Events - Theatre
WELL - 9/17/2008 - 9/28/2008
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=696
Lansing native, Lisa Kron, wrote this affecting and hilarious memory play and performance art hybrid. Lisa has hired several actors to enact her multicharacter exploration of issues of health and illness and has included her mother onstage. We discover that though her mother has the power to heal a Lansing neighborhood she is unable to heal herself. When WELL played on Broadway in 2006 the NEW YORK TIMES called it Wonderful and delirious. WELL has a warmth and accessibility that makes you want to recommend it to everyone.
MAMMA MIA! - 9/30/2008 - 10/5/2008
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=481
The smash hit musical, MAMMA MIA!, is the ultimate feel-good show that is high in demand and keeps audiences coming back for more! The musical combines ABBA's greatest hits, which include, "Dancing Queen," "S.O.S," and "Take a Chance on Me." The music is the magical backdrop to an enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship. Don't let this opportunity pass you by!
Department of Theatre: Lisa Kron - 10/2/2008
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=711
Guest lecture of the play and the performance of Well by the playwright.
The Key Said Run and the Door Said Fly - 10/3/2008 - 10/5/2008
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=709
Devised by the Sacred Heart Archive, a multi-disciplinary arts project, The Key Said Run and the Door Said Fly reinvents the folk tale of Mr. Fox using physical performance, traditional songs, and found objects. Incorporating a daring use of autobiography, The Key Said Run and the Door Said Fly investigates issues of sexual violence, and the body's capacity to remember. The ultimate result is a compelling picture of the relationship between freedom and fear.
CABARET - 10/14/2008 - 10/19/2008
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=697
There was a Cabaret and there was a Master of Ceremonies and there was a city called Berlin in a country called Germany. Christopher Isherwood's stories set the backdrop for this powerful musical that explores the last days of the Weimar era. The denizens of the cabaret perform satirical and emotional scenes that perfectly capture the turmoil of the time. The score contains some of Kander and Ebb's best work including Willkommen, If You Could See Her Through my Eyes, and the powerful title song.
ALMOST, MAINE - 10/28/2008 - 11/2/2008
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=702
In a collection of scenes that deal with love, reconciliation and connection, the locals of Almost, Maine reveal a quirky take on romance. In each scene we meet inhabitants of this snowbound town who reveal a deeper understanding of the trials and tribulations of love than one might expect. This warmly romantic comedy makes a perfect date night for you and your quirky someone.
FROST/NIXON - 11/4/2008 - 11/9/2008
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=496
Award winning-stage and screen actor Stacy Keach stars as Richard Nixon in this fast-paced, Tony Award-nominated new play, which presents determination conviction and the cunning of two men who face off in one of the most monumental television interviews of all time!
LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST - 11/18/2008 - 11/23/2008
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=698
Several men agree to a three year self-imposed period of isolation with the promise of devoting themselves to study, vowing to not communicate with members of the opposite sex. When they receive a visit from a neighboring princess and her entourage, they find their hasty oath of celibacy strained and difficult to uphold. Comic situations and verbal puns abound in Shakespeare's love charged world of Navarre. This production is committed to being an entirely GREEN production using recycled and natural materials.
FRESHMAN SHOWCASE - 12/1/2008 - 12/2/2008
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=703
The 2nd annual event designed to introduce MSU's newest actors and technicians to the community.
Junie B. Jones - 12/7/2008
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=521
Junie B. Jones is finally graduating from kindergarten and moving on to the first grade! Follow her adventures as she writes everything down in her "top-secret personal beeswax" journal. Backed by popular demand, this lively musical, based on the books of Barbara Park, is guaranteed to delight theatre-goers of all ages!
GREASE - 12/9/2008 - 12/14/2008
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=523
GREASE, TIME magazine's 2007 pick for "#1 musical of the year,"is rockin' across the country in this new production direct from Broadway! The one that you want is back! So throw your mittens around your kittens and Hand Jive the night away with the critically acclaimed Broadway musical, GREASE!!
LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL - 1/13/2009 - 1/18/2009
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=526
Sorority star Elle Woods does not take "no" for an answer! After her boyfriend dumps her for someone "serious" she decides to hit the books and go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard to study law! She proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style! Hailed by critics as "the funniest new musical of the year" and "sheer fun" this broadway show is created by Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchel of Hairspray; composer and lyricist Laurence O'Keefe of Batboy; Nell Benjamin of Sarah Plain and Tall; book writer Heather Hach of Freaky Friday and scenic designer David Rockwell of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. TIME magazine says it's "an Elle of a show!"
