Community Theatre Play Reading Group
Thank you to everyone who attended the Wednesday, July 21st meeting at the Newport Opera House to discuss possible plays for our 2010-2011 season. The evening allowed us to discuss over twelve plays ranging from a J.B Priestly mystery to a classic farce by Georges Feydeau. Christopher Durang’s plays BEYOND THERAPY and THE MARRIAGE OF BETTE AND BOO were among the new plays discussed as were Marc Camoletti’s DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER and Peter Shaffer’s BLACK COMEDY.
Several old favorites including ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, BLITHE SPIRIT, A SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS, THE MATCHMAKER, SEE HOW THEY RUN and MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER were considered as possible productions. In discussing the plays, the group always considered the appropriateness of the play for our audience and the ability to cast it in an age appropriate manner. The excitement over new titles was overwhelming and BLACK COMEDY was considered a group favorite. The thought of doing an old chestnut like ARSENIC AND OLD LACE still had some interest.
It was suggested that we have an evening where we read selections from both plays. This will happen on Tuesday, July 27th at 6:30 in the Opera House. Anyone who is interested in taking part in this reading is encouraged to attend the meeting. Should you have further questions please call the Opera House Association office at (603) 863-2412. Those in attendance were Laura Thompson, Todd Hejlt, Ellen Wassell, Rick Watts, Jack Tate, Don Boxwell, Arthur Vidro, Brittany Martell-Harris, Rana Martell-Harris, Charles H. Massey and Kathi Seastrand.
The fall production will be staged in the Opera House on November 19th and 20th. Auditions are scheduled for Tuesday, September 21st and rehearsals will start the following week. Please visit our website for further information as it becomes available.
Annie
comes to the
Newport Opera House Stage
The Newport Opera House Association to pleased to announce that ANNIE has been selected as its spring musical presentation. The popular American musical will be presented on April 15, 16 and 17, 2011. Inspired by the "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip by Harold Gray, the musical actually is created around the events that occur prior to the story told in the comic strip. The musical tells us where Annie came from and how she and Oliver Warbucks actually got together. The story takes place in the two weeks prior to Christmas in 1933. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is in his first term as President and the country is starting to recover from the Great Depression.
The book for the musical is written by Thomas Meehan, with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. The show first appeared on Broadway in 1977 under the direction of Mr. Charnin. An earlier version of the show had been performed at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Ct., where it came to the attention of Mike Nichols who got behind the show and was instrumental in moving it to the Kennedy Center and then on to Broadway.
The rest is history. The production won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical. It was also awarded the N.Y. Drama Critics' Circle award for Best Musical as well as the Outer Critics' Circle Award and Drama Desk Awards. The original production ran for 2377 performances and was soon followed by a London Production as well as a National Tour. The show has remained popular in community theatres and schools throughout the world. A new Broadway revival is in the works for the spring.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the show is encouraged to listen to the Original Broadway Cast recording which stars Andrea McArdle as Annie and Dorothy Loudon as Miss Hannigan. This is the version of the show we will be doing and it is best to hear the real thing. The movie version of the show changed the script to include several new characters and retooled some of the existing characters. Carol Brunette's Miss Hannigan is not the Miss Hannigan of the stage show. Watching this movie will not help you to understand the show. The video you should watch is the version that Disney did for television and stars Kathy Bates as Miss Hannigan and Victor Garber as Oliver Warbucks. This version follows the stage show and will give you a good idea of the story and the characters.
The NOHA version of the show will be very loyal to the original. To quote Mr. Charnin, "Annie is a real story about a child's search for her parents, as well as a love story between her and the fifty-five-year-old man who ultimately adopts her." The production will be directed by Charles H. Massey, Executive Director of NOHA. This will be his second time directing the show, and he agrees completely with Martin Charnin and will do all in his power to keep it from becoming a cartoon.
One casting note: all of the orphans are girls and they range in age from seven to fourteen. They must all be able to sing independently and work well as a group. They have several numbers and figure strongly into the plot of the show.