4 ARCHITECTURE OF A DREAM 7 THE NEIL SIMON TRILOGY 8 LORT C TO B+
10 BURT REYNOLDS: FAMOUS PEOPLE THROUGH THE AGES 14 SIXTIES TO NOW: THE EVOLUTION OF THE OFFICE 18 ANNOUNCING THE 2020/21 SEASON
Editorial Director Dana Munson
Creative Direction Kris Velazquez
Editor/Senior Contributor Alex Chimienti
Contributing Writers Alex Chimienti, Laurie Stanton
Photography Jeffrey Barry, Jason Nuttle
Styling Brittani Seach
Hair and Makeup Kacey Murphy, Michele Winters
Production Shonna Rash, John McDermott, Casey Blanton, Chip Vaughn, Brittani Seach, Hannah Roessler
Printing Preferred Printing & Graphics
Andrew Kato, Producing Artistic Director/Chief Executive
Maltz Jupiter Theatre Board of Directors
W. Scott Seeley, Chair | Robin B. Smith, Vice Chair
Milton Maltz, Chair Emeritus Martin Cohen, Chair Emeritus Robert Sachs, Chair Emeritus
Susan Soloman Auerbach, Richard L. Barovick, Lynn Bovenizer, Doug Brown, J. Philip Clark, Eileen Daly, Debra A. Elmore, Jack Farber, Isanne Fisher, Paul A. Goldner, Roberta E. Golub, Roe Green, Rodger H. Hess, Judy Horrigan, Richard J Katz, Jr., Brett Langbert, Tamar Maltz, Karen T. Marcus, Hans Mautner, William I. Morton, Sally B. Neff, Bonnie Osher, Alceste P. Pappas, Janis Ruan, Susan Namm Spencer
Honorary Board Members: Susan Johnson, Ralph Saltzman
Cover and Inside Left Photo by Jason Nuttle
Pictured on Cover: Sam Bolen as J. Pierrepont Finch
Looking Back While Moving Ahead
When you’re always looking ahead it can be easy to lose track of how far you’ve come. Before we take on this new decade it’s important to reflect on our accomplishments, how we’ve lived up to our mission goals, and the hard work of so many talented artists and staff members that got us to this point. When I think about the past ten years and where we are now, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and pride.
In this time, our staff size doubled, we added our professional training program, constructed the Roe Green Room and then a few years later upgraded the Imagine Room. We went from a LORT C to LORT B+ theatre, one of six and the only one in the southern United States. We paid off our outstanding debt, essentially doubled our subscriber base, and added a brand new state of the art production center. With the launch of our Believe Capital Campaign and the completion of Act I, we’ve put in motion a massive expansion that will elevate our ability to entertain, educate and inspire.
This issue of Marquee Magazine is about retrospection. To look back on a decade and reflect on our success and growth. I welcome you to take a look at how far we’ve come and to celebrate these achievements with us.
Andrew Kato PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/ CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Marquee is published by Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Rd., Jupiter, FL 33477 twice a year
Additional 10’ depth
Trap Room
Stage House
Additional 16’ Fly Space
Orchestra Pit
NOT TO SCALE
ARCHITECTURE OF A DREAM
by LAURIE STANTON
According to Americans for the Arts, cultural organizations reinvest in their local economies at a ratio of 7:1, meaning that for every dollar spent, seven times that amount is infused into area businesses. The Maltz Jupiter Theatre impressively follows that trend, as visiting designers, directors, actors, and other professionals descend on the community each season.
As the Theatre works to fundraise for Act II of the Believe Capital Campaign, we continue prioritizing the economic health of our community. In this phase, the existing stage will expand to be ten feet deeper, six feet wider on either side, and the fly tower will be raised by sixteen feet. Increasing the fly tower height will allow the Theatre to employ the use of large scenic flats and more intricate stage effects in productions, bringing a fresh and exciting edge to our already stellar production quality.
These improvements will allow the Theatre to produce new works and large-scale plays and musicals in an effort to produce the next Broadway smash-hit. The biggest titles on Broadway, including Hamilton, Annie, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which closes out our 2019/20 season, have had their start in regional theatres just like the Maltz Jupiter Theatre and our hope is we can soon join the ranks of those houses known for cultivating incredible new works for the Broadway stage.
Earning national renown as a preeminent producer of Broadway hits will aid the economy of Jupiter and surrounding communities. As name recognition grows, theatre-lovers will flock to the Sunshine State to visit Jupiter and they will dine, shop, be entertained, and sleep here. Their out-of-town dollars will be infused into the area, further stimulating our local economy.
New works that start here and go on to theatres across the country will create additional revenue streams for the Theatre through royalty dollars. Larger productions will require a greater number of actors and other visiting artists, compounding the effect on local businesses.
As a result of the Believe expansion, Jupiter stands to become a cultural destination for theatre lovers from around the country as they flock to see the best and brightest productions come to life in our exceptional performance space. Artists will seek out casting opportunities in order to enjoy new stateof-the-art production facilities and rehearsal spaces. Broadway producers will bring their new works to Florida in hopes of mounting the next Tony Award®-Winning musical. We are poised to begin the next 15 years of the Theatre’s story and, with your help, we can put the Town of Jupiter’s name in lights.
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s evolution over the years has been remarkable, it is a cultural destination in the Jupiter community that offers residents a unique experience, and local businesses opportunities to thrive.”
Todd Wodraska Mayor of the Town of Jupiter
Most of us probably remember Neil Simon for his hit, The Odd Couple. The 1965 Broadway play went on to influence a successful film in 1968 and later a popular television series. As memorable as this play was, Neil Simon’s other works should not be forgotten. Influenced as a child by Charlie Chaplin he would later find himself working alongside Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, and Selma Diamond.
The Neil Simon Trilogy
He began his career writing scripts for The Phil Silvers Show Simon’s first play, Come Blow Your Horn, debuted in 1961. In it he modeled the on-stage parents on his own mother and father. Simon’s personal life would become a recurring source of inspiration for his work, drawing upon his unstable childhood and reliance on humor to process great pains. Simon’s plays tackled dilemmas with wise cracks and zingers with the goal of making the audience “laugh to avoid weeping.”
Going beyond just inspiration, Simon’s life would take center stage in the semi-autobiographical piece Brighton Beach Memoirs that premiered on Broadway in 1983 about his childhood in
BY ALEX CHIMIENTI
Brooklyn during the Great Depression. Simon presented his adolescence through the character of Eugene, an awkward teenager searching for identity and struggling with puberty. It was originally intended as a single play until Simon grew interested in exploring the next step of Eugene’s life. Biloxi Blues, inspired by Simon’s experience with basic training on a military base, premiered on Broadway in 1985 and continued Eugene’s story. The material grew with Eugene, taking on greater complexity than its predecessor. The “Eugene Trilogy” would come to a close with Broadway Bound which premiered on Broadway in 1986, finishing Eugene’s story with his pursuit to become a comedy writer along with his brother.
Critics at the time remarked that the Eugene trilogy was some of Simon’s most authentic playwriting, tackling identity issues and familial relationships with an honesty that came from his introspection through his fictional counterpart. Simon’s work is timeless and continues to resonate with families to this day because of his ability to capture the highs and lows that come with family, love, and the need for a good laugh.
LORT C to B+
By Alex Chimienti
The League of Resident Theatres is the largest professional theatre association in the United States dedicated to promoting the wellbeing of resident theatres and facilitating agreements with the Actors Equity Association (AEA), the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), and United Scenic Artists (USA). Within LORT, theatres are separated into the following categories: A+, A, B+, B, C, and D. A+ includes Broadwayeligible not-for-profits like the
Roundabout Theatre Company and A covers a contingency of members that already had an arrangement with Equity before joining LORT. From D to B+, the remaining members are categorized according to their box office revenue. The last few years have brought about rapid growth for the Maltz Jupiter Theatre thanks to incredible productions and a strong community of subscribers and supporters. At the highest ranking a regional theatre can achieve, The Maltz Jupiter Theatre distinguishes itself as one of only six B+ theatres in the country and the only theatre in the lower half of the United States.
