AVENUE Q in Piedmont Park entertained thousands of Atlantans last week! If you missed it, check out the segment on WSB-TV, and come see the bawdy adult version at Oglethorpe University’s Conant Performing Arts Center (limited family-friendly edition dates available) June 12 – July 12!
“Avenue Q” cast members Molly Coyne, Spencer Stephens, Matt Nitchie, Natalie Gray and Nick Arapoglou pose at the Promenade green space in Piedmont Park. (Phil Skinner)
The actors who turned Horizon Theatre Company’s 2011 Atlanta premiere of “Avenue Q”, and its inevitable 2012 encore run, into box office gold seem surprisingly confident as they scan the wide-open Promenade at Piedmont Park.
This spacious parcel on the park’s north end is where the troupe’s third mounting of the Broadway hit opens June 3. The “Q” crew radiates a “We’ve got this” assurance despite the fact that the previous stagings were at Horizon’s home theater — a cozy, converted Little Five Points schoolhouse auditorium that’s roughly the size of a breadbox (capacity: 172).
By comparison, the Promenade green space might seem in a league with the Atlanta Falcons’ green space at the Georgia Dome. It’s so spacious that there’s some disagreement about just how many people the park can accommodate for a performance.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which will give three free concerts there June 11-25, says it can handle 2,500 picnickers on spread-out blankets and beach chairs. Officials of the now-defunct Georgia Shakespeare, which launched the performances-in-the-park tradition in 2004, say they topped out at roughly 1,600 just last summer.
So 1,600 is the goal that ambitious Horizon leaders have set for five evening performances of a “PG-13” version of the bawdy musical to be staged at the park through June 7.
Then, the company will take the show — in its full-on adult version — back indoors for a monthlong run at another old haunt of Georgia Shakespeare, Oglethorpe University’s Conant Performing Arts Center. Horizon is blocking off some seating with lesser sightlines there to bring down the capacity to 450, not quite triple what the six returning members of the eight-actor “Q” cast are used to back in their L5P den.
But, first, they must conquer Piedmont Park with the musical-with-puppets that the troupe accurately bills as “‘Sesame Street’ meets ‘The Simpsons.’”
The actors, visiting the Promenade for an early photo shoot on a recent muggy afternoon before the stage had been erected, spoke with some of the same fizzy positivity that the show’s tunes (music and lyrics by “Frozen” songwriter Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx) and dialogue (book by Jeff Whitty) deliver in spades.
“We’re just going to have to rethink doing the same things,” said Jill Hames, who plays the characters Lucy the Slut and Bear. “Still be honest and keep our technique the same … but project and make everything bigger. That could be our ‘Avenue Q 3.0’ T-shirt.”
Added Spencer Stephens, who portrays Gary Coleman — yes, that Gary Coleman — and serves as cast puppet coach: “Being slightly disconnected from the audience, not being able to go out and physically touch them, is going to be a bit of a challenge, because that was one of the cool aspects of the show: You’re within arm’s reach of these awesome puppets.
“But I don’t think it will take away from the fun,” he continued, “because the dialogue is funny and the music is catchy. We just have to make sure it reads all the way to the back of the audience.”
However the actors project, this version will “read” a bit differently than one for which Horizon scored seven Suzi Bass Awards (Atlanta’s Tonys) in 2011, including best musical.
Responding to requests from companies seeking to reach wider audiences with the show, its creators crafted a new adaptation that, according to Horizon’s website, “maintains the dramatic (and comedic) intention and integrity of the piece.” The strong language and sexual situations, however, have been left on the cutting room floor.
In the PG-13 version, two songs (“Loud As the Hell You Want” and “My Girlfriend Who Lives in Canada”) have been excised and a third (“The Internet Is for Porn”) has been replaced (with “Social Life Is Online”).
Horizon co-founder Lisa Adler said the musical’s essential thrust, about the very human struggle of young adults to build a purpose-driven and community-connected life, remains intact. The new take, though, is recommended for ages 13 and up and generally is more appropriate for the ultra diverse audience drawn to this most central of Atlanta parks for a night of theater under the stars.
The possibility of reaching a wider audience is why Horizon “Q”-ed up, so to speak, when the Atlanta-based Loridans Foundation, working with the Piedmont Park Conservancy, invited it and five other theaters (Actor’s Express, Aurora, 7 Stages, Atlanta Shakespeare Company and Theatrical Outfit) to submit proposals to replace Georgia Shakespeare.
Such a challenge fit snugly with Horizon’s mission and business strategy, revised in 2007.
“As an artistic director, I want to create a welcoming home for artists and audiences to come together to connect and be renewed and enlightened by contemporary plays with passion, humor, hope and heart,” said Adler, who launched one of Atlanta’s longest-running and most respected troupes with husband Jeff Adler in 1983. “And I’m also excited by taking the work we make that connects most deeply with audiences and finding ways for that to reach as large and diverse an audience as possible.”
