Mark Taper Forum
At the heart of every story 2014 season
THREE SIBLINGS.
ONE HOT MESS! FUNNY GIRL? FUNNY PLAY!
SCANDAL AT THE VATICAN with
David Suchet! 6 show package
Starts at
$136
THE EPIC SONG OF PAUL ROBESON by
Daniel Beaty
MADNESS +MAYHEM
JOE ORTON STYLE
Life and Death 2.0 PLUS A CHRISTOPHER
PLUMMER
special EVENT!
Laughter on the outside, powerful drama on the inside. This Taper season opens and closes with a bang: hilarious farces from two of the most brilliantly twisted
Mark Taper Forum
comedic minds at the top of their game. And in between: some of the most intrepid and compelling new drama in America and the U.K. All these theatrical offerings are classic Taper: with extraordinary, fascinating characters at the heart of every story. And there’s no better way to enjoy them than in this intimate forum with its immediate rapport between actor and audience. If there’s a thematic through-line for this season, it’s dialogue. Not just the brilliantly crafted dialogue that resonates from the stage, but the dialogue that happens once the curtain goes down. These plays don’t just start a conversation. They demand it. With hotbed themes like race, religion, class, betrayal, sexual politics and the ultimate controversial topic: family. And you’re right there in the middle of it all: at the heart of every story. We’re especially excited to welcome back the legendary Christopher Plummer in a limited run of his new solo work that was the buzz of last season’s Stratford Festival. Ticket demand will be high, so subscribing is the best way to secure your seats for this extraordinary event.
Michael Ritchie Artistic Director
Mark Taper Forum 2014
Live their stories. Breathe their fire.
WINNER! Tony Award Best Play
Unforgettable new drama
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Marjorie Prime
By Christopher Durang Directed by Nicholas Martin Jan 29 – Mar 9, 2014 The Epic Song of Paul Robeson
The Tallest Tree in the Forest
Written & Performed by Daniel Beaty Directed by Moisés Kaufman World Premiere Production Apr 15 – May 25, 2014 David Brian Suchet Bedford
The Last Confession
By Roger Crane Directed by Jonathan Church Jun 7 – Jul 6, 2014 Ahmanson Theatre Top New York Critics’ Pick
Buyer & Cellar Christopher Plummer in
A Word Or Two photo by david hou.
Featuring Michael Urie A new comedy By Jonathan Tolins Directed by Stephen Brackett Jul 9 – Aug 17, 2014
By Jordan Harrison Directed by Pam MacKinnon With Lois Smith World Premiere Sep 10 – Oct 19, 2014 Madcap British Farce
What the Butler Saw By Joe Orton Directed by John Tillinger With Paxton Whitehead Nov 12 – Dec 21, 2014 Bonus Options at the Ahmanson Theatre A Very Special Event Christopher Plummer
A Word or Two
Written, Arranged and Performed by Christopher Plummer Directed by Des McAnuff Jan 19 – Feb 9, 2014 He set the dance world on fire
Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty A Gothic Romance Music by Tchaikovsky Nov 21 – Dec 1, 2013
One simple call is all it takes to GET THE CONVERSATION GOING. 213.972.4444
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Regret and sibling rivalry fan the flames of laughter in this wickedly wonderful Chekhovian mash-up that equally tickles both the theatre neophyte and the ardent student of the Russian classics. Melancholy turns into mayhem when Vanya and his stepsister Sonia — along with their clairvoyant housekeeper Cassandra — are paid a surprise visit by Hollywood star sibling Masha and her twenty-something boy toy Spike. Will Vanya and Sonia ever find happiness? Will Masha sell the Bucks County farmhouse out from under them? And will Spike ever put his pants on? Master absurdist Christopher Durang (Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You) turns farce into high art, when the original Broadway director returns to the Taper for this smash comedy.
