All Over Albany

Williamstown Theatre Festival 2013

The slate is out for this summer's Williamstown Theatre Festival. And while the full (usually impressive) casts haven't been announced, a few of the stars are mentioned. The festival runs from June 26-August 18.

The announced schedule is post jump.

If you're thinking about seeing some of the shows this summer, it might not be a bad idea to think about buying tickets now. You can save about 20 percent on "bundles" of tickets (and you get the jump on buying tickets) -- the discount bundles are on sale until March 15.

All descriptions via WTF. Links added.

Main Stage

June 26 - July 14, 2013: Animal Crackers
Book by George S. Kaufman & Morrie Ryskind
Music and Lyrics by Bert Kalmar & Harry Ruby
Adapted and Directed by Henry Wishcamper

Hooray for Captain Spaulding! The intrepid African explorer, inveterate womanizer, and interminable jokester hobnobs with high society as the guest of honor at a swanky soiree. But when a priceless painting is pilfered, he and the guests are swept up in a screwball search for the thief. This new interpretation of the Marx Brothers' hit Broadway musical and classic film overflows with mirthful melodies, dynamite dancing, and seriously silly slapstick.

July 17 - 27, 2013: Pygmalion
By George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Nicholas Martin
With Robert Sean Leonard

"You have no idea how frightfully interesting it is to take a human being and change her into a quite different human being." With all the parallels of a modern reality-show makeover, an impoverished flower seller is taken in hand by a linguistics professor who attempts to change her accent and pass her off as the epitome of English society. For a wager. A sharp satire on class and women's independence, Shaw's century-old masterpiece features Robert Sean Leonard as Henry Higgins in an uproarious, poignant, and unforgettable battle of wits between two of theatre's most iconic characters.

August 1 - 18, 2013: The Bridges of Madison County
Book by Marsha Norman
Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Bartlett Sher
WORLD PREMIERE

In 1992, a rural American romance by an unknown author became a literary phenomenon. Millions of readers have been captivated by the simple story of Francesca, a beautiful Italian woman who marries an American soldier to flee war-ravaged Italy. Her new life in Iowa is common until she encounters Robert, a loner and artist, whose photography at National Geographic shields him from commitment and connection. Their three days of flirtation, memories of Naples, food, and laughter inspire a timeless love, and an impossible choice. Lushly transforming the best-selling novel into an intimate musical work for the stage, Marsha Norman and Jason Robert Brown have added new resonance to a lyrical portrait of true love, loss, sacrifice, and devotion.

Nikos Stage

June 26 - July 7, 2013: American Hero
By Bess Wohl
Directed by Leigh Silverman
WORLD PREMIERE

Three ounces of meat. Two ounces of cheese. Four ounces of lettuce. Seventeen-year-old Sheri and her co-workers at a new submarine sandwich franchise have honed their skills making everything from the Turkey Torpedo to the Big Kahuna Tuna exactly as specified in the corporate manual. But when the franchise owner mysteriously disappears, they are forced to improvise, and Sheri takes charge of the ragtag band of "sandwich artists." See just how far they'll go to keep their shop afloat in Bess Wohl's hilarious, surreal tale of the struggle for optimism in tough times, the power of sandwiches, and the glorious, messy American Dream.

July 10 - 21, 2013: Hapgood
HAPGOOD
By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Evan Yionoulis
With Kate Burton

Treacherous twins and double (or triple?) agents abound in a twisty-turny look at the unlikely interrelation of quantum physics and international espionage. Simultaneously channeling John le Carré, Albert Einstein, and Mel Brooks, Tom Stoppard's Cold-War thriller boasts equal shares of brains, guts, and sly humor. WTF mainstay Kate Burton takes on the tour-de-force title role, the brilliant but eccentric British intelligence chief working to expose a Soviet double agent while attempting to keep her personal life under wraps.

July 24 - August 4, 2013: Johnny Baseball
Book by Richard Dresser
Music by Robert Reale
Lyrics by Willie Reale
Directed by Marc Bruni

The infamous Curse of the Boston Red Sox is brought to life through the changing fortunes of three orphaned souls: Johnny O'Brien, a hard-luck right-hander on the 1919 Sox; his idol, Babe Ruth; and Daisy Wyatt, a dazzling African-American blues singer and the love of Johnny's life. The mystical intertwining of their fates reveals both the source of the Curse and the secret to its triumphant end off Big Papi's bat in 2004. Packing a resonant commentary on social history into a quintessentially American musical, Johnny Baseball will bring cheers and tears to baseball fans and theatre lovers alike.

August 7 - 18, 2013: TBA
The fourth Nikos Stage show, a revival, will be announced soon.

Free Theater

July 10 - 19, 2013: Dracula
By Bram Stoker
adapted by Steve Lawson

Bram Stoker's 1897 novel comes alive under the stars in a new adaptation by WTF veteran and Free Theatre co-founder Steve Lawson. One of the most haunting figures of our common imagination, "the Count" has stalked his nightmarish way through literature, art, theatre, and film, never failing to leave an impression, as well as the marks of his fangs. This dynamic new stage version of Stoker's iconic tale is sure to hold audiences rapt. Leave your nerves at home...but bring the whole family and a picnic. (Garlic provided.)