James Urbaniak in Travesties – March 13th

March 8, 2012
Events

Take one part Wilde, a touch of Lenin, a dash of Dada, a pinch of Joyce and you’ve got Tom Stoppard’s absurdly hilarious Travesties. Prepare to be delighted as Stoppard (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Shakespeare in Love) spins you into a dazzling medley of literature, philosophy, politics, and history. The wildest revolutionary minds of the 20th century come alive in this romantic and achingly funny modern masterpiece.

Travesties is set during World War I, when James Joyce, Lenin, and the Dadaist Tristan Tzara were all residents of Zurich. Tom Stoppard imagines them coming together to stage an amateur production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.

The cast will feature James Urbaniak as Henry Carr, Christian Coulson as Tristan Tzara, Fred Aresenault as James Joyce, and Demonsthenes Chrysan as Lenin as well as Luisa Strus (Nadya), Everett Quinton (Bennett), Sara Topham (Cecily), and Susannah Flood (Gwendolyn).

Original music will be by David Shire. The design team will include David Farley (set and costume design), David Weiner (lighting design), and Fitz Patton (sound design).

“Travesties is one of the great comedic masterpieces of the 20th century. I am of the belief that it’s Stoppard’s greatest play. Put simply, it’s a memory play of events in 1917 remembered by a man in 1974, and not necessarily remembered correctly. As with all of Tom’s plays, it contains extraordinary ruminations on life and art, but it does it in a way that is boldly comedic” says Director, Sam Buntrock.

Tom Stoppard’s Travesties opens March 13th and runs till April 1st at the McCarter Theater Center. For tickets and information, visit McCarter Theater Center online at http://maccartertheater.org.