Gaslight Theatre Company Proudly Announces its 2007-2008 Season

Opening the season, on May 12 and 13, 2007 is The Princess and the Pea. Under the direction of Christina Reynolds, The Princess and the Pea tells the story of Prince Valiant, who needs to find a princess to marry. He goes out into the world on his quest to find a real princess. Along his way, he meets many personalities but a storm brings the girl he truly loves right to his door. She must however pass the True Princess Test, a pea under a stack of mattresses.

Gaslight will then bring The Merry Wives of Windsor to the stage on May 31, June 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9, 2007. Come see one of Shakespeare’s most beloved characters, Sir John Falstaff, as laughter reigns supreme and feminine wisdom triumphs over a jealous husband, confused lovers, and a web of merriment in this light-hearted comedy. The Merry Wives of Windsor is the story of Falstaff, a local knight who is as good a liar as he is a lover…or so he thinks! When Falstaff arrives in the town of Windsor, he is in desperate need of money. Instead of trying to find employment, he decides to secretly pursue two wealthy women and swindle them. He chooses the Mistresses Ford and Page, and writes them identical love letters. What he doesn’t count on is the close friendship between the women…their own exceeding cleverness…and his own conniving servants! Disguises and double entendres abound as plots and sub plots develop, complete with manipulative messengers, secret scandals, and plenty of paramours. The Merry Wives of Windsor is directed by Sean J. McKeown.

Rhinoceros, by Eugene Ionesco, brings us a sample of the theatre of the absurd as a rhinoceros suddenly appears in a small town, trampling through its peaceful streets. Soon there are two, then three, until the “movement” is universal: a transformation of average citizens into beasts, as they learn to “move with the times.” Finally, only one man remains. Rhinoceros is a commentary on the absurdity of the human condition made tolerable only be self-delusion. It shows us the struggle of the individual to maintain integrity and identity alone in a world where all others have succumed to the “beauty” of brute force, natural energy and mindlessness. Rhinoceros is directed by Deirdre McLaughlin and will be presented in August 2007 with date and time yet to be announced.

Gaslight will close out their season with their production of A.R. Gurney’s The Fourth Wall in which a quartet of characters deals with housewife Peggy. She has redecorated the living room and her husband, Roger, can’t stand it. Peggy’s usual exquisite taste was overcome by a mysterious lapse which caused her to redo the room as if it were a stage set. Everything faces one wall, the “fourth wall,” which she’s left bare and which is really the audience. The Fourth Wall develops as a comedic love letter to the theatre, as everyone who enters the room begins to behave as if they were acting in a play, or even a musical when occasionally someone feels the urge to sing a Cole Porter song! The Fourth Wall under the direction of Christina Reynolds will be presented January 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, and 12, 2008.