Due to Storms & Mitigating
Circumstances
The Town Players of New Canaan
Will Offer Ivan Turgenev’s
Drama Comedy, “A Month in the
Country”
Free of Charge as a Gift to its
Storm Wear Friends and Neighbors
and as a rehearsed reading with
an after the show talk back
Fri & Sat, Nov. 16 & 17
at 8pm and Sun, Nov 18 at 2:30pm
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 9:00 PM:
Town Players of New Canaan president Bob Doran, also producer of its fall show, announced Thursday evening, “Our season opener Ivan Turgenev’s drama comedy A Month in the Country experienced a bump early on with our lead actress taking ill. Director Lynne Bolton stepped in to that role and Michael Kopko came in as director. The Town Players greatly appreciates the generosity of the New Canaan Library that gave us use of the Mabel Lamb Room for a few nights after Hurricane Sandy struck.
However, we have lost too much time at the Powerhouse itself to put on a show with full production values that the Town Players would be proud of. Consequently, we are offering free of charge to our storm weary community a rehearsed reading to be followed after the show
by a talk back which will allow the audience to ask questions of the director and actors.”
A Month in the Country performances will take place at the Powerhouse Theatre in Waveny Park on Friday and
Saturday, November 16 & 17 at 8:00 PM with a Sunday matinee at 2:30 PM.
Mr. Doran continued, “A Month in the Country is a charming, wise and funny play about social mores. In the hands of our experienced cast, comedy reveals itself in the nuanced reading of a line that as written says one thing, spoken another. We think that so many of our friends and neighbors recovering from the ravages of Hurricane Sandy will enjoy coming to the theatre, on the house, Powerhouse, that is!”
In a “concert reading” well-rehearsed actors are seated
in chairs behind music stands and read the play. There will be one intermission at which coffee, tea and cookies will be served. The Town Players asks that people make a
reservation at (203) 966-7371 so that hospitality chairman Karen Zuckert will know how many people to prepare for.
A Month in the County is set in the Russia of the mid-1840s, decades before the turmoil of the Russian revolution. The time is languorous summer, when the human heart can throb with, hope for, plot for, or
discover love. The play takes place at the Islayev’s country estate. We discover that Natalya Petrovna, the lady of the house, as well as her ward Vera, are each infatuated with Belyayev, the Islayev’s son’s tutor. Natalya is also at odds with her platonic admirer Rakitin and bored with her husband.
Reading the Ariadne Nicolaeff 1976 translation, the cast is led by New Canaan actors Lynne Bolton and Don Olson. They will appear, respectively, as the bored, coquettish, vengeful and confused Natalya, an aristocratic married woman who has never been in love before, and the lovelorn Rakitin. Greg Barone of Stamford will portray Belyayev whose summertime presence as the tutor disturbs domestic tranquility. Phil Hahn of Stamford will play Islayev, Natlaya’s solid as a rock landowner
husband, who is much smarter than appearances convey.
Turgenev adds to his play a romantic subplot that leads to marriage of four working people. Dr. Shpigelsky (Gary
Battaglia of Wilton), a sly, sardonic man who harbors hope for married life; Lizaveta (Lorelei Young Atwood of Westport), the spinster companion toIslayev’s elderly mother; the innocent Vera (Ammie Renée
Kinsman of Westport), also in love for the first time and vilely manipulated by Natalya (She grows up fast!); and Bolshintsov (Patrick Kiley of Fairfield), the well to do, good natured, slow witted and timid landowner who makes a deal with Shpigelsky to be his go between to gain young Vera’s hand in marriage. Rounding out the cast are veteran
actors John Pyron of Fairfield and Cynthia Sepe of Darien who will appear, respectively, as the German tutor Schaaf and Anna, Islayev’s elderly mother.