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By Christopher Durang Directed by Nicholas Martin A CLASSICAL GAS! Jan 29 – Mar 9, 2014 CenterTheatreGroup.org/Taper
“I am the third Negro ever to attend Rutgers University. And the way these white students are staring at me, I instantly wonder if the other two made it out alive.” —Paul Robeson in The Tallest Tree in the Forest
Written and Performed by
Daniel Beaty
Directed by
Moisés Kaufman World Premiere Production The Kansas City Repertory Theatre/ La Jolla Playhouse Production in association with Tectonic Theatre Project
6 show package
Starts at
$136
Paul Robeson was born the son of a runaway slave and died “the most well known black man in the world.” Obie Award-winning writer and performer Daniel Beaty chronicles his remarkable life in an extraordinary theatrical biography. Embodying not only Robeson but also dozens of international personalities who crossed Robeson’s path, Beaty fills the theatre with the dreams, words and songs (American classics like Ol’ Man River) of a man who sacrificed everything in the name of liberty. We marvel at Robeson’s triumphs — All-American linebacker and valedictorian while at Rutgers, NFL linebacker while in Columbia Law School, and eventually international star of stage and screen (Showboat; the longest running Othello in Broadway history) — and we gasp at the indignities he suffered as a civil rights and labor rights activist during the McCarthy era. This remarkable play with music provided by a live combo on stage is a powerful, unflinching account of a minister’s son who became the voice of the everyman around the world, daring to speak up and sing out for what was right.
A LARGER-THAN-LIFE LIFE STORY Apr 15 – May 25, 2014 CenterTheatreGroup.org/Taper
Taper at the Ahmanson Taper Season Members Season ticket members at the Mark Taper Forum will receive top priority attention for prime seating in the Ahmanson. Section A+ members will be seated in Premium Orchestra, Sections A and B+ in Preferred Orchestra and Section B in Mid-Orchestra.
“Brilliant
tale of venom in the Vatican.” —London Telegraph
“Intelligent & provocative, satisfyingly complex.” —London Evening Standard BY
ROGER CRANE DIRECTED BY
Jonathan Church
Rome, 1978. A little-known country priest is crowned Pope John Paul I in an uneasy compromise. Thirty-three days later, “the Smiling Pope” is found dead: the very day after he has threatened changes in the Vatican and the removal of three hostile Cardinals from their posts. No investigation or autopsy is performed, and a Vatican press release about the cause of death is later proven to be, in large part, false. Inspired by these facts, Crane spins a fascinating piece of dramatic fiction, delving into the world’s most highly guarded institution. The Last Confession imagines what actually occurred in the Vatican’s inner chambers as seen through the eyes of Cardinal Benelli, the man who engineered John Paul’s ascent. Direct from London on a world tour to Canada, Australia, South Africa and Los Angeles, this provocative thriller explores the machinations of power amid crises of faith and the struggle to conceal the truth at any cost. The epic international cast of 20 is led by Emmy Award Winner David Suchet (as Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Poirot) and Tony Award winner Brian Bedford. ®
®
6 show package
Starts at
$136
this page: The
cast of the London production of The Last Confession. David Suchet and Brian Bedford. photos by john haynes
facing page:
“Bless me father for I have sinned. I have killed the Emissary of God.” —Cardinal Benelli in The Last Confession
The Chichester Festival Theatre production
A SCANDALOUS MYSTERY Jun 7 – Jul 6, 2014 CenterTheatreGroup.org/Taper At the Ahmanson Theatre
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“It’s a Funny-Girl Babs Inspired Comedy!” — NY Post
If you've ever wondered what goes on in the basement shopping mall beneath a certain prominent Malibu residence, you’re not alone. Playwright Jonathan Tolins (Twilight of the Golds) and actor Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) team up for a fabulously fictitious imagining of what might transpire when an underemployed Hollywood actor finds the ultimate retail gig: sole sales clerk (and eventual confidant) to a mega-star in her subterranean sanctum sanctorum teeming with treasured mementos, career collectibles and a frozen yogurt machine.
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Michael Urie in Buyer & Cellar. photo by sandra coudert
“I TELL YOU TO GO! The most talked about new comedy of the season!” —Ben Brantley, The New York Times
“A CROWD PLEASER!