MALTZ JUPITER THEATRE
DENVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
HUNTINGTON THEATRE COMPANY
THE GOODMAN THEATRE McCARTER THEATRE CENTER
2020/21 MALTZ JUPITER
2020/21 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
(DOES NOT INCLUDE 2020/21 SEASON PRODUCTIONS)
EIGHTH ANNUAL TONY AWARD®-WINNER BENEFIT CONCERT
STEPHANIE J. BLOCK
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020 AT 8:00PM
SPONSORED BY:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31 AT 5:00PM & 8:00PM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 at 8:00PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 2 at 8:00PM
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 at 7:30PM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4 at 7:30PM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5 at 7:30PM
SATURDAY, APRIL 3 AT 8:00PM
THURSDAY, APRIL 8 AT 7:30PM FRIDAY, APRIL 9 AT 7:30PM
SATURDAY, APRIL 10 AT 8:00PM
Bonnie Osher
BURT REYNOLDS:
FAMOUS PEOPLE THROUGH THE AGES
BY LARRY AYDLETTE, PHOTOS BY GREG ALLIKAS
POSTED JULY 3, 2019 BY THE PALM BEACH POST
Burt Reynolds was always a Rat Pack kind of guy — remember Frank, Dino and Sammy goofing off in his “Cannonball Run” movies? But in 1987, he found himself directing another pack — the Brat Pack — at his namesake Jupiter theater.
It was an exciting change of pace for Reynolds, exchanging sarcastic quips and acting tips with a new generation of ’80s actors, including his marquee star
Judd Nelson, fresh off such hits as “The Breakfast Club” and “St. Elmo’s Fire.”
“He’s fearless, totally fearless,” Reynolds said enthusiastically as they rehearsed “Wrestlers,” a new play about sibling rivalries.
But he also singled out a second member of the cast, a rising actress just starting in movies, who was confident enough to ask the playwright to change some dialogue to give her an extra moment of emotional truth.
Reynolds, always a student of acting methodology, was impressed.
“To be brave enough to ask the writer that,” he told a Palm Beach Post reporter, with a sense of awe. “As someone who’s sort of done a lot in his life, I think, ‘Why did it take me to age 40 to learn that?’”
Who was this bold actress teaching Reynolds? None other than Sarah Jessica Parker, still a decade away from stiletto-heeled superstardom as Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City.”
Back then, she and Nelson were just two young actors who came down to stretch and grow at The Playhouse The Bandit Built.
Forty years ago, Jupiter was the last place you’d expect to find any pack of celebrities.
Reynolds’ buddy, actor-director Charles Nelson Reilly, described it as a one-stoplight burg with a truck stop. I-95 wasn’t even completed. Jupiter was so tiny, Reilly joked, that when a bus came down A1A with a single passenger, it was “the morning rush.”
But Reynolds wanted to give back to the community that nurtured him, so he decided to build a $2.6 million, 400-seat playhouse at the corner of A1A and Indiantown Road.
With a Rolodex full of Hollywood contacts, he opened the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater in January 1979, debuting with the play “Vanities,” starring then-girlfriend Sally Field and Tyne Daly of TV’s “Cagney and Lacey.”
And until Reynolds sold the theater 30 years ago this summer, it was a showplace for boldface names to quietly hone their chops and take risks they couldn’t in Hollywood or New York. While also enjoying a little sun and relaxation at Reynolds’ nearby condos and waterfront properties.
