifer Jones: Barbara Evans
Bob Jones: Gary Ambler
Story
In The Realistic Joneses, we meet Bob and Jennifer and their new neighbors, John and Pony, two suburban couples who have even more in common than their identical homes and their shared last names. As their relationships begin to irrevocably intertwine, the Joneses must decide between their idyllic fantasies and their imperfect realities.
December 5—21, 2019
It’s a Wonderful Life
From a story by Philip Van Doren adapted by Ed Pierce
Directed by Ed Pierce
Cast
David Butler Pam Christman
Chelsea Collier
Jake Carl Fava
Joi Hoffsommer
David Katz
Dave Krostal
David E. Laker Katie Baldwin Prosise John Tilford
Story
The beloved Christmas classic is brought to life as a 1940s radio broadcast, including live sound effects, music, advertisements, and featuring an ensemble of actors playing over two dozen roles. It’s a feast for the eyes and ears as idealistic George Bailey sees Bedford Falls in a way he never has before.
Enjoy our Zoom reunion production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” on YouTube !
January 16–February 1, 2020
The Moors
By Jen Silverman
Directed by Mathew Green
Cast
Agatha: Joi Hoffsommer Huldey: Kimmy Schofield
Emilie: Mindy Smith
Marjory: Lindsey Gates-Markel
The Mastiff: Matt Hester
A Moor-Hen: Emaline Johnson
Story
Two sisters and a dog live out their lives on the bleak English moors, dreaming of love and power. The arrival of a hapless governess and a moor-hen set all three on a strange and dangerous path. The Moors is a dark comedy about love, desperation, and visibility. Theaterjones.com calls it “a laugh-out-loud satire of Gothic romance with a feminist twist and a left-arm hug to the Bronte sisters.”
February 13–29, 2020
I Hate Hamlet
By Paul Rudnick
Directed by KT Burke
Cast
Andrew Rally: Andrew Simek
John Barrymore: Kevin Wickart
Lillian Troy: Mary Rose Cottingham
Felicia Dantine: Misty Martin
Deirdre McDavey: Madelyn Childress
Gary Peter Lefkowitz: Jace Jamison
Story
I Hate Hamlet tells the story of an early 90’s TV actor, Andrew Rally, taking a role outside of his comfort zone — the title role in Hamlet for Shakespeare in the Park. The NYC apartment Andrew finds himself inhabiting happens to be a former residence of the late John Barrymore, who also portrayed Hamlet during his years. Via seance, Barrymore is brought back to life and instructs Andrew how to perfect the role, despite disagreements and sometimes physical skirmishes between them.
March 5–8, 2020
Amor Perdido/ Lost Love
Adapted and directed by Tom Mitchell
Cast
Gary Ambler
Charlie Bauer
Chloe Cosgrove
Joi Hoffsommer
Scott Knier
Story
The Celebration Company at the Station Theatre and the University of Illinois Department of Theatre present public workshop performances of previously unproduced stories by Tennessee Williams. Amor Perdido/Lost Love captures four magical stories by Tennessee Williams: a sailor’s brief encounter in port (The Lost Girl), a writer and his soulmate in the French Quarter (Dear Irene), a vagabond artist at the end of his rope in a Mexican plaza (Amor Perdido), and a solitary young woman who finds a lover aboard a mysterious ship (Blue Roses and the Polar Star).
The River
By Jez Butterworth
Directed by Matt Hester
Cast
The Man: Mathew Green The Woman: Mindy Smith
The Other Woman: Michaela Kruse
Story
A remote fishing cabin, a man and a woman, and a moonless night - this is the setting of Jez Butterworth’s new play The River. The play is as subtle and sleek as it is mysterious. The River asks; when we find each other, are we trying to recapture someone we once lost? Or are we forever in search of the one who finally makes us whole? It is perhaps about time and eternity, about that spot on the river that, while always the same, is always changing. The answers often prove to be as elusive as a prized fish on a moonless night.
Falsettos
Book by William Finn and James Lapine Music and Lyrics by William Finn
Directed by Kendall Jeonson
Music Direction by Ty Tuttle Laura Choreography by Monica Samii
Cast
Marvin: Michael Steen
Trina: Jaclyn Loewenstein
Jason: Soren Schrag
Whizzer: Jon Faw
Mendel: Andrew Simek
Dr. Charlotte: Melissa Goldman
Cordelia: Mallory Sellers
Jason understudy: Josie Evans
Story
This 1992 musical is about love at the dawn of the Reagan era, just as the AIDS epidemic was gathering force. FALSETTOS revolves around the life of a charming, neurotic gay man named Marvin, his lover, his ex-wife, their about-to-be-Bar-Mitzvahed son, a psychiatrist, and the lesbians next door. It’s a hilarious and achingly poignant look at the infinite possibilities that make up a modern family… and a beautiful reminder that love can tell a million stories. ”What a treasure this is: brave and hilarious, charming, disarming, loaded with honest sentiment and cynicism.”
- Newsday