Michael Urie is ultra-charming.” —The New Yorker
The Funny Girl meets one funny boy when Urie animates the stage with a cast of characters above and below ground: taking us on the ultimate fan fantasy in an absurdly hilarious, yet surprisingly tender and affectionate, look at celebrity and its eccentricities.
AN OUTRAGEOUS NEW COMEDY. Jul 9 – Aug 17, 2014 CenterTheatreGroup.org/Taper
Lois Smith
“I know. Let’s all pretend we live forever.” —Marjorie in Marjorie Prime What if it were possible to bring your dearly departed back in the form of a computer-generated simulation that you had to “program” by sharing your memories of the person you lost? What would you say? What would you leave out? This profound new drama moves into uncharted theatrical territory when Marjorie is visited by her daughter, son-in-law and the Prime. Tony Award winner Pam MacKinnon (Clybourne Park, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ) directs, as momentum continues to build for award-winning playwright Jordan Harrison, making his CTG debut with this exquisitely crafted and compelling story of memory, loss and love that transcends the passing of life. ®
6 show package
Starts at
$136
Jordan Harrison directed by Pam MacKinnon World Premiere with Lois Smith by
AN UNFORGETTABLE NEW DRAMA Sep 10 – Oct 19, 2014 CenterTheatreGroup.org/Taper
“A comic masterpiece!” —London Daily Telegraph
WHAT THE BUTLER SAW By
Joe Orton Directed by
John Tillinger With
Paxton Whitehead 6 show package
Starts at
$136
Don’t you love farce? It’s your typical boymeets-girl story. Only the boy is a wily psychoanalyst married to a nymphomaniac. And the girl is his secretary…or will be once she passes a not-so-routine physical. Mix in a little blackmail, a lot of sexual innuendo, a government inspector, a lusty bellboy and voilà! This classic comic masterpiece has all the ingredients of a thoroughly enjoyable romp: manic action, twisting plotlines, mistaken identities, slamming doors, disappearing clothes, and, above all, Orton’s subversive wit, breakneck dialogue and outrageous lack of appropriateness. Decried as scandalous in 1969 for its characters’ raging libidos and its rampant mockery of morality, What the Butler Saw is a timeless tale of sex and repression in a culture gone mad (it takes place in a mental hospital, after all), never slowing down long enough to let you catch your breath from laughter.
k s a r e v “ne tions. s e u q ThAT is the first lesson a secretary must learn.
y l d n i k r d u n o A y e v o ” . m s re cking o t s
—Dr. Prentice in What The Butler Saw
MADCAP BRITISH FARCE! Nov 12 – Dec 21, 2014 CenterTheatreGroup.org/Taper
A Special Event
at the Ahmanson
Written, Arranged and Performed by
Christopher Plummer Directed by Des McAnuff
Presented in association with the Stratford Festival of Canada.
“This brief interlude of mine could be described as a personal stroll through literature that has stirred my imagination since youth, and that I cannot let go. The poetry and prose I have chosen is both silly and sad, sacred and profane. They range from Winnie the Pooh to the Old Testament, from Nash and Leacock to Shaw and Wilde, from Auden and Frost to Shakespeare and Jonson. They are intended to illuminate along the way the several phases of my particular moon.” —Christopher Plummer Spend an extraordinary evening rich with wisdom, warmth and whimsy in a once-in-a-lifetime master class in living, literature and the dramatic arts. Directed by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff ( Jersey Boys). A Word Or Two premiered in 2012 at the Stratford Festival of Canada in Stratford, Ontario. ®
“✭✭✭✭ BUY TICKETS AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE.” —Toronto Star
“One of the Greatest
Living Actors.
The show is both strikingly intimate and dignified.” —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“Director Des McAnuff remains a master of this art form.” —Variety
“To hear Mr. Plummer reciting verse is to be reminded that the greatest classical actors are those most deeply attuned to the disparate rhythms and textures of language.” —Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
tony award winner ®
Academy Award Winner ®
Christopher Plummer in A Word or Two. photo by andrew eccles.
christopher plummer
A word or two A LEGenDARY PERFORMANCE. Jan 19 – Feb 9, 2014 CenterTheatreGroup.org/Taper
Bonus Option at the Ahmanson Theatre
Include at the A this show with yo hmanson Tickets ur Season to the T aper!
