Asolo Repertory Theatre Presents
SMASH
The Laugh-out-loud Stylish Comedy about Life, Politics and Women
Opens Friday, FEBRUARY 15, 2008
Sarasota, Florida (January 22 2007) – Asolo Repertory Theatre presents Jeffrey Hatcher’s Smash, an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s novel, An Unsocial Socialist. Asolo Rep’s production of Smash is directed by Lillian Groag. Paul Molnar, currently receiving rave reviews as Father Flynn in Doubt, plays Sidney Trefusis. Kris Danford, Cinderella from last season’s family favorite, The Plexiglass Slipper, plays Henrietta Jansenius. Rounding out the cast are beloved Associate Artists David Breitbarth, James Clarke, Carolyn Michel and Bradford Wallace and FSU/Asolo third-year conservatory students Matt Brown, Jessi Blue Gormezano, Marcus Denard Johnson, Julie Lachance and Jennifer Logue.
Smash will run in Asolo Rep’s Mertz Theatre from February 15, 2008 through May 1, 2008 with previews on February 13 and 14. Show days and times vary from Tuesday through Sunday; Ticket prices vary from $19 to $56 depending on the day and time of the performance. Group rates and special discounts are available; single tickets, money saving subscriptions now on sale. Special event pricing varies. Purchase tickets in person at the Asolo Rep Box Office or by calling 941-351-8000, 800-361-8388, or online at www.asolo.org.
About the play: Idealistic young millionaire Sidney Trefusis leaves his bride just after their wedding so that he can fulfill his dream of overthrowing the government. He finds himself incognito on the grounds of a school for well bred young ladies, attempting to stage a socialist revolution by supplementing the curriculum with his own teaching. But things don’t go according to plan, and Sidney soon finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed about life, politics, and most importantly, women.
About the Director: Lillian Groag’s last Asolo Rep appearance was on stage as Leontine in 13 Rue De L’amour (1994). An actress, writer and director, her credits include acting on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Mark Taper Forum, and regional theatres throughout the country. She has directed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Old Globe Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Mark Taper Forum’s Taper Too, New York City Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Center Stage, The People’s Light and Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory, Milwaukee Repertory, Missouri Repertory, Seattle Repertory, Glimmerglass Opera, San Jose Repertory, the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, The Juilliard School of Music, Florentine Opera, the Sundance Institute Playwrights Lab, the Virginia Opera, Opera San Jose and the Company of Angels. Her plays The Ladies of the Camellias, The White Rose (AT&T award for New American Plays), The Magic Fire (Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays), Menocchio and Midons have been produced variously by numerous respected theatres across the US and abroad, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Guthrie Theater, Berkeley Repertory, Yale Repertory, Denver Center, and The Shaw Festival; and theatres from Mexico City to Europe to Tokyo. Her translations and adaptations of Lorca, Feydeau, Musset, Marivaux and Molnar, were produced at the Guthrie, the Mark Taper Forum Taper II, and Missouri Rep. She is an Associate Artist of the Old Globe Theatre.
About the Actors:
Paul Molnar, who received accolades last season for his role in Men of Tortuga, returns to Asolo Rep for a second season. Last season he was seen as Venticello 1, Amadeus; Fletcher, Men of Tortuga; Lt. Jack Ross, A Few Good Men; Ensemble, Pride and Prejudice. Since graduating last year from the Conservatory, Paul has been in three Shakespeare productions: Macbeth, and two different productions of Henry V in which he played the title role. Selected New York credits include: Deception, Ghouls (Adobe Theatre Company), The Tempest (Epiphany Theatre Co.), Waiting For Godot, (Tangent Theatre Company), Henry V (FifthStreet Theatre). Regional credits: Henry V, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, (Michigan Shakespeare Festival), Romeo & Juliet, The Miracle Worker, Playing With Fire, The Heidi Chronicles, Tartuffe (The New American Theatre, IL), Henry V (Lost Nation Theater, VT), Art (Vermont Stage), A Doll House (12 Miles West Theatre Co., NJ), Othello (Theatre of the Seventh Sister, PA), The Blue Bird, Romeo & Juliet, Camino Real, Sweet Bird Of Youth, King Lear (The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey), Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale (Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival, PA). Television credits: Early Edition, and Law & Order. Paul is a company member of Tangent Theatre Company in NYC and holds an MFA from The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training.
Kris Danford also returns to Asolo Rep for a second season. Last season she appeared as Cinderella, The Plexiglass Slipper; Ensemble, Expecting Isabel; and Caroline Bingley, Pride and Prejudice. Kris was also seen on the Mertz stage as an understudy for the title role in Peter Pan. In the 05-06 Cook conservatory season, she performed roles in Five By Tenn, Marina in Pericles and the title role in Mirandolina. Locally, Kris performed in the Banyan Theater Company's 2005 production of Sight Unseen. Most recently, she played the role of Cathy in The Last Five Years at Peterborough Players. Originally from Western New York, she holds an MFA from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory and BFA in Musical Theatre from FredoniaStateUniversity.
About the Playwright: Jeffrey Hatcher has written for stage and screen. Screenplays include: Stage Beauty, Casanova, and the soon to be completed The Duchess starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes. His TV work includes episodes of Columbo. His award-winning original plays have been performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally across the US and abroad. They include Three Viewings, Scotland Road, Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Korczak’s Children, A Picasso, Mercy of a Storm, Work Song (with Eric Simonson), and Lucky Duck (with Bill Russell and Henry Kreiger). Hatcher wrote the book for the Broadway musical Never Gonna Dance and co-authored with Mitch Albom the stage version of the bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie. Other stage adaptations include: Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, Anouilh’s Leocadia: To Fool The Eye, Murder By Poe, Pierre(based on the novel by Herman Melville), and Kaufman and Hart’s The Fabulous Invalid. Hatcher is also the author of The Art and Craft of Playwriting. Hatcher has won grants and awards from the NEA, TCG, Lila-Wallace Fund, Rosenthal New Play Prize, Frankel Award, Barrymore Award and others. A five-time participant at the O'Neill Playwrights Conference, he is a member of the Dramatists Guild, New Dramatists, The Playwrights’ Center, and the WGA.
Several events are planned to enhance the production of Smash.In addition to audio described services and celebratory festivities, Asolo Rep offers free discussions with both actors and creative team members so audiences can discover the scope of work done behind-the-scenes. Please refer to the fact sheet for further information regarding these events and services (Playtalks, Insights, Audio Described Performances, Open Captioned Performances, Opening and Closing Night Celebrations).
Download the Smash Fact Sheet here
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Asolo Repertory Theatre is funded in part by the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, the Florida Arts Council, the City and County of Sarasota and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Funding is also received through efforts of support groups including the Asolo Angel Association, the Asolo Rep Guild, the Directors Emeritus and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations.