CAP21’s Monday Night Reading Series

CAP21’s Monday Night Reading Series expands into two distinct programs: The Dorothy Strelsin New Works Series and The Barbara Wolff Classics Series. The lineup features new plays by acclaimed writers Debra Barsha and Ken Levine, a new musical by a promising writing team, and concert readings of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific.

Dorothy Strelsin New Works Series
(Click on the show title for reservations)

Upfronts and Personal (February 12)
A comedy about how studios and writer/producers get their shows on the network’s fall schedule, Upfronts and Personal introduces audiences to a world of competition, deals, deceit, allies, enemies, compromise, sex, love, death, savvy, ageism, ethics, and a fat guy in a Beefeater suit. Playwright Ken Levine is an Emmy-winning writer/director/producer/major league baseball announcer. In a career that has spanned over 30 years, Ken has worked on M*A*S*H, Cheers, Frasier, The Simpsons, Wings, Everybody Loves Raymond, Becker, Dharma & Greg, and has co-created his own series, Almost Perfect starring Nancy Travis. Upfronts is directed by Janet Brenner (CAP21’s 2005 production of The 60’s Project).

A Womb with a View (March 12)
The show explores a year in the life of a lesbian as she journeys through alternative insemination. From collecting donor samples in her living room, to having her partner (a NYC police officer) inject her with fertility drugs, to her day-to-day job as a 4th grade music teacher in a Brooklyn private school, this primal rush to beat the biological clock is not your ordinary view of conception. As one fashion conscious 5-year-old put it, “all you need to have a baby is an egg and a perm.” In an hilarious collaboration with CAP21’s Executive Artistic Director Frank Ventura, Debra Barsha’s outrageous musical personality emerges in this inventive, uproarious piece.

The Cosmopolitan (April 2)
A new musical written by the up-and-coming team of Lance Horne (CAP21 Faculty Member), Lorin Latarro and Josh Rhodes. Workers at New York City’s premier opera company, The Cosmopolitan, have gone on strike and the company is in desperate need of a theatre. Surprisingly, they find a temporary home in the cultural mecca of Newark, New Jersey. Laughs come large when blue blood meets blue collar – and love is found in unexpected places. The Cosmopolitan is a giddy musical comedy that sings with a passion for all types of music and people.

Barbara Wolff Classics Series
(Click on the show title for reservations)

South Pacific Act I – February 26; South Pacific Act II – March 26
After opening on Broadway on April 7, 1949, South Pacific received the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as nine Tony Awards (including Best Musical), the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, a Grammy Award, and a Gold Record. Inspired by James A. Michener’s novel, Tales of the South Pacific, the musical is set in an island paradise during World War II and follows two parallel love stories threatened by the dangers of prejudice and war. CAP21’s Artistic Director Eliza Ventura helms this innovative staging performed over two Monday nights in February and March. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s legendary score includes “Bali Ha’I,” “Younger Than Springtime,” and “Some Enchanted Evening”.

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The Dorothy Strelsin New Works Series focuses on workshop productions of new plays and musicals, especially large pieces that may not have a developmental home elsewhere, and is generously supported by the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation. The Barbara Wolff Classics Series is committed to the exploration of classic musicals and plays and honors the eponymous CAP21 board member.