Meet the Cast of Dead Man’s Cell Phone

April 24th, 2013

Dead Man’s Cell Phone

Premise: A lonely woman is forced to confront her assumptions about morality, redemption and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world as she steps into the life of a dead man by taking his cell phone calls. What starts as a moment of frustration quickly turns into a bond of curious loyalty when Jean finds herself caught in the middle of another’s man tangled web of relationships and family. Acting as his mouthpiece, Jean soon discovers different types of connections that go beyond the physical, tapping into the psychological, the emotional and even…the afterlife.

Cast: A talented collection of individuals that can be both humorous yet genuine, quirky but believable.

Under the steady direction of award-winning director Richard Israel, ICT is happy to announce the cast of Dead Man’s Cell Phone, the Helen Hayes winner for Best New Play by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient Sarah Ruhl.

The ICT production stars Alina Phelan as Jean. She previously appeared here in All in the Timing.  She has also won a Garland Award winner for her portrayal of Hamlet in Hamlet: The First Quarto at Theatre of Note. Joining her will be Trent Dawson, who will play both Gordon and Dwight. His resume included appearing on Broadway in The Herbal Bed,  and Off Broadway in Macbeth and Brothers in Crime. He also earned three Emmy Nominations for his role as Henry Coleman on As the World Turns.

Susan Diol, who will play the role of Hermia, has been seen in You Never Can Tell at Circle in the Square with Uta Hagan and Victor Garber and Opera Comique at the Kennedy Center with Eli Wallach.  Heather Roberts will play The Other Woman. Her past credits include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the Ark Theatre and Twelfth Night at A Noise Within. Rounding out this fine cast is  Eileen T-Kaye. She has previously been seen at ICT in Death Defying Acts, Black Comedy, On the Twentieth Century, Cabaret and The Threepenny Opera; and was acted at the Geffen in Coney Island Christmas.

The title alone is reason enough to come see this play. If you need other reasons, simply scroll up to see the talent that is about to bring to life this incredible story. That should do it for you!

For tickets to see Dead Man’s Cell Phone at International City Theatre, please call 562-436-4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.

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Maria Callas – the Original Diva!

April 10th, 2013

We have been presenting one of the most acclaimed plays of the last 20 years, the Tony winner for Best Play Master Class. This breathtaking production focuses around opera superstar Maria Callas. Some are familiar with this prodigious talent and for those that aren’t, well you’re about to be introduced.

Born in New York in 1923 to Greek immigrants, Callas was raised in Greece, receiving her vocal training there. Then she began a whirlwind career that included performances at every major opera house in Italy, including the famous Teattro alla Scala. Referred by Leonard Bernstein as “The Bible of Opera,” her acclaimed career was marred by gossip, rumors and scandal.

Her strenuous relationship with her mother was exposed in a story in Time magazine. Media outlets exaggerated a supposed rivalry with fellow opera singer Renata Tebaldi. Her life and name are sadly connected to her affair with Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis, who then left her to marry Jacqueline Kennedy. Are you beginning to see why award-winning playwright Terrence McNally decided she would be a thrilling topic for the stage?

Master Class follows Maria Callas in a series of master classes she taught at Juilliard in 1971. The play finds Callas near her career’s end, instructing a group of singers aspiring to the heights of fame with wicked humor, unrelenting criticism and deeply personal stories – stories that include her life with Aristotle Onassis.

This contemporary masterpiece closes this Sunday and you don’t want to miss this fascinating story about this extraordinary talent.  Being named the Best Play by the Tony and Drama Desk Awards  Committees are just icing on the cake.

Master Class runs through April 14. To purchase tickets, call 562-436-4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.

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ICT’s Next Play Has Been Traveling the World a Long Time

December 14th, 2012

Poster for Oscar-winning film adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days

It’s rare when something stands the test of time. Music, fashion, corporations – they all are subject to changing tastes and technology. Jules Verne’s classic novel – “Around the World in 80 Days” – is a wonderful example of a piece of literature which has withstood that test of time. The stage version of this story kicks off International City Theatre’s 2013 season on January 23.

It’s 1872 and Phileas Fogg has agreed to an outrageous wager that puts his fortune and life at risk. With his servant Passepartout, Fogg sets out to circle the globe in an unheard-of 80 days. Danger, romance and comic surprises abound as five actors portraying 39 characters traverse seven continents.

Verne’s novel was originally published in France in 1873. Its most famous reincarnations have been in film and television. A film adaptation in 1956 starring Cantinflas and David Niven won five Oscars including Best Picture. There was an animated cartoon that ran in 1972 and a mini-series starring Pierce Brosnan and Eric Idle in 1989. The most recent film version came in 2004 starring Jackie Chan and Steve Coogan.

There have been numerous other variations of this beloved story. There’s a novel by Philip Jose Farmer called “The Other Log of Phileas Fogg.” There also is a stage musical entitled “Around the World” which starred Orson Welles, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter.

See for yourself why this classic story has flourished for almost 150 years, and witness one of the greatest adventure stories of all time, live and onstage at ICT.

“Around the World in 80 Days” runs January 23 – February 17 at International City Theatre, with performances at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. For tickets, call 562-436-4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.

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