June 30, 1999
The second production of the KU summer season is the musical "Godspell," conceived by John-Michael Tebelak with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, which will be staged July 23 through 25 and 29 through 31 in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre.
Winner of the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for drama, "Three Tall Women" was first produced at the English Theater in Vienna, Austria, in 1991, and moved off-Broadway to the Vineyard Theatre in 1994. It won Albee his third Pulitzer Prize, following awards for "Seascape" in 1967 and "A Delicate Balance" in 1975. When the production opened in New York, critics called it "Albee's strongest play in two decades" and said it was "Albee's most emotionally affecting play since 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?' exploded in 1962."
The Kansas Summer Theatre production is being directed by Jack Wright, professor of theatre and film, with scenic and costume design by Mark Reaney, professor of theatre and film, and lighting design by Dennis Christilles, assistant professor of theatre and film.
Largely autobiographical and based on Albee's estranged adoptive mother, "Three Tall Women" examines the closing days in a wealthy, 92-year-old matron's life. The woman and her middle-aged companion are visited by a young lawyer, who is determined to get the matron's life in order. The companion is accustomed to the old lady's caprices and attempts to soothe her ready temper. But the young lawyer is impatient with her client's poor memory and frailties.
As the play progresses, it leaps from realism to fantasy as Albee dissects the woman's character, her life, her loves, and her hates. With unusual wit and humor, Albee talks of aging, mortality and looks at the facts of death.
Wright, who is a fan of Albee's work, said he sees the play as a "celebration of life" rather than a study of death.
"All the characters in the play are grappling with the 'big stuff' in life," he said. "This play is very dark at times as we see the old woman trying to come to grips with aging and her impending death. The play speaks to the need for people to survive whatever life throws at them. And this woman is a survivor."
In directing the four-person cast of both community and KU student actors, Wright has worked hard to find the lighter moments in the play.
"Albee has a very dark view of the world," he explained. "He sees everything in a negative way so we were all challenged to find the humor in this work ... to find the flip side of Albee's darkness."
The director said what attracts him to Albee's works is the playwright's use of language. "Albee's words won't go away," he said. "It's like in good music when you hear a melody that stays in your mind for days. Albee is like that. In the old woman, Albee has created a character who figures out how to come to a truce with her life. She finds an uneasy peace with all that has happened to her through the years."
General admission tickets for "Three Tall Women" are now on sale in the KU box offices: Murphy Hall, 864-3982; Lied Center, 864-ARTS; and SUA, 864-3477. Tickets are $8 for the public, $4 for all students, and $7 for senior citizens. Both VISA and MasterCard are accepted for phone orders.
The ensemble for the first Kansas Summer Theatre production includes (listed by name, KU class if applicable, parents' names, home address, and role):