Cross Over
With the curtain down on the summer season, David Ivers, co-artistic director, gave us a preview of what to expect during the cross-over weeks and the upcoming fall season.
Charley’s Aunt continues on the weekends until the fall season opens, with two new plays: Dracula and Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Here are David’s thoughts:
“For people coming back to the fall and wondering about seeing Charley’s Aunt again…in watching the show, it’s just grown so much. It’s still as fresh as it was when it opened and there are new elements that the cast has brought to it that I’ve been lucky enough, because of the openness of the stage manager and the cast, to come in and watch and approve. It’s been really nice to have it be a living process.
“I don’t watch it a lot but I do go in and watch glimpses of it. And I can tell you that it’s every bit if not more fresh than when it opened. There’s added inventiveness in the performances. For those people who were here early on, we’ve ironed out all the scenic shifts. Now we’ve down to our standard intermission times.
“I think also that it lives differently in contrast to Dracula and Two Gents than it does in contrast to South Pacific and Amadeus. Dracula and Two Gents both deal with struggles that have to do with young love triumphing and so does Charley’s Aunt. They’re all presented from different periods and different points of view.
“Seeing these three together is a very different experience than seeing all three of the plays in the Randall right now (summer season).
“The fall season has a lot of just pure entertainment punch. They provide fun and entertainment. Dracula is thrilling – there’s a bit of blockbuster to it. Two Gents has it all – romance, comedy, conflict and Jake the dog. “
Charley’s Aunt continues weekends on September 11, 12, 19. Dracula and Two Gents open in previews September 24 and 25 and then all three plays run through October 31. You can learn more about the fall season and purchase tickets at www.bard.org. We’ll soon have rehearsal photos and actor blogs, so be sure to check back.