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PLEASE JOIN
THE HUNGER ARTISTS THEATRE COMPANY
AS WE PRESENT THE TONY AWARD WINNING NINE AS THEIR SPRING MUSICAL
APRIL 23 – MAY 23, 2010
FULLERTON, CA – The Hunger
Artists Theatre Company is proud to present the musical Nine by Maury
Yeston, Arthur Kopit and Mario Fratti directed by Hunger Artists Company
Member Susan Marx.
Nine centers around
famous Italian director Guido Contini as he approaches his 40th
birthday. He is desperately in need of an idea for his next movie which is
due to begin shooting in a week, his marriage is falling apart and his
cluttered romantic life is beginning to take its toll. As the pressure
mounts, Contini drifts between the reality he is trying to run away from and
the imaginary world and memories that he is running to. Nine is
based on Federico Fellini’s famous film, 8 1/2.
The premiere production of
Nine debuted on Broadway in 1982 directed by Tommy Tune and featuring
Raul Julia as Guido. It won five Tony Awards including Best Musical. A
smaller production opened at the Donmar Warehouse in London in 1996. In
2003, a revival was staged at the Eugene O’Neill theater on Broadway winning
two Tony Awards including Best Revival. This production featured Antonio
Banderas as Guido and Mary Stuart Masterson as Luisa. A major film was
released in December, 2009 directed by Rob Marshall, starring Daniel
Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Kate
Hudson, Fergie and Sophia Loren.
This production features Dan
Wozniak as Guido Contini and Tara Pitt as his wife Luisa. This is Dan’s
first show with the Hunger Artists. Tara appeared in last year’s production
of The Last Five Years at Hunger Artists. Lindsay Martin is playing
Carla, Rachel Buffett is Claudia, Deborah Kennedy is La Fleur and Andrea
Martyn is Guido’s mother, all are making their Hunger Artists debuts. Janet
MacGregor, who was last seen at Hunger Artists in the 2008 production of
Company, is playing Saraghina. Also appearing are Jenny Jones, Andrea
Dennison-Laufer, Cynthia Lee, Veronique Merrill Warner, Carol Celeste, Amber
Scott, Angie McConnell, Mirna Carbajal and Justin and Matt VanLigten as
Little Guido.
The Musical Director for this
production is Chris Smith and Choreography is by Lindsay Martin. Kara
Kessener is the Stage Manager for this production. Lighting Design is by
Chris Smith, Dean Becker and Susan Marx. Set Design is by Susan Marx and
Chris Smith, the set was constructed by the cast and crew. Musical tracks
are provided by Patrick Copeland, Up Til4 Productions.
Maury Yeston was an associate
professor at Yale in 1973 when he began work on Nine after being
inspired by Fellini’s film 8 ½. In 1982, he won the Tony for Best
Original Score as well as the Drama Desk Awards for music and lyrics for
Nine. In 1997, he also won the Tony for Best Original Score for
Titanic. Arthur Kopit was nominated in 1982 for a Tony Award for Best
Book of a Musical for Nine. He also collaborated with Maury Yeston
in 1992 on their production of Phantom, based on Gaston Leroux’s
novel Phantom of the Opera.
“At some point, anyone who
has had a happy, good or memorable childhood longs for those simpler days,”
says director Susan Marx. “I love Nine because it speaks to that
longing, although in the show it takes that longing to an unhealthy level! I
directed another production of Nine in 2005. The revival had come out
on Broadway in 2003 with Antonio Banderas as Guido. It was my first
experience with the incredibly gorgeous music. The songs in the piece are
like a buffet of the most varied and yummy dishes; all different and equally
wonderful. At its core, Nine is simply the story of a man who tries
to have everything, longs for everything, and in the end is in danger of
losing everything. He is the rock that everyone else in his life breaks
themselves upon. And in the end, he is supremely unhappy, and in danger of
being forever lost. We can’t hate him for his lavish excesses, instead we
should cheer him on in ultimately saving himself. A great message and an
exquisite score makes for some pretty irresistible theatre magic.”
Susan Marx has been a Hunger
Artists Theatre company member since 2007. She directed Jason Robert
Brown’s The Last Five Years at Hunger Artists in June 2009 and
Stephen Sondheim’s Company in Spring 2008. She has also directed
pieces for both Beyond Convention productions in 2007 and 2008 and
for the second Dead Letter Office production in 2008. She has
directed numerous shows at many other theatres.
“The music of Nine is
just gorgeous,” says Artistic Director Amber Scott. “The relationships in
this play will speak to anyone who has struggled creatively and personally
with the reality of becoming an adult. I’m very pleased to be presenting
this show at Hunger Artists.”
Performances of Nine
will take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm, with a
special performance on Thursday, May 20th at 8 pm. General
admission tickets are $20; senior and students (with valid ID) may purchase
tickets for $18. Tickets for the Thursday performance are $5. Patrons may
purchase tickets online by visiting our website (www.hungerartists.com). To
reserve tickets by phone, please call 714.680.6803. For more information
about Nine or the Hunger Artists Theatre Company’s upcoming 2010
season, please visit www.hungerartists.com. Programming, dates and times
are subject to change.
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