by Michael Kuchwara
Associated Press
NEW YORK - Lewis and Clark. Lear. Cotton Mather. They are some of the characters you will meet on regional theater stages this fall.
The following is a subjective list of 10 intriguing productions that will be playing around the country before the end of the year.
Passion Play, a cycle: An ambitious, three-play cycle by Sarah Ruhl, it looks at a group of actors putting on The Passion of Christ at different times in history: Elizabethan England, Oberammergau 1934 and post-Vietnam War America. Arena Stage, Washington, D.C. Now running through Oct. 16.
Purlie: The revival of the 1970s Broadway musical based on the play Purlie Victorious by Ossie Davis. Jacques C. Smith stars as "the newfangled preacher man," a conniving minister who hopes to build a new church. The cast also includes Paulette Ivory and E. Faye Butler. Goodman Theatre, Chicago. Sept. 17-Oct. 23.
King Lear: Stephen Markle portrays the disintegrating monarch in director Irene Lewis' spare, streamlined version of Shakespeare's majestic tragedy, a production which uses only 15 performers. Center Stage, Baltimore. Sept. 23-Nov. 6.
The King Stag: Carlo Gozzi's fantasy, set in the magical land of Serendippo, about a king who yearns for true love. The adaptation is by Shelley Berc and Andrei Belgrader. Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle. Sept. 24-Oct. 22.
Abyssinia: A young woman is challenged by life, losing her faith in God and the ability to sing. A revival of the gospel-tinged musical by Ted Kociolek and James Racheff. The production stars Shannon Antalan as Abyssinia Jackson and B.J. Crosby as the faith healer Mother Vera. Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Conn. Sept. 30-Dec. 4.
Carol Mulroney: The world premiere of Stephen Belber's drama about a complicated woman who yearns for a simpler life. The Huntington Theatre Company's Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts. Boston. Oct. 14-Nov. 20.
September Shoes. Albert and Gail Cervantes return to the Southwestern town of Dolores, their childhood home, in an effort to come to terms with the past. A play by Jose Cruz Gonzalez. The Denver Center Theatre's Ricketson Theatre, Denver. Oct. 20-Dec. 17.
Safe in Hell: When the Reverend Increase Mather is indisposed, he sends his son, Cotton, to preside over the 1691 Salem witch trials. Amy Freed's satiric look at the goings-on in the Massachusetts Bay Colony is directed by Mark Wing-Davey. Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, Conn. Nov. 11-Dec. 3.
The Hopper Collection: The unhappy marriage of an older couple, both art collectors, is thrown into more turmoil by the arrival of a young man, a young woman and a heartfelt request. A play by Mat Smart. Magic Theatre, San Francisco. Nov. 12-Dec. 11.
Lewis and Clark Reach the Euphrates: The world premiere of a new play by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Robert Schenkkan, author of The Kentucky Cycle. Schenkkan's new work is a time-and-space-bending fantasy in which the famous Northwest Passage explorers find themselves in some peculiar, more modern situations. Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles. Nov. 30-Jan. 22, 2006.