TheaterWorks
Bride” was a big hit for TheaterWorks in 2018. Lopez is a versatile writer who can create wild, outspoken characters like the wedding guests in “Perfect Wedding” as well as the deeply felt, downtrodden and abused heroes of “The Whipping Man,” “Somewhere” and “Reverberation” (all of which have been done at Hartford Stage) and the recent Broadway epic “The Inheritance.” “Zoey’s Perfect Wedding” is scheduled for the traditionally wedding-friendly months of June and July.
• “Seared” by Theresa Rebeck, concerning the chef of a hot Brooklyn restaurant who’s unsettled by his newfound success. Rebeck contributed the Tiny Tim scene to TheaterWorks’ annual treat “Christmas on the Rocks,” and the theater has also done her “Mauritius” and “The Understudy.” Her comedies “Loose Knit” and “Spike Heels” have become small theater staples, and she’s also known as a writer/producer of TV’s “NYPD Blue,” a couple of the “Law & Order” series and the cult hit “Smash.” “Seared” is scheduled for August/September 2021.
The holiday show “Christmas on the Rocks” (not part of the season subscription package) will return, perhaps with new material.
The season includes several familiar names: Rebeck, Akhtar and Lopez have all had plays done at TheaterWorks before, and Rapp is exactly the kind of well-established, off-Broadway playwright that TheaterWorks loves to introduce to Hartford audiences. “Fun Home” evokes another modern musical about a dysfunctional family, “Next to Normal,” which was a big hit for TheaterWorks
While Ruggiero doesn’t think that using playwrights who’ve already endeared themselves to TheaterWorks necessarily means these are safe choices — “I didn’t choose them for that reason; this is a season that excites me” — he acknowledges that “this is not a season for high risks.” Still, some of the people who responded to TheaterWorks email blasts which teased some of the titles under consideration back in April were lobbying for a full season of wild, silly comedies. Ruggiero understands the desire for big laughs, which is one big reason “Zoey’s Perfect Wedding” made the cut. But he knows that audiences also come to TheaterWorks for provocative contemporary dramas, and some difficult, mature themes that may help them figure out their own lives. Balance is crucial. “I can’t imagine doing a season of all comedies, or all two-character plays,” Ruggiero says.
This year, there were added challenges in picking the right plays. For safety onstage, they needed to have small casts, and no physical contact between the actors. Scripts had to allow for different staging possibilities, depending on what size or shape the auditorium might take.
“The Sound Inside,” which has only two actors and a simple set, was deliberately put into the “flu season” slot on the schedule, Ruggiero says. The show is slated for late winter, when it’s feared that there could be a coronavirus resurgence. “I thought it would adapt well. If we are in the theater and have to limit the audience, we can do our first two shows in the round.” Arena-style staging would allow for more space in the auditorium.
Ruggiero describes the restaurant drama “Seared” as a “last-minute” choice, based on a certain tone and themes he was looking for. “Seared,” he says, is about “ambition, and the price you pay for it.”
It’s also about holding onto one’s integrity during a massive life change, a scenario that Ruggiero feels will speak to the coronavirus moment.
In some ways the season is classic TheaterWorks: small casts and a mix of drama and comedy that generally revolves around relationships. Even the uncertainty is classic. “In the old days,” says Ruggiero, who’s been involved with TheaterWorks for 27 of its 35-year existence, “our patrons thought nothing of us switching plays out midseason. They went along for the ride.”
TheaterWorks is offering subscription packages for the 2020-21 season, and posting regular updates about its reopening plans, at twhartford.org.