MADISON, NJ — Private Lives , one of Noël Coward's most famous and successful comedies, takes the stage at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey beginning August 6 and continuing through August 31. Performances are Tuesdays through Sundays at The Shakespeare Theatre's Main Stage, the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Avenue in Madison. Tickets range from $29 to $33 for Previews and $38 to $53 for regular performances, depending on performance day and time and seat location. For tickets or more information, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org. Patrons may also purchase Ticket Packages for additional discounts. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for group discounts.

Written and first produced in 1930, Private Lives is a fast-paced, sophisticated comedy from one of the most famous playwrights of the era and the author of more than 50 plays, musicals operettas and films. Private Lives premiered on Broadway in 1931 and starred Gertrude Lawrence, Laurence Olivier and Noël Coward himself.

Elyot Chase is happily enjoying his honeymoon on the French Riviera when he discovers his ex-wife settling into her honeymoon suite right next door! This deliciously witty expose of “private lives” follows these two couples from the shores of the Riviera to a chic Parisian pied-à-terre where the marital fireworks explode in a riotous display of verbal and physical comedy.

Playing the formerly married couple who realize they might still have feelings for each other are Scott Barrow as Elyot and Caralyn Kozlowski as Amanda. Barrow, making his Shakespeare Theatre debut, has been seen at Arkansas Repertory, the Wilma Theatre and off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop. His television credits include All My Children .

Kozlowski was most recently seen at The Shakespeare Theatre in The Play's The Thing and also appeared in The Importance of Being Earnest , Macbeth and Othello among others. Other recent theatre credits include Restoration Comedy at The Old Globe, Seattle Repertory, and Cal-Shakes. Television viewers will recognize her from roles on Numbers , Law & Order: SVU , Guiding Light and All My Children .

  

Robert Gomes and Charlotte Parry play the unsuspecting newly married spouses. Gomes has been seen at The Shakespeare Theatre in The Play's the Thing and Cymbeline. His Broadway credits include The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Racing Demon . He has also appeared at theatres across the nation including Florida Studio Theater, Dallas Theater Center and Long Wharf Theatre. On television, Gomes played Richard's personal shopper on Sex and the City . He is a member of Bruised Fruits, a comedy improvisation group.

Parry returns to The Shakespeare Theatre where she played Imogen in Cymbeline . On Broadway, Parry has been seen in Coram Boy and The Real Thing . She will soon appear on Broadway in Edward Albee's Me, Myself and I with Kathleen Turner. She has also appeared with the Peter Hall Company in The Importance of Being Earnest and As You Like It.

Mary Dierson completes the cast as Louise, the maid. Mary Dierson returns for her fourth season to The Shakespeare Theatre where she appeared in The Comedy of Errors , Pygmalion and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead , among others. On Broadway, she appeared in Amadeus , The Elephant Man and Dracula . Dierson also studied with the artist Salvador Dalí while living in Spain.

Performances of Private Lives begin August 6 and continue through August 31. Performances are Tuesdays through Sundays at The Shakespeare Theatre's Main Stage, the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Avenue in Madison. Tickets range from $29 to $53 depending on performance day and time and seat location. Single ticket prices include a $1 facility fee, not subject to discount. For tickets or more information, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

 

 

About the Director

Paul Mullins returns to The Shakespeare Theatre for his 17 th season to direct Private Lives . Previously, Mullins directed the Shakespeare Theatre productions of The Time of Your Life, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Richard II, Illyria, King John, The Illusion, Tartuffe, Rhinoceros, Measure for Measure, All's Well That Ends Well and The Threepenny Opera.. As an actor at The Shakespeare Theatre he appeared in Richard III, Othello, Carnival!, Three Sisters, The Forest, Blithe Spirit, The Winter's Tale, The Homecoming and Diary of a Scoundrel, among others. Other directing credits include Measure for Measure and Macbeth at The Old Globe; Fat Pig , This Is How It Goes and The Russian National Postal Service at The Studio Theatre DC; Lettice and Lovage and True West at Portland Stage; Twelfth Night at The State Theatre, Austin; Summerfolk at Yale School of Drama; As You Like It at The Juilliard School; and The Swan, Much Ado About Nothing, Reckless , Two Gents and The Merry Wives of Windsor at American Stage.

Special Performances

The first preview performance of Private Lives , on Wednesday, August 6 at 7:30 p.m ., offers opportunities for reduced-price tickets as an incentive to first-time theatergoers as well as those who would otherwise not be able to afford a night at the theatre. As always, the first preview performance is Pay What You Wish night -- name your own admission price for that evening's 7:30 p.m. preview performance. Offer is subject to availability. Call the box office at 973-408-5600 for details.

For no more than the cost of a regular ticket, Symposium Series performances include the additional treat of a post-play discussion with the cast and artistic staff, on Tuesday, August 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, August 16 at 2 p.m.

On Thursday, August 14, The Shakespeare Theatre presents the popular education program Know the Show . From 7:00 to 7:30 p.m., a member of the Theatre's artistic staff will present a pre-performance talk that provides background information and an insider's perspective on Noël Coward's Private Lives .

