Press Release: EgoPo Classic Theater Kicks Off Season with Cabaret Performance of John Guare’s TONY Award Winning Musical Two Gentleman of Verona
EgoPo Classic Theater kicks off its John Guare Festival and its 2017-2018 season with a cabaret production of the rarely seen TONY Award winning rock musical version of Two Gentleman of Verona, directed by Brenna Geffers. John Guare and Mel Shapiro did the musical adaptation from Shakespeare’s comedy, with lyrics by Guare and music by Galt MacDermot. This cabaret will run November 9-12 at the Latvian Society Theater, 531 N. 7th Street. Tickets cost $20 for general admission and are available online at www.egopo.org.
In 1971, after the success of House of Blue Leaves, John Guare was approached by Mel Shapiro and the Public Theater to help turn Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona into a rock musical. This madcap tale of love, friendship, and betrayal, with music by Galt MacDermot (Hair), won Guare the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical and beat out Grease and Follies for Best Musical. EgoPo Classic Theater is pleased to present this opportunity to see a different side of Guare’s diverse work.
This work was originally presented on Broadway by the New York Shakespeare Festival. The orchestrations are by Galt MacDermot and Harold Wheeler. EgoPo presents the musical in cabaret style with tables and drink and snack service. Brenna Geffers directs EgoPo’s performance of this rare work. Sarah Dennis is the Music Director. The cast includes: Anthony Crosby, Emily Fernandez, Michael Lienhard, Sol Madariaga, Aubrey McKinney, Francesca Nong, Katherine Perry, Ebony Pullum, Philip Wilson, Joe Wozniak, and Camille Young.
This cabaret performance kicks off EgoPo’s John Guare Festival season, featuring the world premiere of Guare’s Lydie Breeze Trilogy. This three-part American epic can be experienced in three ways: as a three-part series spread over three months, a three-night marathon, or a one-day (nine-hour) marathon with built in meal breaks. The performances of these modern American classics begin January 31, 2018 with Part I, and will run through May 6, 2018. All performances of the Lydie Breeze Trilogy will be held at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American Street. More information about the Trilogy, tickets, and information about the company can be found online at www.egopo.org.
Performances:
November 9 at 7pm
November 10 at 8pm
November 11 at 3pm
November 11 at 8pm
November 12 at 3pm
About EgoPo Classic Theater
EgoPo Classic Theater is a non-profit theater company committed to revitalizing the great classics of theater and literature. We strive for virtuosity in vocal and physical performance in order to create innovative and provocative theatrical events.
EgoPo is ambitious in the scale of the plays it presents, staging modernist and avant-garde classics that are often under-produced because of their cast size and technical demands. EgoPo produces yearlong festival seasons that focus on a single playwright or theatrical genre. Each season is designed as a single journey in which we guide audiences through mainstage productions, a special performance event, interactive audience engagement events, and an annual Gala, all themed to the season. The result is a deep immersion into a single theatrical genre. The ultimate goal is to make exciting and challenging theater that provides audiences multiple levels of engagement with the opportunity for an in-depth experience.