“It was like a working vacation for them,” recalled Andrew Kato, who began as a teenage waiter and is now producing chief executive and artistic director of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, which is undergoing a $32 million expansion on the same site.
Reilly had a phrase for Reynolds’ theatrical experiment: “the miracle at the truck stop.”
And reviewing the actors who appeared in more than 100 shows there, it’s clear that Reynolds did pull off a
Jessica Parker
and Judd Nelson
in Wrestlers March 1987.
miracle. (More than one, in fact: A ticket package for five shows in the opening season totaled a whopping $87.50. “I want a theater for people who haven’t seen live theater, and at prices they can pay,” he told The Miami Herald.)
The mix of performers Reynolds attracted is fascinating: older, established stars side-by-side with young hopefuls, plus all of Reynolds’ knockabout “Smokey” and “Cannonball” pals. Even “The Love Boat” wasn’t this crowded with celebs.
You could see theatrical royalty: Julie Harris and Vincent Gardenia in a highly praised “Death of A Salesman,” directed by Reilly. Or Charles Durning and Ned Beatty squaring off in a play by the author of “On Golden Pond.”
Martin Sheen, soon after “Apocalypse Now,” played “Mister Roberts,” directed by Broadway legend Joshua Logan, and featuring Sheen’s son, Emilio Estevez. Reynolds directed Sheen in “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,” with Adrienne Barbeau of “Maude” as Nurse Ratched.
Sarah
(left)
(right)
Farrah Fawcett made her stage debut in “Butterflies Are Free.” (The Post headline: “Farrah Can Act!”) A “terrified” Jim Nabors, Kato remembers, made his stage bow as Professor Harold Hill in “The Music Man.” Alan Arkin and Marsha Mason got a chance to direct. So did Dom DeLuise, supervising Carol Burnett and Reynolds in “Same Time, Next Year.”
Eartha Kitt, a post-teen-idol Shaun Cassidy and “Taxi” alums Marilu Henner and Jeff Conaway performed in musicals. Sprinkled in casts were then-unknown actors such as John Goodman, Vicki Lewis (TV’s “NewsRadio”) and Sharon Lawrence (“NYPD Blue”).
Some of the pairings sound too bizarre to be true: Elliott Gould in “Come Blow Your Horn” with Alice Ghostley of “Bewitched”? Yep.
Speaking of pairings, couples liked to hook up on stage, too. Then-marrieds Kate Jackson of “Charlie’s Angels” and Andrew Stevens did “Barefoot In The Park.” A pre“Cheers” Kirstie Alley performed with boyfriend Parker Stevenson of “The Hardy Boys.”
And who expected to see actor-activist Ossie Davis,
Potts of “Ghostbusters” or George Chakiris of “West Side Story” in Jupiter?
The names go on and on, like an endless scroll of ’60s-’80s talk show guests: Florence Henderson, Norman Fell, Abe Vigoda, Fannie Flagg, Cindy Williams, Gary Burghoff, Robert Urich, Robert Hays, Stockard Channing, Lorna Luft, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Rip Taylor and Orson Bean.
And the stars weren’t confined to onstage. Gene Hackman gave advice to Reynolds’ theater students. So did Elizabeth Taylor, who expressed interest in doing a production of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” with Reynolds.
Kato recalls the night a bunch of theater employees went skinny-dipping with a certain gorgeous female star. And the time John Travolta visited the theater to see his friend Marilu Henner. “You could have Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone eating dinner with Burt up in the boxes,” he said.
Gareth Williams, an actor-director with a long career in film and episodic TV (from “True Detective” and the recent Andie McDowell film “Love After Love” to playing Katie Holmes’ dad on “Dawson’s Creek”) is a storehouse of memories about the theater. He was there from the first production, working as an usher, backstage jack-ofall-trades and actor, getting his first credit in that “Mister Roberts” production with Sheen. He said the encouragement of Reilly and Julie Harris led him to study acting in New York with legendary teacher Uta Hagen. But it began with those years in Jupiter, which he said was a “Shangri-La” despite long, punishing hours and midnight-todawn acting classes when Reynolds was in town.
