Alley Theatre’s 2017-18 season to put topical issues in spotlight
‘These writers can’t help but listen to the world,’ artistic director Boyd says of social, political emphasis By Wei-Huan Chen “Cleo,” about the Elizabeth TaylorRichard Burton scandal on the set of 1963’s “Cleopatra,” examines celebrity. 20th Century Fox
New plays speaking to the issues of the current world headline the Alley Theatre’s 2017-18 season, which the company announced Friday.
“Describe the Night,” an epic drama by Pulitzer finalist Rajiv Joseph about Russian author Isaac Babel, features a Vladimir Putin-inspired autocrat who manipulates the truth and attacks the media for political expediency, invoking subtle commentary on current events in both Russia and the U.S. The play represents the Alley Theatre’s renewed investment in producing new works, following the creation of the Alley All New Festival and the hiring of Elizabeth Frankel, director of new work.
The Alley has a wellestablished relationship with Joseph, premiering his plays “The Monster at the Door” and “Gruesome Playground Injuries” in past seasons. Alley Theatre artistic director Gregory Boyd said he has always seen Joseph as a “unique voice in American theater” and that the writer’s latest work speaks strongly to our current political climate.
“The play is just so present right now,” Boyd said. “It was important to lead off with that.”
American theaters are finding different ways to respond to the presidency, with the stage version of “1984,” for example, seeing an uptick in interest this year. Boyd said the season’s new works are each topical in their own way but are not overtly written or presented to specifically explore a hotbutton social issue.
“These plays have been in the works for years. These writers can’t help but listen to the world,” he said. “That doesn’t mean they are writing issue plays.”
Bekah Brunstetter’s “The Cake,” slated for summer 2018, was, like Joseph’s play, workshopped earlier this year at the Alley’s new works festival. It’s a sympathetic look at a North Carolina baker who is asked to bake a cake for a gay wedding, which conflicts with her Christian viewpoint on homosexuality.
Another new work will be “Cleo,” by journalist Lawrence Wright, about the Elizabeth TaylorRichard Burton scandal that occurred on the set of the film “Cleopatra.” Boyd described the play as a thrilling look at media, celebrity and the sexual revolution of the 1960s.
The play will be directed by noted character actor Bob Balaban (“Gosford Park,” “Capote,” “Moonrise Kindgom”). The staging of “Cleo” will mark the first time the actor has collaborated with the theater.
Alley’s last world premiere for 2017-18 is “Lover, Beloved: An Evening With Carson McCullers,” the new musical by Duncan Sheik and Suzanne Vega, both Grammy winners, about the life of the Southern Gothic writer.
Rounding out the Alley’s season: Robert Schenkkan’s drama about Lyndon B. Johnson, “The Great Society,” which is a continuation of the Alley Theatre and Dallas Theater Center’s co-production last season of “All the Way”; the return of “A Christmas Carol” and “The Santaland Diaries” during the holidays; “Satchmo at the Waldorf,” Terry Teachout’s portrait of Louis Armstrong in 1971; “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” Steve Martin’s 1993 comedy in which Picasso and Einstein walk into a bar; “Holmes and Watson,” about Dr. Watson’s inquiry into Sherlock Holmes’ mysterious death; and Alfred Hitchcock’s “The 39 Steps,” a comedy-thriller featuring four actors playing 150 characters.
This year’s Alley All New Festival also featured Kenneth Lin’s adaptation of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” which speaks to race in modern-day America, and Rob Askins’ “The Carpenter,” a comedy about siblings that explores the HoustonDallas rivalry. Both plays won’t arrive at the Alley for a while. Boyd said to watch out for them in the 2018-19 cycle.
Full dates for the 201718 season, meanwhile, can be found at alleytheatre. org.