Live Theater
September 20, 2012
Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Castle Rock Entertainment & Playhouse Productions to Present World Premiere of “Misery” this Holiday Season
(September 20, 2012 – Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Castle Rock Entertainment and Playhouse Productions announced today that they will present the world premiere of “Misery” at Bucks County Playhouse (70 South Main Street, New Hope PA) this fall. Written by two-time Academy Award-winner William Goldman (who wrote the screenplay for “Misery” as well as “The Princess Bride,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”), based on the acclaimed novel by Stephen King and directed by Will Frears (“Coach,” “Year Zero”), “Misery” will play a limited developmental engagement of 11 performances only, November 24th through December 8th.
Goldman’s adaptation of “Misery” was released in 1990 and starred James Caan and Kathy Bates, who won an Academy Award for her performance as Annie Wilkes. The play is a fresh adaptation of King’s celebrated novel.
“It’s a thrill to be working on this world premiere with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Castle Rock Entertainment, said Jed Bernstein, Producing Director of Bucks County Playhouse. “’Misery’ will be yet another significant milestone in our efforts to re-establish the Playhouse as an integral and vital player in Broadway creative development.”
“It’s so important to have a venue like Bucks County Playhouse to develop new works,” Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures Executive Vice President Mark Kaufman said. “As a company with many projects in the pipeline, we’re very grateful to have the Playhouse as an ideal partner for the development of this unique piece of theatre.”
“Working with Castle Rock Entertainment, Bill Goldman and Will Frears to bring “Misery” to the stage has been an incredible experience,” Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures Executive Vice President Raymond Wu said. “Having the opportunity to reinvigorate and re-imagine such an iconic title from the Warner Bros. catalog is really a gift.”
“Misery” tells the story of novelist Paul Sheldon, as he has plans to make the difficult transition from writing historical romances featuring heroine Misery Chastain to publishing literary fiction. Annie Wilkes, Sheldon's number one fan, rescues the author from the scene of a car accident. The former nurse takes care of him in her remote house, but becomes irate when she discovers that the author has killed Misery off in his latest book. Annie keeps Sheldon prisoner while forcing him to write a book that brings Misery back to life.
Set design for “Misery” is by David Korins (“Motown,” “Annie”), costume design is by Academy Award-winner Ann Roth (“The English Patient,” “The Book of Mormon”) lighting design is by David Weiner (“Godspell,” “The Normal Heart”) and sound design is by Tony Award-winner Darron West “(Peter and the Starcatcher,” “Chinglish”). “Misery” will feature original music by Michael Freidman (“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” “Saved”), special effects by Gregory Meeh (“Spamalot,” “Into the Woods”) and fight direction by Rick Sordelet (“A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Fences”).
Tickets to “Misery” are currently on sale to the general public. Ticket prices range from $39 – 54 and can be purchased by visiting www.BCPTheater.org or calling 212-862-2121. The performance schedule will be as follows: Saturday November 24th at 8pm, Sunday, November 25th at 3pm; Thursday, November 29th at 8pm; Friday, November 30th at 8pm; Saturday, December 1st at 2pm and 8pm; Sunday, December 2nd at 3pm; Thursday, December 6th at 8pm; Friday, December 7th at 8pm and Saturday, December 8th at 2pm and 8pm.
Complete casting for “Misery” will be announced soon.
http://www.BCPTheater.org/
BIOS:
WARNER BROS. THEATRE VENTURES (Producer) is the live stage play division of Warner Bros. Entertainment responsible for developing and producing world-class musicals and other stage productions for the Studio. WBTV has numerous productions in various stages of development, including co-productions with award-winning Broadway and film producers. The division is currently producing a limited holiday engagement of “Elf” on Broadway and, in June 2013, will premiere the highly anticipated musical adaptation of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” with Sam Mendes directing, in London. WBTV also licenses third-party stage rights to the various properties held within the Studio’s vast media library, including such recent stage productions as “Light in the Piazza,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Color Purple” and “42nd Street” as well as the upcoming “Diner” and “Bridges of Madison County.” WBTV’s parent company, Warner Bros. Entertainment, a Time Warner Company, is a fully integrated, broad-based entertainment company and a global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of creative content and their related businesses, across all current and emerging media and platforms. The company stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry from feature film, TV and home entertainment production and worldwide distribution to DVD and Blu-ray, digital distribution, animation, comic books, licensing and broadcasting.
CASTLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT (Producer) Castle Rock Entertainment has produced over 100 films, including acclaimed films such as “When Harry Met Sally,” “A Few Good Men,” “In the Line of Fire” and “Michael Clayton,” as well as the hit television show “Seinfeld.” Castle Rock has had a long association with Stephen King and in fact, takes its name from the fictional Maine town that serves as the setting for many King stories. The company has produced seven movies based on King material. Among them are, “The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Green Mile,” “Dolores Claiborne” and “Misery.”
BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE (Producer) Located 90 minutes from New York City, the Bucks County Playhouse opened in 1939 on the site of a grist mill dating from the late eighteenth century. Ironically, the structure was at that time in danger of demolition; however playwright Moss Hart and the local community rallied to save the building and re-opened it as a theatrical venue, which quickly became one of the country’s most famous regional theaters, with a veritable who’s who of American theatrical royalty including Kim Hunter, Helen Hayes, Kitty Carlisle, Colleen Dewhurst, Shirley Booth, Lillian Gish, June Lockhart, Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, Bert Lahr, Leslie Nielsen and Walter Matthau and remained in continuous operation until December 2010. Thanks to the Bridge Street Foundation, the non-profit family foundation of Kevin and Sherri Daugherty with Tanya Cooper as President, this beloved theatrical landmark was re-opened and celebrated on July 2, 2012, exactly 73 years and day from when it originally opened in 1939.
WILLIAM GOLDMAN (Playwright) is a two-time Academy Award winner for his screenplays of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men.” Other notable film credits include “The Princess Bride,” “Misery,” “A Few Good Men,” “The Stepford Wives,” “Chaplin,” “Indecent Proposal,” “The General’s Daughter,” “Twins,” “Year of the Comet,” “Memoirs of an Invisible Man,” “The Hot Rock,” “The Great Waldo Pepper,” “Hearts in Atlantis” and “Dreamcatcher.” His novels “The Princess Bride,” “Marathon Man,” “Magic,” “Heat” were all turned into films. Other novels include “The Temple of Gold,” “Soldier in the Rain,” “Boys and Girls Together,” “No Way to Treat a Lady,” “The Thing of It Is…,” “Father’s Day,” “Tinsel,” “Control,” “The Silent Gondoliers,” “The Color of Light,” “Brothers” and “Your Turn to Curtsy,” “My Turn to Bow.” Theater credits include “Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole” with his brother James Goldman, and “A Family Affair” with James Goldman and John Kander.
WILL FREARS (Director) Film: “Coach,” “All Saints Day” (Winner, Best Narrative Short, Savannah Film Festival); “Beloved.” Off-Broadway: “Year Zero” (Second Stage Uptown); “Still Life” (MCC); “Rainbow Kiss” (The Play Company); “The Water’s Edge” (Second Stage); “Pen” (Playwrights Horizons); “Terrorism” (The New Group/The Play Company); “Omnium Gatherum” (Variety Arts); “Where We’re Born and God Hates The Irish” (both at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre); “Get What You Need” (Atlantic 453) and “Kid-Simple” (Summer Play Festival). Regional: “Build” at the Geffen Playhouse; “Some Lovers” at the Old Globe Theater; “Romeo & Juliet,” “Bus Stop,” “The Water’s Edge” and “A Servant Of Two Masters” at the Williamstown Theatre Festival; “The Pillowman” at George Street Playhouse; “Hay Fever” and “The Price” at Baltimore CenterStage; “Sleuth” at the Bay Street Theatre; “Our Lady Of 121st Street” (Steppenwolf Theatre); “Omnium Gatherum” (Actor’s Theatre of Louisville). Artistic Director, Yale Cabaret, 1999-2000. He is a recipient of the Boris Sagal and Bill Foeller directing fellowships and a contributor to The Paris Review, New York Magazine, Harper’s and The London Review of Books. He is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the Yale School of Drama and serves on the faculty at Sarah Lawrence College.
DAVID KORINS (Set Design) Broadway: “Annie,” “Bring It On,” “Chinglish,” “An Evening with Mandy Patinkin and Patti Lupone,” “Magic/Bird,” “Godspell,” “The Pee-Wee Herman Show,” “Lombardi,” “Passing Strange,” “Bridge & Tunnel and Motown the Musical” (upcoming). David is currently designing the 2013 world premiere operas “The Gospel of Mary Magdalene” (San Francisco Opera) and “Oscar” (Santa Fe Opera). He has designed several concerts for Kanye West received a Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, two Hewes Design Awards, and the 2009 Obie Award For Sustained Excellence in Design. www.davidkorinsdesign.com
ANN ROTH (Costume Design) Theatre includes “The Best Man,” “Hurlyburly,” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” “Singin' in the Rain,” “The Odd Couple,” “Waiting for Godot.” Tony nominations: “The Crucifer of Blood,” “The Royal Family,” “Present Laughter,” “The House of Blue Leaves,” “The Book of Mormon.” Films include “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” “Midnight Cowboy,” “The Day of the Locust” (BAFTA), “Hair,” “Working Girl,” “Sabrina,” “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” “The Birdcage,” “The English Patient” (Oscar), “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Cold Mountain,” “Angels in America,” “The Stepford Wives,” “The Village,” “Closer.” Recipient, the Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Awards (2000).