Taking that challenge on with “Avenue Q” has demanded a serious investment of time, energy and — last, but hardly least — fundraising.
Loridans Foundation provided the lead grant of $100,000, then Atlanta’s Mark and Evelyn Trammell Foundation chipped in $25,000, leaving Horizon still seeking $85,000 for direct expenses (not counting rehearsal and staff costs). Lisa Adler hopes to raise $20,000 in reserved ticket sales (1,000 tickets are free for each show, the rest paid) and contributions at the park. In the days leading up to the June 3 bow, she is hoping to fund as much of the balance as possible with sponsorships.
She was asked if this is, um, realistic for a company that already is mounting five “mainstage” plays, plus family and holiday shows and its New South Play Festival this year, not to mention juggling an array of educational and community outreach programs.
“No, it’s not realistic!” she responded with cheery, what-me-worry candor. “However, opportunities present themselves and sometimes you choose to take them whether or not you are ready.
“The park and Conant opportunities were presented to us by a funder (Loridans) and by a partner (Oglethorpe), and we felt it was important to rise to the challenge rather than let the opportunity pass us by. Yes, there is risk involved, and yes, it is a huge stretch. We will learn a lot in this undertaking.”
Sentiments that would seem to fit “Avenue Q” to a “T.”
THEATER PREVIEW
Horizon Theatre Company presents “Avenue Q”
“PG-13 Edition”: 7:30 p.m. June 3-7 at the Promenade at Piedmont Park. Grounds open at 6 p.m. for picnics. Free tickets (bring blankets or low beach chairs) and reserved tickets ($15 plus tax and fees). Most accessible parking: Atlanta Botanical Garden’s SAGE Parking Facility.
“Adult Version”: June 12-July 12 at Oglethorpe University’s Conant Performing Arts Center. 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 3 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 5 p.m. Sundays. Horizon also will present the PG-13 edition at Conant at 3 p.m. June 20, 5 p.m. June 28 and 8 p.m. July 8. Regular tickets start at $30 (plus tax). VIP tickets, including reserved preshow table, a drink and other perks, start at $45. (Prices change based on availability and demand.) Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta.
By Jim Farmer
Virtue of being the Tony Award darling of 2013 — winner of the Best Play award — Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike has the distinction of being the most-staged production of the current regional theater season. It’s easy to see why so many playhouses have leapt to mount it. It’s a play worthy of its hype.
Now running through June 28 in an exceptional production at Horizon Theatre (and then again at Aurora Theatre in the fall), playwright Christopher Durang’s work succeeds on numerous levels — a tribute of sorts to the kind of work Anton Chekhov made famous; a family drama in its own right; and an absurdist comedy.
At a farmhouse in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, siblings Vanya (Bill Murphey) and Sonia (LaLa Cochran) are up early, stuck in their familiar morning rituals. The act of pouring Vanya’s coffee is a treat for Sonia. At least, most mornings it is — on this day she is bemoaning her life. Both Vanya, who is gay, and Sonia have quiet lives mostly devoted to each other.
Their sister Masha (Tess Malis Kincaid) is a name actress who supports them and owns the house they are living in, meaning they have never had to work. (Their parents were theater enthusiasts who named their clan after Chekhov characters.)
She appears one morning with Spike (Edward McCreary), an actor who almost got cast in a sequel to Entourage, to attend a costume party next door. Her path crosses that of housekeeper Cassandra (Denise Arribas), a psychic who senses something is about to happen, and Nina (Danielle Deadwyler), who is visiting her family nearby and is drawn to Spike and the prospect of meeting Masha.
They may rarely see each other, but the two sisters bring out the worst in each other’s insecurities and competitive juices. It also doesn’t bode well that Masha nonchalantly drops the bombshell that she wants to sell the house.
Directed wonderfully by Justin Anderson, this is a first-rate production of a clever, engaging show. Those familiar with Chekhov will have the best time. There is much to savor from the names of the siblings to the fact that a cherry orchard (whether it’s an actual orchard or not is debatable amongst the three) sits outside their home.
Yet this isn’t a stuffy, inaccessible work. It’s quite funny, with sparkling dialogue and some spirited physical comedy. How Maggie Smith works into the equation is best appreciated with no spoilers.
That said, as smooth and enjoyable as Act I is, I kept worrying that the show might be a bit overrated and a little too self-involved. Boy was I wrong — Act II defiantly snubs out that theory. It’s when the material hits its stride and all comes together.
The whole cast is commendable. McCreary perfectly conveys the slightly dim, hunky Spike — his abs are almost a co-star onto themselves — while Deadwyler, an actress popping up everywhere, and Arribas bring life to their supporting roles.