General admission to Know the Show is $5 for the general public, $4 for subscribers and ticket package holders. Tickets to that evening's 8 p.m. performance may be purchased separately for $42-$46. Single ticket prices include a $1.00 Facility fee not subject to discount.

 

The Artistic Staff

Creating the world of Private Lives are set designer James Wolk , costume designer Jacqueline Firkins , lighting designer Michael Giannitti and sound designer Steven Beckel . Broadway veteran Rick Sordelet will serve as fight director. Amanda Michaels is the production stage manager.

 

Tickets & General Information

Preview performances of Private Lives are Wednesday August 2 at 7:30 pm and Thursday and Friday, August 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. Previews offer the thrill of seeing a work-in-progress before the show officially opens. Preview tickets are $29 to $33.

Additional performances are Tuesdays and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. (excluding Opening Night at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 9); Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.; and Sundays, at 7:00 p.m.

Regular ticket prices range from $38 to $53 depending upon seating location and performance day and time. Single tickets prices include a $1 facility fee, not subject to discount. Groups of 10 or more save up to 25% off the regular ticket price.

Patrons can save up to 45% off regular ticket prices by purchasing discount Ticket Packages that allow ticket buyers to select three or four plays of their choice at discount prices. Ticket Packages also offer additional benefits such as discounts on additional

tickets and free and flexible ticket exchange privileges. Patrons may also select FlexPasses -- discounted vouchers that are redeemed for tickets during the season.

The 2008 season also includes Tennessee William's tour de force A Streetcar Named Desire running September 10 through October 5. Williams' magnificent play of sensuality and fragility, cruelty and broken souls, has given the world the immortal Blanche du Bois, played in

this production by the dazzling star of Broadway and film, Laila Robins. This event was selected by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts as part of the American Masterpieces Series in New Jersey. American Masterpieces is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet begins performances on October 15 and continues to November 16. One of the most tragic and beautiful love stories ever penned – as wrenching a tale for old

as it is for young – it has been nearly a decade since its brilliant characters and poetry illuminated The Shakespeare Theatre stage.

The season concludes with Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale running December 3 through December 28 . The first of Shakespeare's great romances, The Winter's Tale provides a perfect holiday finale, for it is a play that celebrates the triumph of love, nobility and all things good, and

ends with the promise of rejuvenation, redemption, and hope.

 

For more information about the season, to receive a free brochure, or to purchase tickets and ticket packages, call the box office at 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Main Stage , the 308-seat F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, is conveniently located in Madison at 36 Madison Avenue (Route 124) at Lancaster Road (on the Drew University campus), just minutes from routes 287, 78 and 10. Parking is free. The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre is barrier free with access into the theatre via a ramp and elevator access to all floors. Wheelchair seating and transfer seating is available. Braille and large print programs are available. Infrared listening devices are available free of charge. Some performances are audio described, captioned and sign-language interpreted. Contact the theatre for more information. For more information , or to purchase tickets, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org

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The acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is an independent, professional theatre company located on the Drew University campus. One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation, serving 100,000 adults and children annually, it is New Jersey 's only professional theatre company dedicated solely to Shakespeare's canon and other world classics. Through its distinguished productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.  Additional major support is received from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F. M. Kirby Foundation, The Edward T. Cone Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and Drew University , as well as contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals.  American Airlines is the official airline of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Crystal Rock Water is the company's official water provider. Barefoot Wine is the official wine provider. Rogue Ales and Spirits is the official beer and spirits provider for The Shakespeare Theatre. The 2008 Outdoor Stage production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) is sponsored by Bank of America.

 

General Information

  

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Bonnie J. Monte

 

MAIN STAGE:   OUTDOOR STAGE:

F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre   The Greek Theatre

36 Madison Ave. (at Lancaster Rd. )   2 Convent Road (at Convent Station)

Madison , NJ   Morris Township , NJ

(on the campus of Drew University )   (on the campus of the College of Saint Elizabeth )

 

TICKETS & INFO: Call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org

 

 

Private Lives – Snapshot

Venue: F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Avenue at Lancaster Rd. in Madison
(on the campus of Drew University )

Performances: Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 pm; Thursday – Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 7 pm; Saturday and Sundays at 2 pm. Call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org

Tickets : $29/$33 for Previews. Additional performances: $38 - $53. Call the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org . Single ticket prices include a $1 facility fee, not subject to discount.

 

Previews: Wednesday August 6 (7:30 p.m.); Thursday and Friday, August 7 and 8 (8 p.m.)

Opening Night: Saturday, August 9 (7p.m.)

Symposium Performances: Tuesday, August 12 (7:30 p.m.); Saturday, August 16 (2 p.m.)

Know the Show: Thursday, August 14 (7 p.m.)

Closing performance: Sunday, August 31 (2 p.m.)

 

Performances:

 

Tuesdays: August 12, 19, 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays: August 6, 13, 20, 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Thursdays: August 7, 14, 21, 28 at 8 p.m.

Fridays: August 8, 15, 22, 29 at 8 p.m.

Saturdays: August 9 at 7 p.m.; August 16, 23, 30 at 8 p.m.

Sundays: August 10, 17, 24 at 7 p.m.

Saturdays: August 9, 16, 23, 30 at 2 p.m.

Sundays: August 10, 17, 24, 31 at 2 p.m.