DAVID WEINER (Lighting Design) Broadway: “Dead Accounts,” “Grace,” “Godspell” Revival, “The Normal Heart,” “Reasons To Be Pretty,” “Butley,” “Dinner At Eight” (LCT), “Betrayal” (Roundabout), “The Real Thing.” Off Broadway: MTC, Second Stage, Playwrights Horizons, MCC, The Public, NY Theater Workshop, Theater for a New Audience, Vineyard, Atlantic. Regional: Center Theatre Group, Guthrie, LaJolla Playhouse, The Alley, McCarter, Huntington, ART, Kansas City Rep, Williamstown, Berkeley Rep. Museum Design: NC State Museum of Natural Sciences Nature Research Center - Raleigh, NC. Awards: 2012 Lucille Lortel Award (“Through A Glass Darkly”), 2011 LA Ovation Award (“Venice”, 2011 Drama Desk nomination (“Small Fire”), 2005 Lucille Lortel Award (“Rodney's Wife”).
DARRON WEST (Sound Design) He is a TONY and OBIE award winning sound designer whose work for theater and dance has been heard in over 500 productions nationally and internationally on Broadway and off. His other accolades for sound design include the 2010 Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Award, the 2006 Lucille Lortel and AUDELCO Awards, the 2004 and 2005 Henry Hewes Design Award, the Princess Grace and the Entertainment Design Magazine EDDY Award. Currently represented on Broadway by “Peter and The Starcatcher” and “GRACE.”
MICHAEL WEINER (Original Music) wrote the music and lyrics to “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” which recently played at The Public Theater and on Broadway. As an Associate Artist with the acclaimed theater company The Civilians, he has written music and lyrics for “Canard Canard Goose,” “Gone Missing,” “Nobody's Lunch,” “This Beautiful City,” “In the Footprint,” and “The Great Immensity,” and co-created the groups 2012 TED Talk. Other works include “Saved” and “The Brand New Kid.” With Steve Cosson, he is the co-author of “Paris Commune” (BAM Next Wave Festival 2012). He was the dramaturg for the recent Broadway revival of “A Raisin in the Sun,” and has been a MacDowell Fellow, a Princeton Hodder Fellow, a Meet The Composer Fellow, and a Visiting Professor at the Princeton Environmental Institute. He received an OBIE Award for sustained achievement.
GREGORY MEEH (Special Effects) designs, builds and supplies special effects for theatre, opera, dance, events”, television, film and print. Credits include “Ka” for Cirque Du Soleil, the Broadway productions: “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” “Addams Family,” “Spamalot,” “Nine,” “Into The Woods,” “Aida,” “Twelfth Night” at Lincoln Center (Eddy Award), “Ragtime,” “An Inspector Calls” (Drama Desk Award), “Damn Yankees,” “Angels in America,” “Tommy,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miserables,” “Lord of the Rings” (Toronto and London), and the television productions of “Fool’s Fire” for American Playhouse, “Late Show,” “SNL,” and “One Life to Live.”
RICK SORDELET (“Fight Direction”) Broadway: 54 shows including Disney's “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” “Edwin Drood,” and “Annie.” Hundreds of Off-Broadway and regional productions including the US premiere of “Sucker Punch” at the Studio Theater, Washington DC, the world premiere of “Treasure Island” the musical at Arkansas Rep, world premiere of “Appomattox” at the Guthrie Theater, and the world premiere of “Misery” and the newly reopened Bucks County Playhouse. International: 53 productions including “Ben Hur Live” (European Tour/Rome), Sam Mendes' “As You Like It” for the Bridge Project/BAM. Opera: The MET, Royal Opera House, La Scala, Milan for “Cyrano” (staring Placido Domingo) The MET for “Don Carlo” directed by Nicholas Hytner, San Francisco Opera’s “Heart of a Soldier” directed by Francesca Zembello. Film: “Dan in Real Life “(starring Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche), “The Game Plan” (starring Dwayne Johnson), “Hamlet” (starring Campbell Scott, Blair Brown). Television: Stunt Coordinator for 12 years for “Guiding Light,” also “One Life to Live” and “Faith and Hope.” Awards: Jeff Award - Best Fight Direction for “Romeo and Juliet” for Chicago Shakespeare, Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence from the Lucille Lortell Off-Broadway League. Professional Affiliations: Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey Board Member. Teaching: Yale School of Drama 14 years. Training: Rutgers University MFA, University of Wisconsin-Superior BFA.
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