Yet the three main performers are the real treat. Kincaid has the splashiest role and almost dominates the first half. She captures the self-absorbed side of Masha, but also shows us a woman who has her own issues.
Murphey and Cochran ground this, however. Cochran is a terrific comic actress, but her best scene is a call from a suitor where her face registers emotions she has long suppressed.
While he may seem like the straight man, Murphey’s Vanya is fascinating. The actor has a beautifully written and delivered speech at the end, barking at Spike and extolling the virtues of old-fashioned life. Beginning comically and subtly gaining more depth, it could be the finest 15 or so minutes of Atlanta theater this season.
Working off another fine, dimensioned set by sisters Moriah Curley-Clay and Isabel Curley-Clay full of distinct touches — a theater playbill hanging in the hall; games throughout the house — Anderson and the cast make this one not to miss. In a season already full of top-notch plays such as Silent Sky, Edward Foote and Blues for an Alabama Sky, this is another golden addition.
By Bert Osborne – For the AJC
Penned by one of the country’s best comedic playwrights, and performed to the hilt by some of the brightest actors in town, what’s not to love about Horizon Theatre’s supremely entertaining production of Christopher Durang’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”?
As deftly staged by Justin Anderson, just when you think the show might be the liveliest and funniest you’ve seen in a long time, almost miraculously, it also eventually registers as an unexpectedly insightful and emotional commentary — on family dynamics and sibling rivalry, on romanticized notions from a bygone era about personal identity and connection in a high-tech, remote-controlled age.
Besides being one of Atlanta’s most gainfully employed freelance directors, Anderson serves as associate artistic director for Lawrenceville’s Aurora Theatre, where, following this Horizon run, “Vanya (et al.)” will return for another engagement in October. In other words: You have absolutely no excuse not to catch the show, sooner or later.
Don’t be intimidated by the play’s clever Chekhovian conceit, either. After all, you needn’t be an expert on Anton Chekhov classics to get the punch line within Durang’s title. The in-jokes are akin to icing on the cake. There’s a steady and bountiful supply of laughs to be had throughout — whether or not you’d know a small batch of cherry trees (in Durang’s case) from a “Cherry Orchard,” or the difference between pining about a blue heron (here) and a “Sea Gull.”
Unlike, yes, “Three Sisters,” Durang’s main characters are two sisters and a gay brother. Tess Malis Kincaid is at the top of her game as Masha, a superficial movie diva who turned her back on a career in “legitimate” theater for global celebrity, starring as a nymphomaniac serial killer in a franchise of blockbusters.
With a dim boy toy in tow (Edward McCreary as the studly Spike), Masha returns to her childhood home, where her brother Vanya (William S. Murphey) and adoptive sister Sonia (LaLa Cochran) have long since settled down into lonely lives of not-so-quiet desperation.
While Masha has always paid the bills, when she announces plans to sell the house, there’s often-hilarious hell to pay — also involving a psychic Hispanic housekeeper, the aptly named Cassandra (Denise Arribas), and a nubile neighbor and aspiring actress named (wait for it) Nina (Danielle Deadwyler).
The entire cast excels, but Cochran and Murphey deserve special mention. They’re comic pros both, and watching their scenes is a pure pleasure. For her part, despite many broadly drawn bits, Cochran isn’t simply making fun of the sad, self-pitying Sonia. When her conflicts with Masha come to a boil (Sonia sacrificed her own life to care for their dying parents), her feelings are real. Cochran’s loveliest moment is a phone call with a prospective date.
Murphey would seem to have the play’s least showy role. Although, like Vanya, some in the audience may be tempted to keep their focus on McCreary’s Spike in various states of undress, they’d be missing a lot of wonderfully understated reactions to him by Murphey.
But the veteran actor ultimately gets the last word — and delivers it with a passion. In his talented hands, what begins as an absurdly amusing reading of Vanya’s new existential drama finally leads to a lengthy diatribe about modern life that could bring a tear to your eye.
To be so moved in an otherwise mostly madcap comedy is something special, indeed.
On Sunday, May 3 at 5 PM we are hosting a FREE Sneak Peek to our next production, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike! A Tony Award Winning Comedy, and a co-production with Aurora Theatre, this smash hit will bring us right into summer with a costume party, voodoo doll, and sibling rivalry. Christopher Durang’s award winning play is “deliriously funny!” (NY Times). Join us on Sunday for the first look at the set in progress, a discussion with the cast and crew, and performances of scenes from the play!
About Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike:
In this hilarious comedy, Vanya and his adopted sister, Sonia, live a quiet life in the Pennsylvania farmhouse where they grew up, while their sister Masha travels the world as a movie star. Just as their psychic cleaning woman issues a warning about terrible events in their future, Masha returns for an unannounced visit with her 20-something boy-toy Spike in tow. And so begins this unforgettable family reunion filled with rivalry, regret, and racket.
