from the Footlights
March - April 2005 “Life shouldn’t be all work and no plays.”
Edward Albee’s The Goat on March 30
Three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Albee’s most provocative, daring, and controversial play since Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Goat or Who is Sylvia? won four major awards (Tony, New York Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle). In the play, Martin, a successful architect who has just turned fifty, leads an ostensibly ideal life with his loving wife and gay teenage son. But when he confides to his best friend that he is also in love with a goat (named Sylvia), he sets in motion events that will destroy his family and leave his life in tatters. Albee describes it this way: “Every civilization sets quite arbitrary limits to its tolerances. The play is about a family that is deeply rocked by an unimaginable event and they solve that problem. It is my hope that people will think afresh about whether or not all the values they hold are valid.”
Footlights is pleased to welcome back Arena Stage Artistic Associate Wendy C. Goldberg to our next dinner-discussion on Wednesday, March 30 at Alfio’s. Wendy is directing Arena’s production of The Goat. She last visited Footlights for our discussion of Proof. Frank and Ruth Pierce will moderate our discussion.
Footlights will meet on Wednesday, March 30, 6:30 p.m. at Alfio’s in the Willoughby Apartments, 4515 Willard Ave, Chevy Chase, MD (301-657-9133), two blocks from the Friendship Heights Metro. Street parking is limited; Alfio’s offers complimentary valet parking. Arrive at 6:30 for dinner; our meeting begins at 7:30 and goes no later than 9:30. You may arrive at 7:30 for the meeting only; extra chairs will be available.
We have arranged a fixed price meal at Alfio’s. For only $12 (tax and service charge included) you will have salad, entree, ice cream and coffee or tea. Cash is preferred, but you may use checks or credit cards to pay for your dinner. A minimum additional $5 donation (tax deductible) is encouraged.
Reservations are required. Call or e-mail Mark Gruenberg anytime for reservations, 202-898-4825 or [email protected]. If you must cancel be sure to notify Mark so that someone else can attend.
Be sure to read The Goat before our discussion. Copies are available at Backstage Books (202-544-5744), 545 8th St. SE, Washington, DC (Eastern Market metro stop).
We will see The Goat on Tuesday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Arena Stage. Tickets are $36 and include a post-show discussion. Send your check to Footlights, c/o Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Ct, Rockville, MD 20852. Payment must be received by March 30; no refunds after this date. Call or e-mail Robin to let her know your check is on the way, 240-669-6300 or [email protected].
Next Up: Lend Me a Tenor on April 20
On Wednesday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m., Footlights will discuss Lend Me a Tenor, the prize-winning play by Ken Ludwig. The play has proved to be one of the most popular comedies of the past decade and has received more than 200 productions worldwide. It ran for more than a year each on Broadway and in London and Paris. On Broadway, it was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including best play and won two Tonys, four Drama Desk Awards and three Outer Critics Circle Awards. It has been translated into 16 languages and produced in more than 25 countries around the world.
Our speaker will be John Going, director of Olney’s upcoming production. Mr. Going has staged plays on Broadway, Off-Broadway, internationally and in regional theaters across the country. He won the Outstanding Director award for The Miser at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. He is an Associate Director of Olney Theatre.
Find your copy of Lend Me a Tenor at our usual bookstores: Olsson’s Dupont Circle, 1307 19th St., NW (202-785-1133); Olsson’s Bethesda, 7647 Old Georgetown Rd. (301-652-3336); and Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave., NW (202-364-1919).
Our meeting on Wednesday, April 20 will take place at Casa Fiesta, 4910 Wisconsin Ave, NW (202-244-8888). They are offering a fixed price buffet for $11 including tax and tip. Drinks and desserts are extra. Cash payment is preferred. A minimum additional $5 donation (tax deductible) is encouraged. Make reservations with Mark, 202-898-4825 or [email protected] after March 30.
Footlights will see Lend Me a Tenor at Olney Theatre Friday, May 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $27. Ken Ludwig will attend the talkback! Pay by April 28; no refunds after then. Let Robin know your check is on the way, 240-669-6300 or [email protected].
About Footlights
To get Footlights updates on-line, send any message — even blank—to [email protected]. Subscribers can post to our on-line list by sending brief messages to [email protected]. Visit our website at www.footlightsdc.org for updates. Address inquiries to Mark Gruenberg at 202-898-4825 or [email protected].
Please support Footlights, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Send your tax-deductible contributions to Footlights, c/o Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Ct., Rockville, MD 20852.
Footlights Newsletters
Our postal newsletter is available at no charge to those who attend Footlights discussions or go on theater trips with us, or to those who make an annual contribution to Footlights to cover the cost of mailing. Our e-mail letter is available to all subscribers at no charge. If you are content to receive e-mail news only, and thus save our cost of sending a postal copy to you, please notify Robin at [email protected].
We often get requests to add potential members to our postal mailing list. To introduce friends to Footlights, we will add them to our list for at least two mailings.
Calendar
Wednesday, March 30, 6:30 p.m., dinner-discussion at Alfio’s: The Goat or Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee
Monday, April 11, 7 p.m., see Maid of Orleans at Washington National Opera
*Tuesday, April 12, 7:30 p.m., see The Goat or Who is Sylvia? at Arena Stage ($36)
Wednesday, April 20, 6:30 p.m., dinner-discussion at Casa Fiesta: Lend Me a Tenor by Ken Ludwig
*Friday, May 20, 8 p.m., see Lend Me a Tenor at Olney Theatre ($27)
*Note special offer: Footlights offers persons 30 or under half-price tickets to our plays if you attend the prior dinner-discussion meeting.