The more things change, the more they stay the same! That becomes clearly evident in the time-hopping, theatrical romp through 2,000 years of history – AND AWAY WE GO – playing in Curtain Call’s Dressing Room Theatre, Stamford, September 8 through 24.
Terrence McNally’s AND AWAY WE GO jumps through time from backstage in ancient Athens to a rehearsal at Shakespeare’s Globe, from Versailles’ Royal Theatre to the first reading of a new play by Chekhov—with an unlikely stop in Coconut Grove, Florida and the American premiere of Waiting for Godot along the way, then on to today.
“How do six actors create a total of 36 distinct characters that live in multiple eras and five different countries, speak in at least five different accents (clearly), change costumes with split-second timing, and still manage to create a cohesive comedy? Sometimes by the skin of their teeth, but mostly through their comic genius, analytical minds, and an abundance of acting talent,” said the play’s director, Nancy L. Meyers.
The cast includes Annalisa DiNucci, Jessie Gilbert, Timothy Huber, David Neilsen, Jennifer Silverman and Mathew Young. Lighting design is by Jamie LaJoie, set design by Meghan Connolly, and costume design by Gwen Bihl. Amy Wade serves as assistant director and dramaturg, stage management includes Katie Carriero and Maylis Pabon, props by Martha Dombroski, sound effects by John Zimmerman.
“When the show opened in NYC 10 years ago, I heard lots of great things about it,” said Lou Ursone, Curtain Call’s executive director and producer for the show. Unfortunately, he never got to see the play of which the New York Times said, “Terrence McNally plants a big wet kiss on his lifelong love—the theatre…[A] frolicsome valentine to the glorious, maddening, demanding world of footlights, spotlights and ghost lights.”
“Knowing Nancy’s (Meyers) background in improve, I knew she would be the perfect director for this piece,” Ursone noted. “Watching her work with this cast has been a real treat,” he added. Meyers said, “Every rehearsal, we experiment with ways to bring the characters and eras and timeless issues alive for the audience. Most importantly, we ask ourselves: What can we do to make this even funnier? And how do I say that with a Greek/British/French/Russian accent?”
Performances in the Dressing Room Theatre are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm. There is one Thursday evening performance, September 21, at 8:00pm. Tickets are available through the box office at 203-461-6358 or online at www.curtaincallinc.com. Prices for all performances are $41 for adults, $31 for senior citizens and $23 for children under 21. Group rates are also available upon request. The Dressing Room Theatre is located at The Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT. Doors open one hour before show time for a Bring Your Own Everything format. Seating is cabaret style.
Curtain Call was voted Fairfield County’s BEST LOCAL THEATRE GROUP ten years running in the Annual Readers’ Poll of the Fairfield County Weekly and has received similar “BEST OF” awards from Stamford Magazine and StamfordPlus magazine for 2008 through 2023. Curtain Call received The Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2011 and the ACE Award for Excellence in Arts & Culture from the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County in 2016.