Hitchcock actress Vera Miles, ’50s film noir legend Marie Windsor, the great and gruff Brian Keith, Annie
He remembers taking a canoe trip down the Loxahatchee River with Eartha Kitt on his 21st birthday. “How cool is that?” he said. Or the time he was slicing apples to look like bologna for Fawcett’s onstage food
Stockard Channing (left) and Burt Reynolds (right) in Answers. October 1982.
(she was a vegetarian) when he was greeted backstage by Fawcett’s boyfriend, Ryan O’Neal.
And then there was the time Kirstie Alley and her boyfriend went fishing off Jupiter. “They caught nothing,” Williams recalled. “As a joke, they went back to the theatre with their baitfish and stuffed it all in the A/C ducts. Took months for that smell to disappear.”
Local resident George Andres remembers when his sister worked there and got him a ticket to a production of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.”
While Reynolds saw the theater as a haven from national scrutiny, there were still local critics to contend with. They could be generous with praise — or equally generous with scorn.
actors are) just there to do their work.”
“2001: A Space Odyssey” star Keir Dullea “acted with the intensity of a wet blanket,” according to a Post critic. Talk show host Dick Cavett got trashed for his role in the farce “Charley’s Aunt” (Post headline: “Dick Cavett’s Antics Mar Production.”)
Catherine Bach, of “The Dukes Of Hazzard,” appeared in a thriller called “Fatal Attraction.” The Post critic was not enamored: “The actress ... labors painfully to articulate all the unaccustomed syllables.”
Even Reynolds was not immune to a bad review, and he was famously thin-skinned. He went on a diatribe once to a local critic, reducing her to tears. He’d tell actors not to read the local write-ups. “If you’re here to find out whether someone at The Post or The Miami Herald thinks you belong on the stage,” he said, “you should quit the business.”
When a Chicago critic called the theater “a deplorable joint,” he got promptly slapped with a libel suit for $1 million. And Kato believes the movie “Soapdish” spoofed the theater, with its scene of Kevin Kline playing Willy Loman in “Death Of A Salesman” while dinner dishes crashed and seniors gabbed. (Well, the gabbing part was accurate. Even Farrah Fawcett and Sally Field — the star of “Soapdish” — complained about that.)
“Truth be told, Burt made it a policy that all tables were cleared before the show began,” Kato said. “People weren’t eating prime rib” during a monologue.
Despite being a teenager working for one of the world’s most famous personalities, Kato said there was no time to be star-struck. “What you quickly learned was (the
The theater, with its splashing outdoor fountain and statue of Reynolds waving atop a horse, certainly helped put Jupiter on the map in the 1980s. But as the decade progressed, Reynolds began to worry about the theater’s financial challenges.
In early 1989, the theater celebrated its 10th anniversary. That August, after 116 shows and roughly 4,000 performances, he suddenly closed it, hoping that Palm Beach State College would take over. It didn’t, kicking off a long series of ups and downs before the theater finally settled under Kato’s stewardship and the philanthropy of Milton and Tamar Maltz.
Years later, Reynolds would occasionally sneak into a back row at the Maltz, and look over the house he built. The last time was “Gypsy” in March 2017, about a yearand-a-half before he died. Kato sat at his side.
“I’ve often said, and with pride, that I’m able to carry a torch for what Burt started,” Kato said, recalling how Reynolds always referred to his younger theater employees as family. “I’m happy to say I was one of his kids.”
This story was supplemented from previous stories by Post staff writer Frank Cerabino and former Post staff writers Carolyn Jack, Diane Hubbard Burns, Peter Smith, Alan Jenkins, and former Palm Beach Daily News reporter Jeff Prine.
Joe Silver (left) and Ossie Davis (right) in I’m Not a Rappaport. Date Unkown.
