All Over Albany

Williamstown Theatre Festival 2014 lineup

The Williamstown Theatre Festival opens next week, which means casts and what not have been settled.

WTF usually brings in a bunch of notable and/or recognizable actors, along with a bunch of rising talent, and this year is no exception. Among them: Sam Rockwell will be stepping in for Chris Pine as the lead in Fool for Love. Other names from the lineup of performances that you might recognize: Renée Fleming, Anna Chlumsky, Nina Arianda, Nate Corddry, Chita Rivera, and Lewis Black.

The lineup is after the jump.

Many of the WTF performance sell out -- in fact, a few already have -- so if you're interested in heading for a show, it's better to get tickets sooner rather than later.

Blurbage via WTF.

Main Stage

June Moon
July 2-July 13, 2014
By Ring Lardner and George S. Kaufman
Directed by Jessica Stone

With Jason Bowen, Nate Corddry, Diana DiMarzio, Holley Fain, Christopher Fitzgerald, Rick Holmes, Kate MacCluggage, Rachel Napoleon, Timothy Shew, David Turner

Earnest and gullible young lyricist Fred Stevens boards a train in Schenectady bound for the Big Apple, determined to make a name for himself in the thriving Tin Pan Alley scene. However, the life he's imagined is rife with seductive distractions--namely dames--that threaten to derail his dream of penning the next big ditty. Both bitterly funny and deliciously literate, legendary humorists Ring Lardner and George S. Kaufman celebrate and skewer the perishable pop of yesteryear. Director Jessica Stone, whose WTF productions of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Last of the Red Hot Lovers left audiences convulsed with laughter, brings her special brand of glee back to the Festival stage.

Living on Love
July 16-July 26, 2014
By Joe DiPietro and Garson Kanin
Based on the play Peccadillo by Garson Kanin
Directed by Kathleen Marshall

With Anna Chlumsky, Renée Fleming, Blake Hammond, Justin Long, Scott Robertson, Douglas Sills

World-renowned soprano Renée Fleming takes the Festival stage as celebrated diva Rachel De Angelis. When her husband, the fiery and egomaniacal Maestro Vito De Angelis, becomes enamored with the lovely young lady hired to ghostwrite his long-delayed autobiography, Rachel retaliates by hiring her very own--and very handsome--ghostwriter to chronicle her life as an opera star. As the young writers try to keep themselves out of the story while churning out chapters, the high-energy--and high-maintenance--power duet threatens to fall out of tune for good. A sparkling new comedy from two-time Tony Award winner Joe DiPietro, adapted from a work by the revered Garson Kanin and directed by three-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall.

The Visit
July 31-August 17, 2014
Book by Terrence McNally
Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Choreographed by Graciela Daniele
Directed by John Doyle

With Jason Danieley, Matthew Deming, Diana DiMarzio, David Garrison, Rick Holmes, Judy Kuhn, Christopher Newcomer, Tom Nelis, Aaron Ramey, Roger Rees, Chita Rivera, Timothy Shew

In her Festival debut, Broadway legend Chita Rivera embodies Claire Zachanassian, the oft-widowed richest woman in the world, who returns to the hardship-stricken town of her birth. The locals pray that her wealth will bring them a new lease on life, but the carefully plotted renewal she offers carries a dreadful price. Sardonic and morally complex, The Visit asks: What can your heart afford? Featuring Festival favorite Roger Rees and helmed by Tony Award-winning director John Doyle, this incendiary musical is one of the last collaborations between the incomparable John Kander and Fred Ebb, with a book by Tony Award winner Terrence McNally and choreography by the legendary Graciela Daniele.

Nikos Stage

A Great Wilderness
July 9-July 20, 2014
By Samuel D. Hunter
Directed by Eric Ting

With Mia Barron, Jeffrey DeMunn, Mia Dillon, Kevin Geer, Tasha Lawrence

After decades as the gentle-natured leader of a Christian retreat that endeavors to "cure" gay teens, Walt is packing up his life and preparing for a reluctant retirement. But when his final client quietly disappears into the remote Idaho wilderness, Walt discovers that his previously unwavering moral compass no longer points the way. With profound humanity and subtlety, Obie Award-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter navigates complex moral terrain, exploring the shifting motives and inconstant strength of our personal convictions.

Fool For Love
July 24-August 2, 2014
By Sam Shepard
Directed by Daniel Aukin

With Christopher Abbott, Nina Arianda, Sam Rockwell and Gordon Joseph Weiss.

Holed up in a seedy motel on the edge of the Mojave Desert, two former lovers unpack the deep secrets and dark desires of their tangled relationship, passionately tearing each other apart. Beaten down by ill-fated love and a ruthless struggle for identity, can they ultimately live with, or without, each other? Led by director Daniel Aukin, the riveting cast of Fool for Love brings a raw sexy energy to Sam Shepard's landmark myth of the new Wild West.

The Old Man and The Old Moon
August 6-17, 2014
By PigPen Theatre Co.
Directed by Stuart Carden and PigPen Theatre Co.

With Alex Falberg, Ben Ferguson, Curtis Gillen, Ryan Melia, Matt Nuernberger, Arya Shahi, Dan Weschler

The endlessly imaginative PigPen Theatre Co. comes to Williamstown with a luminously lo-fi spectacle that elevates traditional storytelling to high art. Their fantastical, song-filled tale takes us to the end of the world when an old man abandons his duty of filling the moon with liquid light to search for his missing wife. With a rollicking array of ever-changing characters, inventive theatrical effects, and an infectious contemporary folk sound, these seven young actor musicians transform the seemingly ordinary into sheer wonder.

Free theater

Robin Hood
July 16-19; July 22-25, 2014
FREE at Poker Flats Field at 7:30 PM
By Larry Blamire
Directed by Stella Powell-Jones

Dashing outlaw. Expert archer. Cunning wealth redistributor. Merry Man. The daring deeds of Robin Hood come alive in this fresh and funny adaptation of the traditional ballads and folklore. Brimming with spirited swordplay and tongue-in-cheek humor, it celebrates the well-known tale of Robin, Maid Marian, Little John, Friar Tuck, and the rest, while cleverly reinventing the myth. The Williamstown woods are magically transformed into Sherwood Forest as sought-after director Stella Powell-Jones enlivens this legendary swashbuckling adventure on the outdoor Free Theatre stage. Bring the whole family and a picnic for a merry evening under the stars!

Special events

Just Call Me Nikos
July 7, 2014 at 7:30 PM
A Benefit Celebrating former Artistic Director Nikos Psacharopoulos
Main Stage

Late Night Cabaret Series
July 10-12; July 24-26; August 7-9, 2014 at 10:30 PM
Goodrich Hall

Living with Lewis
July 21, 2014 at 7:30 PM
An Evening of Stand-Up with Lewis Black
Main Stage

The Skivvies
July 27 & July 28, 2014 at 7:30 PM
Center Stage
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photo via WTF FB