Cast and Crew:
CAST
Vanya – Bill Murphey
Sonia – Lala Cochran
Masha – Tess Malis Kincaid
Nina – Danielle Deadwyler
Cassandra – Denise Arribas
CREATIVE TEAM
Director – Justin Anderson
Playwright – Christopher Durang
Scenic Design – Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay
Costume Design – Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay
Prop Design – Kate LaFoy
Lighting Design – Mary Parker
Sound Design – Thom Jenkins
Stage Manager – Julianna M. Lee
Grand Concourse is now Suzi Recommended! Heidi Schreck’s comic-drama with heart runs now until April 26.
About the play: Shelley is the devoted manager of a church soup kitchen, but lately her heart’s not quite in it. Enter Emma: an idealistic but confused young volunteer, who unexpectedly ignites and alters the kitchen and its regulars. Will Emma be their ruin or salvation?
With keen humor, Heidi Schreck (writer Nurse Jackie) navigates the mystery of faith, the limits of forgiveness, and the pursuit of something resembling joy.
Keep on the look-out for post-show discussions throughout the run with local organizations!
Want to know more about Heidi Schreck’s Grand Concourse?
Check out our Sneak Peek into the production including actor and director interviews, a first look at the set in progress, and more!
The grants the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund is announcing today to Horizon Theatre Company and Atlanta Celebrates Photography are undeniably modest compared to the $38 million the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation gave the Woodruff Arts Center late last year.
Yet the $180,000 awarded to the Little Five Points theater troupe and the $160,000 given to the photography festival loom large for these long-time, midsized Atlanta arts institutions. And they may represent positive post-recession omens for other small to medium metro arts groups.
The two grants, being revealed exclusively in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, cap a pilot Arts Capitalization initiative launched by the Arts Fund in 2013 to improve the financial sustainability of Atlanta cultural groups.
Last May, the Arts Fund, part of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, announced an Arts Capitalization grant of $200,000 to the Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center.
Horizon and Atlanta Celebrates Photography were finalists for that award, the Arts Fund’s largest ever to a single organization. Though they did not receive funding initially, the two groups benefited from extensive free training to develop a capitalization plan and a presentation in the mode of a business-investment pitch.
Months after the original announcement, which garnered positive attention inside Atlanta’s arts industry and in the media, the Zeist Foundation, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and the R. Howard Dobbs Jr. Foundation took the lead in providing the additional $340,000.
Leaders of the three foundations “understood that the (capitalization strategy) has great potential for strengthening arts organizations for the longer term, as opposed to a program grant or (funding for) a discreet project,” Arts Fund Director Lisa Cremin told the AJC. “It shows a broader community interest in building the financial health of mature smaller arts organizations.”
The Arts Capitalization initiative came about after a 2011 study found that more than three-quarters of the metro area’s strongest arts groups with annual budgets under $2 million possessed less than three months of liquidity. That placed them at serious risk in the face of an unexpected downturn.
The Arts Fund brought in national experts from the Nonprofit Finance Fund to help educate the finalists, established funders, business leaders and other metro arts stakeholders about how groups can build a strong balance sheet that provides the resources to meet their artistic missions.
Cremin praised Horizon (which operated on a $1.25 million budget last fiscal year) and Atlanta Celebrates Photography ($300,000 annual budget) for progressing in their capitalization plans even without Arts Fund grants.
“It’s great news for the organizations,” Cremin said of the belated awards. “The exciting part of it is that the intense process of planning for capitalization created a readiness for these organizations to move forward.”
A major aspect of Horizon’s plan, for instance, called for it to expand its reach by bringing its work to different venues and audiences. Earlier this month, it was tapped to take over the summer theater series in Piedmont Park, replacing the now-defunct Georgia Shakespeare. Horizon will remount its hit production of “Avenue Q” there in performances June 3-7, then transfer it to Oglethorpe University’s Conant Performing Arts Center for an additional month starting June 12.
Will the Arts Fund grant let Horizon leaders breathe a little easier as they approach these and other growth plans?
Co-artistic/producing director Lisa Adler laughed and admitted she was feeling a combination of excitement and panic.
“There are expectations that come with money,” Adler said. “When you are in the lead group of any new initiative, the pressure is on to succeed.”
Atlanta Celebrates Photography executive director Amy Miller called its grant “an amazing boost.”
“It affords us the opportunity to implement strategies that will help us overcome much of our annual funding vulnerabilities and capacity constraints while strengthening our balance sheet and growing the organization in important ways that could take years to achieve otherwise.”
Cremin said the Arts Fund will monitor the progress of grant winners before planning the Arts Capitalization initiative’s next phase.
“We’re learning from it, too,” she said, “and we are going to continue to inform donors how they can think about this strategy of supporting the arts.”