Skip to main content
News

2004-2005 Season

2004-2005 Season

Gem of the Ocean
by August Wilson
Directed by Kenny Leon
Sep. 24 — Oct. 20, 2004
The Huntington Theatre

In Gem of the Ocean, master storyteller August Wilson brings us the first installment of his decade-by-decade chronicle of the African-American experience. Set in 1904 when slavery is still a living memory, Citizen Barlow arrives at the home of Aunt Ester in search of spiritual redemption. At 285 years of sage, Aunt Esther is not too old to heal, and she guides him on a soaring, lyrical journey to the City of Bones.

Sonia Flew
by Melinda Lopez
Directed by Nicholas Martin
Oct. 8 — Nov. 28, 2004
The Huntington Calderwood/BCA

Sonia’s parents, fearful of the new government, sent their only daughter from Cuba to the United State in 1961. Set in Minneapolis and Havana, a story of family unfolds across the generations as Sonia — now raising two children with her Jewish husband — struggles to come to terms with her past, her lost parents, her own children, and her adopted country. This Calderwood-commissioned play by local playwright and actress Melinda Lopez received its first reading at the 2004 Breaking Ground Festival.

Burn This
by Lanford Wilson
Directed by Susan Fenichell
Nov. 12 — Dec. 12, 2004
The Huntington Theatre

Passion can strike at any time. And when two violently opposed individuals are involved, the results can be tumultuous. Anna, a dance who is mourning the loss of her dance partner Robbie, encounters Robbie’s brother Pale when he bursts into her left in the middle of the night to retrieve his brother’s belongings. Dangerous, sexy, raw, and demanding, Pale interrupts the course of Anna’s calm existence and leads her into an explosive encounter from which there is no turning back in this modern classic.

The Rivals
by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Directed by Nicholas Martin
Jan. 7 — Feb. 6, 2005
The Huntington Theatre

Set in the British resort town of Bath, The Rivals is an energetic and vibrant romance told with dazzling wordplay! The idealistic Miss Lydia Languish insists on marrying a poor man, forcing her true love, the wealthy Captain Jack Absolute, to disguise himself. Our hero must use all his wits to woo his bride while avoiding the half-wats of the cranky Sir Antholy Absolute, the misspoken Mrs. Malaprop, and the genial Bob Acres. Directed by the Huntington’s own master of comedy, Nicholas MartinThe Rivals is a sexy, joyous romp through the thorny rush bush of love.

Trumbo: Red, White, and Blacklisted
by Christopher Trumbo
Directed by Peter Askin
with Brian Dennehy
Feb. 8 — Mar. 6, 2005
The Huntington Calderwood/BCA

Brian Dennehy stars as legendary screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Spartacus, Roman Holiday, Exodus) who in 1947, at the top of his career, stood up to the House Un-American Activities Committee and was thrown into prison as one of the infamous Hollywood Ten. Though vilified, exiled, and “broke as a bankrupt’s bastard,” Trumbo refused to be silenced. Through his brilliant and funny letters to friends, former friends, and family emerges the story of a family’s survival and one stubborn artist’s quest to break the blacklist.

36 Views
by Naomi Iizuka
Directed by Evan Yionoulis
Mar. 11 — Apr. 10, 2005
The Huntington Theatre

An unscrupulous art dealer and a respected professor are immediately captivated by the discovery of a rare and ancient Japanese “pillow book.” But is it authentic or a clever fake? Ripped from the headlines about art-world forgeries and the global pilfering of cultural artifacts, Naomi Iizuka’s drama 36 views tells the timely story of six characters facing dilemmas about authenticity — both in art and emotion — where nothing and no one is what it seems.

Culture Clash in AmeriCCa
Created, written, and performed by Culture Clash
March 18 — May 8, 2005
The Huntington Calderwood/BCA

A high-octane fusion of satire, schtick, and sociology, Culture Clash in AmeriCCa uses humor and the spoken word to create a non-traditional evening of theatre that explores this country’s diverse peoples and histories. Culture Clash consists of three Latino members (Richard Montoya, Ric Salianas, and Herbert Siguenza) who have been writing and performing together for twenty years. Each artist plays multiple characters, crossing all racial, social, and sexual boundaries, reinventing our ideas of storytelling and community. There will be a special section commissioned solely for Boston audiences.

Falsettos
Music & Lyrics by William Finn
Book by William Finn & James Lapine
Directed by Daniel Goldstein
May 20 – June 26‚ 2005
The Huntington Theatre

Marvin, devoted father of the brilliant, 12 year-old Jason, has left his wife Trina for a man named Whizzer — but he still expects them all to be friends! In William Finn’s groundbreaking musical, this endearingly eccentric crew copes with the changes Marvin has wrought as Trina is pursued by their psychiatrist, Jason plans for his bar mitzvah, and their world encounters a devastating new threat. At once tender and exuberantly funny, Falsettos is an extraordinary musical event.

Laughing Wild
by Christopher Durang
Directed by Nicholas Martin
June 3 – 26‚ 2005
The Huntington Calderwood/BCA

A chance encounter in the tuna aisle at a New York City grocery store brings together a neurotic woman and an insecure, affirmation-spouting man. Separately they recount the increasingly absurd confrontation and unveil their own quirks before mysteriously appearing in each others wacky fever dreams. Outrageous playwright Christopher Durang (Betty’s Summer Vacation, Beyond Therapy, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You) lampoons all your favorite 80s icons from Sally Jesse Raphael to Dr. Ruth, Ronald Reagan, and Mother Theresa in his hilariously offbeat comedy. Durang, himself a gifted performer, stars with Tony and Emmy Award-winner Debra Monk (Redwood Curtain, “NYPD Blue”), and the Huntington’s own Nicholas Martin directs. A tour-de-force from three theatrical powerhouses!