“Extraordinary. Fantastic. Dazzling. Masterful.”
He set the Dance world on fire and attracted new audiences to the theatre with his daring new spins on Nutcracker! and Swan Lake. Now, the two-time Tony Award and five-time Olivier Award-winning choreographer sets his sights on the third and final Tchaikovsky masterwork. ®
—Sunday Express, London
Matthew Bourne (Edward Scissorhands, The Car Man) returns to the Ahmanson, re-imagining Sleeping Beauty as a mesmerizing gothic romance complete with fairies and vampires, enchanting and arresting scenery and costumes: all in a fully immersive surround sound experience. Bourne knows how to engage and enthrall an audience, making ardent fans of his unique stories in dance. There won’t be any sleeping during this Beauty. Only rapturous applause.
November 21 – December 1, 2013
bonus option
special event
Sleeping Beauty November 21–December 1, 2013
a word or two January 19–Feb 9, 2014
Tue–Fri Eve & Fri Mats Premium Orch/Mezz $ 101.00 Preferred Orch $ 91.00 Preferred Mezz $ 76.00 Mid Orch $ 56.00 Orch X-Z/Balcony $ 28.00
All Performances Premium Orch/Mezz $ 96.00 Preferred Orch $ 86.00 Preferred Mezz $ 46.00 Mid Orch $ 61.00 Orch X-Z $ 31.00
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thurs Fri
Sat
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1pm 6:30pm 8pm 8pm
2pm 2pm 8pm 8pm
December Mon
Tue
Wed
Thurs Fri
Sat
3pm
8pm
8pm
8pm
3pm
Ahmanson Theatre
26 27 28 29 30 31 1 3pm
8pm 8pm 8pm
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1pm
8pm 8pm 8pm
Tue
Wed
Thurs Fri
1 1pm 6:30pm
Sat
Premium Orchestra/ Mezzanine Preferred Orchestra/ Mezzanine
3pm 3pm
3pm
21 22 23
2pm 8pm 8pm 8pm
Sun
Mon
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
9
november Sun
Priority seating is available now for Christopher Plummer in A Word or Two and Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty.
january Sun
FEB
Sat & Sun Mat Sat & Sun Eve Premium Orch/Mezz $ 126.00 Preferred Orch $ 105.00 Preferred Mezz $ 91.00 Mid Orch $ 64.00 Orch X-Z/Balcony $ 36.00
MORE PRIORITY TICKET OPPORTUNITIES. Season Ticket Members can also buy advance tickets for friends AND get first pick of season to added special events at the Ahmanson, Taper and Douglas BEFORE tickets go on sale to the general public.
Mid Orchestra
Orch Rows X–Z
Rear Mezzanine
Balcony
STAGE
Rear Balcony
Lock in great seats, prices and savings!
Season Tickets.
Your Way. photo by vladimir perlovich.
yone can afford.
Season ticket prices ever
Check out lower prices for our 6-show season packages in Section A and B+. Section B seating starts at just $136. Some seating sections will sell out, including Section A+. Call Audience Services for current updates. Six-Show Prices for the Mark Taper Forum include Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Tallest Tree in the Forest, The Last Confession (Ahmanson), Buyer & Cellar, Marjorie Prime and What the Butler Saw.