SNAPSHOT - 1/28/2009 - 2/8/2009
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=699
Some of today's hottest playwrights have combined forces to create an evening of scenes and monologues inspired by a single photograph. Using only Lee Friedlander's Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, 1969 as their inspiration, these playwrights have written thought-provoking material that ranges from broad comedy to compelling tragedy. Each playwright looks at the photo's themes through a different lens.
THE COLOR PURPLE - 2/4/2009 - 2/8/2009
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=624
From the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the moving film by Steven Spielberg, comes a soul-stirring new musical and landmark event. It's an inspiring family saga which tells the unforgettable story about a woman finding the strength to triumph over adversity, through love. According to New York Times it's "a bright odyssey of survival and triumph with a fairy-tale sense of wonder, 'Purple' strikes sparks." A must see musical event!
HEDDA GABLER - 2/20/2009 - 2/28/2009
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=700
Desperate. Dangerous. Caged. Cagey. Volatile. Vulnerable. One of Ibsen's most compelling and conflicted characters, Hedda Gabler is trapped in a marriage that she desperately wants to escape. Imperious yet isolated, Hedda finally decides to take action, setting in motion a series of tragic events. Hedda's complex contradictions make for a perfect connection with the Department of Psychology. This show will be directed by Williamston Theatre's Artistic Director, Tony Caselli.
SPRING AWAKENING - 2/24/2009 - 3/1/2009
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=631
Winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Spring Awakening is one of Broadway's most talked about new musicals. It's a groundbreaking fusion of morality, sexuality and rock&roll. It's the unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with a power, poignancy and passion you won't soon forget! "Haunting and electrifying! This brave new musical has a shivery sensual allure unmatched by anything in the theatre right now" says Charles Isherwood of the New York Times. A moving performance not to be missed!
Nate the Great - 3/1/2009
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=632
If there's a mystery that needs to be solved Nate the Great is the one to call! He's found balloons, slippers, chickens and even a lost goldfish, but will he be able to solve the mystery of the missing painting? Find out in this new musical based on the book by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.
Disney's THE LION KING - 3/18/2009 - 4/19/2009
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=635
Experience the phenomenon of Disney's THE LION KING when East Lansing's best-loved musical returns to the Wharton Center stage. Visually stunning, technically astounding and with a musical score like none you've ever heard. Giraffes strut, birds swoop, gazelles leap. As the entire savannah comes to life and as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist.
See the Tony Award -winning Broadway sensation that Newsweek calls "a landmark event in entertainment."
The New York Times says, "There is simply nothing else like it."
Marvel at the breathtaking spectacle of animals brought to life by a cast of more than 40 actors. Wonder at the inspiration of award- winning director Julie Taymor, who created visual images for this show that you'll remember forever. Thrill to the pulsating rhythms of the African Pridelands and an unforgettable score including Elton John and Tim Rice's Oscar-winning song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and "Circle of Life."
A NEW Devised Performance Piece (w/ Melissa Thompson) - 3/27/2009 - 3/28/2009
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=710
The Chicago-based performance artist and women's studies theorist, Melissa Thompson, is teaching and performing with groups of students throughout the year.
THE WHO'S TOMMY - 4/9/2009 - 4/19/2009
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=701
Young Tommy witnesses a terrible murder, leaving him traumatized. When Tommy is discovered to have amazing talents at the pinball arcade he becomes an instant celebrity. THE WHO'S TOMMY contains great classic rock songs, including Pinball Wizard, I'm Free and Acid Queen. Working with Telecommunications to update the pinball game for a Wii generation promises a TOMMY unlike any you have ever seen.
FAR AWAY and THIS IS A CHAIR - 4/28/2009 - 5/3/2009
http://www.artsandculture.msu.edu/database_eventview.asp?id=704
This double bill of Caryl Churchill's searingly playful political theatre features stubborn children, new romance, suicidal drug dealers, exquisite hats and a global war in which Canadians, mosquitoes, Russian swimmers, children under five , mallards, Thai butchers, crocodiles, deer, and Latvian dentists have repeatedly proved traitorous.
