Rehearsals are underway for the area premiere of the engrossing musical theatre BERNARDA ALBA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec 18, 2019

Contact: Andrew Leshovsky
andrew@latteda.org
612-767-5646 office

Photo credit Joseph Scheller

REHEARSALS ARE UNDERWAY FOR THE AREA PREMIERE OF THE ENGROSSING MUSICAL THEATRE DRAMA BERNARDA ALBA

Performances begin January 15 and run thru February 16, 2020 at the Ritz Theater
Opening Night January 18, 2020

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) Rehearsals are underway for Theater Latté Da’s area premiere of the musical theatre drama BERNARDA ALBA. This masterwork by Michael John LaChiusa, creator of such critically acclaimed hits as THE WILD PARTY and MARIE CHRISTINE brings a musical voice to Federico Garcia Lorca's final 1936 masterpiece, The House of Bernarda Alba, through pulsing castanets, trilling Spanish guitars and resounding rhythmic stomps. BERNARDA ALBA is directed by Crystal Manich with Music Direction by Jason Hansen and choreography by Kelli Foster Warder.

BERNARDA ALBA will run January 15 – February 16, 2020 at the Ritz Theater. Preview performances are January 15-17. Single tickets start at $33. Group, student, and other discounts are available. Tickets are on sale now through the box office at 612.339.3003 or online at Latteda.org. Post-show discussions and access services (ASL/AD performances) are available on select dates and by request.

Bernarda Alba, a powerful matriarch, imposes a strict rule on her household following her second husband’s funeral. Bernarda’s five daughters, however, struggle with her cold regime. The girls’ dreams, desires, and the lure of the outside world begin to permeate their isolated existence. Theater Latté Da’s production features a cast of ten of the Twin Cities’ finest women actor-singers. 

“The play is an immediate and provocative musical that emphasizes the plight of women whose voices have been stifled by society,” shares director Crystal Manich. “As they weave in and out of dreams of another life, they release tension through visceral dance inspired by flamenco. I think that this is a rare opportunity for an audience to see Lorca’s psychological genius explored through exciting contemporary approaches in music and staging.”

Theater Latté Da has assembled a powerhouse cast of all women actor-singers for this production. “This play may be about women characters who are trapped by their circumstances, but the musical adaptation allows us a glimpse into their passions, intelligence, and insatiable curiosity,” shares artistic director Peter Rothstein. “The New York cast of BERNARDA ALBA featured legendary actors Phyllicia Rashad and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Our Minneapolis cast feel equally legendary, bringing our own powerhouses such as Regina Marie Williams, Britta Ollmann, Aimee Bryant, and Meghan Kreidler together onstage.”

“Even though this play is set in a Spanish village at the turn-of-the-century, we know that right now women all around the world, in countries like Iran, Nepal, Yemen and Turkey, women still lead lives severely restricted by the expectations of a patriarchal society, shares Manich. “I think BERNARDA ALBA, like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, really resonates today. We're at a moment when women in so many societies, including the United States, feel that their rights and freedoms are being restricted.”

The cast of BERNARDA ALBA features Regina Marie Williams (Latté Da: Chicago) as Bernarda Alba, Kate Beahen (Latté Da: Into the Woods, Gypsy) as Angustias, Stephanie Bertumen makes her Latté Da debut is Adela, Aimee Bryant (Latté Da: Oh, S#!%, I’m Turning Into My Mother) is Poncia, Haley Haupt makes her Latté Da debut as the Young Servant, Kim Kivens (Latté Da: C., Oliver, Company, Spelling Bee) is Maria Josepha, Meghan Kreidler (Latté Da: The Man of La Mancha, Aida) is Martirio, Nora Montañez makes her Latté Da debut as Magdelena, Sarah Ochs (Latté Da: Assassins, Man of La Mancha, Sweeney Todd) and Britta Ollmann (Latté Da: Chicago, A Little Night Music, Once, Ragtime).

The creative team for BERNARDA ALBA includes Crystal Manich (director), Jason Hansen (music director), Kelli Foster Warder (choreographer), Kate Sutton Johnson (scenic designer), Alice Fredrickson (costume designer), Paul Bigot (wig, hair and makeup designer) Mary Shabatura (lighting designer), Abbee Warmboe (properties design), Elissa Adams (dramaturg), and Tiffany K. Orr (production stage manager).

Theater Latté Da is an award-winning Twin Cities musical theater company that combines music and story to illuminate the breadth and depth of the human experience. The company seeks to create new connections between story, music, artist, and audience by exploring and expanding the art of musical theater.  www.latteda.org.

FACT SHEET:

BERNARDA ALBA
Words and music by Michael John LaChiusa
Based on the play The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca 

Directed by Crystal Manich
Music Direction by Jason Hansen
Choreography by Kelli Foster Warder

Starring Regina Marie Williams as Bernarda Alba, featuring Kate Beahen, Stephanie Bertumen, Aimee Bryant, Haley Haupt, Kim Kivens, Meghan Kreidler, Nora Montañez, Sara Ochs, and Britta Ollmann

Bernarda Alba is a powerful matriarch, who imposes a strict rule on her household following her second husband’s funeral. Bernarda’s five daughters, however, struggle with her cold regime. The girls’ dreams, desires, and the lure of the outside world begin to permeate their isolated existence. Theater Latté Da’s production features a cast of ten of the Twin Cities’ finest women actor-singers.

Dates: Wednesday, January 15 – Sunday, February 16, 2020

Venue: Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis MN 55413

Tickets start at $33 and are on sale now.
Group, student, and other discounts are available.

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