SIXTIES TO NOW: THE EVOLUTION OF THE OFFICE
BY ALEX CHIMIENTI
While How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying has proven to be a timeless classic, the business world it spoke to when it first premiered on Broadway in October of 1961 is wildly different than the one we work in today. In the span of six decades, we’ve seen every aspect of the office respond and adapt to cultural, technological, and economic circumstance.
Of course, there are some clichés and truths that are as relevant today as they were then. There’s not a generation of Americans who hasn’t heard “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Even with relaxed dress codes, the way you dress still plays a huge role in how you’re perceived. The CEO may be in a polo shirt, but their watch and shoes tell you all you need to know.
While there will always be constants in the hallowed ground that is “the office,” there’s a flexibility integral to its nature that rises to the wants and needs of shifting industry.
On the following page, take a look at the evolution of the work space.
People dressed up to go to work. Women weren’t permitted to wear slacks and men wore the classic “gray flannel suit.” Hat and coat racks were a must in the office.
THEN FASHION
Companies made an effort to distinguish the head honchos and expected a certain social conduct from their employees. Leadership positions were typically held by men with both men and women of the time expressing hesitation to work for women bosses.
Clear hierarchies were the norm in the offices of the fifties and sixties. Workers lower in ranking would be in a bull pen set up similar to the layout of a factory floor. This setup eventually evolved into the cubicle. Higher ups had their own office and most prestigious of all was the corner office, the ultimate symbol of achievement.
Before cancer awareness campaigns, employees would smoke in the office without concern or hesitation. It was also common to have a bottle of liquor in your drawer or even a drink cart in your office.
Secretarial work was a huge source of income for many women entering the work force. Managing the office, scheduling meetings and transcribing notes were all done by hand and typewriter.
In 1938, the forty-four-hour work week was made law for hourly employees via the Fair Labor Standards Act which was eventually amended down to forty hours. A Senate committee expected that as we progressed, the work week would continue to shrink and more time could be dedicated to life outside of work.
SMOKING/DRINKING
SECRETARIES
COMPUTERS
HOURS WORKED
FASHION CULTURE Space
SMOKING/DRINKING
SECRETARIES VS. COMPUTERS
NOW
The late sixties brought with them major societal shifts that suddenly valued individuality over conformity. Over time, this evolved into a relaxed take on office attire and the birth of “casual Fridays.”
The eighties brought about an increased awareness of “company culture” with research driving a trend in developing a set of ideals or goals for employees. A lot of companies now make an effort to brand themselves as collaborative and teamwork oriented. Attitudes towards authority have changed as well with women increasingly stepping into leadership positions within different organizations.
Originally meant to provide privacy and a sense of personal space, the cubicle became a sign of oppression and isolation. In response to this, businesses switched over to the open office layout to promote communication and a sense of egalitarianism between coworkers.
Smoking was banned from offices and the amount of workers who smoke has continued to decline. Drinking with co-workers has shifted to an after-hours habit.
The introduction of computers to the workspace brought with it a dramatic increase in productivity and connectivity. This increased efficiency meant less reliance on large secretary pools and over time that work has increasingly been managed by automated services and programs.
The increased connectivity provided by our technology has done the opposite of what was expected, increasing our work weeks rather than shrinking them. The smartphone has the average employee working 11 hours more a week. Managers report frequently bringing work home with them while maintaining long hours in the office.
announcing the 2020/21
Producing Artistic Director Andrew Kato outlines his plan for
We decided to kick off the 2020/21 season with the Tony Award®-nominated comedy I Hate Hamlet by Paul Rudnick. Rudnick is an incredibly talented comedy writer who has written for theatre and film, including Addams Family Values, In & Out, and the 2004 remake of The Stepford Wives. Paul Rudnick is currently working on the new musical adaptation of the novel and film The Devil Wears Prada, which is scheduled to premiere in Chicago in 2020 before heading to Broadway.
