Go “On the Razzle” at the Clarence Brown Theatre!
left-right: David Brian Alley, Neil Friedman, Cory O’Brien-Pniewski
“If only I could look back on a day when I was fancy free, a real razzle of a day packed with adventure and high jinks, a day to remember…”
The hilarious “On the Razzle” plays on the Clarence Brown Theatre main stage April 25-May 12, 2013. When their boss goes away, two country store clerks close up shop and “escape” to the big city of Vienna for an adventure they won’t soon forget! The production is a fast-paced farce complete with slapstick shenanigans, mistaken identities, misdirected orders and romantic complications all combined with trademark Tom Stoppard wit and wordplay.
The basic story for Tom Stoppard’s “On the Razzle” has a long and interesting history. It was based on a play by Johann Nestroy entitled “Einen Jux will er sich machen” (He’s Out for a Fling). Nestroy’s play was itself based on a one-act by John Oxenford, entitled “A Day Well Spent.” In addition to providing the source text for “On the Razzle,”Nestroy’s play was also the basis for Thorton Wilder’s play “The Merchant of Yonkers” which he re-wrote and re-titled “The Matchmaker,” and which was later turned into the musical “Hello Dolly!”
“While this production should likely be viewed as a farce, Stoppard never writes anything without referencing history and the social context of his work in some way, so there are elements of satire that thread through the language, plot and character like fine embroidery that when looked at as a whole, appears perfectly constructed and deceptively simple. A pure comedy to be sure, Razzle nevertheless points to the ever present and often lovable hypocrisy of the rising middle class in every time-period as they chase the rich and aristocratic elements of society in their desire to be more like them in dress, behavior, and, of course, in the pursuit of adventure and the good life,” said director Gary English.
Gary M. English (Director) is a stage director and designer with credits that include over 100 productions at many of America’s major repertory theaters including The Pittsburgh Public Theatre, The Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City, The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and The Berkshire Theatre Festival. He currently is serving as Artistic Director of The Freedom Theatre, in Jenin Refugee Camp in the West Bank of Palestine. He also served as Artistic Director of Connecticut Repertory Theatre and Head of the University of Connecticut’s Department of Dramatic Arts for 15 years. He is also a member of the Human Rights Institute Faculty at UConn and runs a research program in Theatre and Human Rights.
The cast is comprised of professional actors, graduate actors, and undergraduate actors.
David Brian Alley (Weinberl) is in his 13th season as an Artist-In-Residence at the UT Department of Theatre. He has performed in several CBT productions, most recently “Kiss Me, Kate.” He also has performed in regional theatres across the country as well as on television and in film.
Jed Diamond (Coachman) is Head of Acting at UT. He has performed in several CBT productions, most recently “A Christmas Carol,” and in regional theaters across the country. Prior to UT, he worked as an actor, teacher, and director in New York City for 18 years.
Neil Friedman (Zangler) is an Artist-in-Residence at the Clarence Brown Theatre. His most recent CBT production was “A Raisin in the Sun.” He has performed in regional theaters across the country and internationally in Austria’s Vienna English Theatre.
Several actors from the Knoxville community will perform in this production: Jaques Durand (Hupfer the Tailor); Mark Jennings (Ensemble); Jayne Morgan (Gertrude/Miss Blummenblatt); Laura Schoonmaker (Ensemble); and Donald Thorne (Belgian Foreigner/Scottish Couple).
UT Theater graduate students performing in the production include: Micah-Shane Brewer (Melchoir); Johanna Dunphy (Marie) Angela Graham (Lisette) Stuart Matthews (Constable/German Couple) Jess Milewicz (Frau Fischer) Cory O’Brien-Pniewski (Christopher) Laura Sebastian (Madame Knorr) and Tramell Tillman (Sonders).
UT Theater undergraduates performing in the production include: Drew Barksdale (Lightning the Horse); Blair Campion (German Woman/Ensemble); Molly Kessler (Ensemble); Leo LaCamera (Waiter One/Ensemble); Erik Schiller (Ensemble); Robert Stephan (Italian Waiter No. 2/Lightning the Horse/Ensemble; Bailey McCall Stipes (Philipine/Scottish Couple/Ensemble); and Brock Ward(Ragamuffin/Ensemble).
Costume Designer Marianne Custer is the head of the MFA design program and resident designer for the Clarence Brown Theatre for more than 35 years. Her design credits include Broadway, regional theatre, the Municipal Theatre of Istanbul, and the National Theatres of Germany and Hungary.
Visiting Sound Designer Curtis Craig is an active freelance media designer and composer, as well as head of the sound design program at Penn State University.
Lighting Designer Kate Bashore is a third year MFA candidate in Lighting Design at the University of Tennessee and received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Wake Forest University in May 2007.
Scenic Designer Elizabeth Stadstad is a third year scenic design candidate from Inver Grove Heights, MN. She holds a BFA in Theatre Design and Technology from the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point.
Additional artists working on the production are: Kerri Ann Considine (Dramaturg); Casey Sams (Movement Coach); and, Charles R. Miller (Speech/Text/Dialect Coach)
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The production is part of the Schaad Mainstage Series with additional corporate support from Pilot Travel Centers. Media sponsors are WUOT, WUTK, WBIR, Comcast, Knoxville News Sentinel, B97.5, and East Tennessee PBS.
Preview for the show is April 25, 2013. Opening night is April 26, 2013. The show runs through May 12, 2013. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Matinees begin at 2 p.m. Ticket prices vary. For tickets, call the Clarence Brown Theatre box office at 865-974-5161 or online at clarencebrowntheatre.com. Stay connected to the Clarence Brown Theatre on Facebook (Clarence Brown Theatre), follow on Twitter @clarencebrowntheatre, and view Clarence Brown videos on YouTube (ClarenceBrown).