Save up to 41% off single ticket prices! in your seats today ck Lo 4. 44 .4 72 3.9 21 ll Ca e general public. before sales begin for th NEW LOWER Section A Section B+ Section B Season PRICES Full Your Full Your Full Your Price Price Price Price Price Price
Previews* $366 $226- $291 $226- $231 $136 $302 $262 $172 Tue-Fri Eve at 8pm
$416 $336 $316 $266
Sat at 2:30pm & 8pm, $475 $425 $400 $325 Sun Mat at 1pm, Sun Eve at 6:30pm Students (Weeknights, Sec B Only)
$281
$206
$364 $234
$118
D.A.T.E./Audio Description
$156
(Sec B, T6 Sat Mat — ONLY for patrons requiring Sign Language Interpretation or Audio Description)
* For specific Day of Week Preview pricing please call 213.972.4444
GUARANTEED LOW PRICES. When shows get hot (as they often do at the Taper) and ticket prices go up, you’ll be enjoying cool guaranteed prices locked in with your season ticket purchase. Even if you buy now and exchange for a different performance date later, you are guaranteed your original price (unless, of course, you upgrade to a higher-priced section). PRIORITY SERVICE. When you call our award-winning Audience Services, you’re speaking to a theatre lover like yourself, ready to give you exactly what you need: from info on all the shows to insider advice on the best seats. PRIORITY SEATING. Season ticket holders are assigned seats first and enjoy the same location for every performance. Donors who make a tax-deductible contribution are put on the fast track for future seating upgrades. PRIORITY UPDATES. Before each show, we’ll email you a ticket reminder along with special online links to interviews with the creative team, podcasts, behind-the-scenes videos and a copy of the program: so you learn more about the show you’re about to experience. PRIORITY PLUS FLEXIBILITY. Lost your tickets or need to change for a different date? We’ll handle it for FREE at our box office, by phone, or through our Online Ticket Exchange. Miss a performance? We’ll put you on priority standby for future performances (subject to availability and FREE, unless you choose a higher-priced ticket). Please note: Theatrical devices such as smoking (herbal non-tobacco only), stage fog, strobe lights, gun shots, rough language and nudity may occur in some productions. If you need to be warned in advance of these occurrences, please contact Audience Services. Productions, casting, performance dates and times are subject to change, due to unforeseen changes after the printing of this material. All ticket prices include applicable handling fees.
Mark Taper Forum A+ SOLD OUT SOLD OUT
A B+ B
STAGE
Season Tickets. Your Way. CenterTheatreGroup.org/Taper 213.972.4444
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Center Theatre Group needs you. Each year we rely on your passion for the arts to support our education and community outreach efforts that make an impact in the Los Angeles community. Whether providing access to those with special needs or bringing thousands of underserved students to a matinee, your support helps CTG welcome diverse audiences to the theatre. Call us today at 213.972.7327 to learn more.
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photo by © ryan miller/capture imaging
MAJOR SUPPORT FOR CENTER THEATRE GROUP IS PROVIDED BY
The Ahmanson Foundation, Center Theatre Group Affiliates, Center Theatre Group Artists & Educators Forum, Elisabeth Katte Harris Trust, The William Randolph Hearst Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Music Center Fund for the Performing Arts, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, The Shubert Foundation Inc., The Dream Fund at UCLA Donor Advised Fund and Wells Fargo Foundation. ADDITIONAL MAJOR SUPPORT ALSO COMES FROM MEMBERS OF THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE INCLUDING
Anonymous, Judith & Thomas Beckmen, Debra & Norris Bishton, Margaret M. Bloomfield, Diana Buckhantz & Vladimir & Araxia Buckhantz Foundation, Kirk & Anne Douglas, Louise & Brad Edgerton, Ruth Flinkman-Marandy & Ben Marandy, Kiki & David Gindler, Brindell Roberts Gottlieb, In Memory of Morris A. Hazan, Ann & Stephen F. Hinchliffe, Jr., June & Gareth Hughes, Eileen & Ken Kaplan, Donna McKenna, Dale S. & Shideh Miller, Nancy & Jack Mishkin, Timothy A. Regler, Lloyd E. Rigler – Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, Laura & James Rosenwald & Orinocco Foundation, Jeanette Shammas, Maggy & Jack Simon, Judie Stein and Stein Family Foundation, Eva & Marc Stern, Sue Tsao, Sheila & Wally Weisman and Misty Widelitz.
front cover: Daniel
Beaty.
original photo by nathan yungerberg.