I Hate Hamlet tells the story of a rising television star, Andrew Rally, who is struggling to choose between a role as Hamlet in New York or a chance at television fame in Hollywood. Things get complicated when Andrew is visited by the ghost of the legendary Shakespearean actor John Barrymore. About a month after opening on Broadway, the production made headlines when Nicol Williamson as John Barrymore intentionally struck his co-star Evan Handler during a sword fighting scene. Handler promptly left the stage and ultimately the production as a result. It was quite a scandal!
We typically do not produce Shakespeare as part of our season, but I hope that I Hate Hamlet will be a way to brush on The Bard in our unique Maltz Jupiter Theatre way.
Sweet Charity has become a Broadway classic that I think fits well as our December musical. In this heartfelt and comedic musical, Charity Hope Valentine is a New York City dance hall hostess who is unlucky in love but is determined to find that special someone. It is a familiar fable about unrequited love and our desire to connect with other people. There is something universal in Charity’s story that I hope will resonate with our audiences.
The original 1966 Broadway production featured Bob Fosse’s signature style and choreography combined with a very recognizable score, including the hits “Big Spender” and “If My Friends Could See Me Now.” The production has since seen revivals and international productions, and earned five Tony Awards®.We are delighted to welcome back the artistic team who brought us Newsies and West Side Story to reinvent this production with new flair.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is based on the popular 1988 MGM film starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine. The musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
2020/21 season for our biggest season yet
tells the tale of two con men who devise a contest to extract $50,000 from a young heiress. The original Broadway cast starred John Lithgow and Norbert Leo Butz in the two lead roles. When this production first came on to the scene, I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The craft behind this work impressed me in a way that most musicals born from contemporary movies do not. Much of the credit is due to David Yazbek’s lyrics, which may be some of the funniest that I have ever heard. Yazbek has written music and lyrics for The Full Monty, last year’s Broadway Tony Award®-Winner The Band’s Visit, and this year’s charmer Tootsie. It goes to show that sometimes a good movie can make a great musical.
Mark Martino, who was Director/Choreographer for Mamma Mia! last season, will be helming our production.
Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire is perhaps my favorite play of this decade. The piece is a comedy/drama about a South Boston woman who is down on her luck and out of a job. She reconnects with an old boyfriend who has made it out of Southie, and their entanglement sets the stage for a dramatic ending.
Lindsay-Abaire’s writing is witty and poignant. Overall the play is extremely well-structured, beginning with laughter and ending with a cautionary tale about class differences.
Our production will be in the capable hands of J. Barry Lewis. In this slot of the season, we make an effort to produce challenging yet entertaining works, such as An Inspector Calls, Disgraced, and Other Desert Cities. Good People is a phenomenal choice for this lineup.
Sunset Boulevard tells the story of an impoverished screenwriter who becomes entrapped in the reclusive and luxurious world of the faded, silent-screen star Norma Desmond. I first saw this production in London, with Patti LuPone as Norma, prior to its opening on Broadway with Glenn Close. In many ways, the musical functions as a contemporary chamber operetta with its central tragic character unable to cope with a Hollywood that no longer recognizes her as the star she believes herself to be. Witnessing the fall of a forgotten icon is a tale that we see played out in many great and compelling pieces of Theatre, and Sunset Boulevard is no exception.
Marcia Milgrom-Dodge will be returning to direct this musical, which is less of a song-and-dance show and more of a stirring experience. This Andrew Lloyd Webber Tony Award®-winning masterwork will be a strong conclusion to our
Allegra Muilenburg current student at Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is one of Florida’s preeminent not-for-profit professional theatres, whose mission is to entertain, educate, and inspire our community. Currently the state’s largest award-winning regional theatre, the Theatre draws nearly 100,000 people annually, serves a subscription base of more than 8,200 and has world-class facilities in support of its Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts, which serves hundreds of youth and adults. The Theatre is a member of the prestigious League of Resident Theatres.
