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Show jMONDAV, JUNE 4 , 2001 PAGE 11 UNIVERSITY JOURNAL ARTS Adam s -featured in 'Pirates' Fred C. Adam , founder and executive producer of the Utah , hake pearean Festival, will once again leap into the theatri al fra thi ummer ea on when he takes on the role of Major-General Stanley in the Festival 's 2001 production of The Pirates of Penzance. Fred Adams The mu ical production, written by the renowned duo ofW . . Gilben and Arthur ullivan, has been described as one of the most charmingly silly love srorie ever to grace the musical stage. Adams' role a Major- eneral tanley will require the Fe tival founder to learn not just dialogue but everal songs as well, including the musical 's mosr widely recognized and fast-paced tonguetwi ting number: "I Arn the Very Model of a Modem Major General." Adam , who founded the Utah hak pearean Fe tival tony years ago, i looking forward to again taking on a large role in a Festival production. Festival regulars will remember that Adam 's last acting role was in the wildly popular 1995 production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Fonlm , in which he played the role of P eudolus. His recent directing credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1998 and his own adaptation of Peter Pan in 2000. · "I feel that the Major General and I are cut from the same clorh, " joked Adams. ~He 's a bit ofa pompous character, so I imagine thaL I'll be perfect for the role." Of the 28 mu ical numbers in the production , Adam will be performing sL"". He admits to some concern regarding his inging ability. "I can carry a rune, " he said, · bur it' going co take some work to make it sound like ·inging. It's fortunate that the songs umvan wrote for the Major General's character in thj ical are more like comic patter, rather than real singing, so I think I'll be OK. "But seriously, my biggest fear in this production will be living up to the rest of the cast. Kathleen Conlin, the director, is casting just an absolutely bri!Jiant cast. " Donna Law, marketing and public relations director for the Festival, is also enthusiastic about the casting of Adams in one of this season's productions. "How appropriate that for the 40th anniversary of the tah hake pearean Fe tival the founder of thi company will be performing for the audiences he has loved for o many year ," aid Law. "This production i going to be a real treat for patrons." The Pirates of Penzance will open with a 2 p.m. matinee preview performance in the Randall L. Jones Theatre on June 27 with an official opening on June 28, also at 2 p.m. For more information on this season 's plays, or to order tickets, call 586-78 8 or visit the Festival web ite at www.bard.org. mu Four familiar actors-to return to Festival Uyou liked them before, you'll love them now. Four actors who have been favorite of Utah theatre-goers will be returning to the Utah Shakespearean F tival cages to celebrate its 40th anniversary thi urruner. Equity actors Leslie Brott, Laurie Birmingham, David Ivers, and Brian Vaughn will all once again grace the Festival stage when the Tony Award-winning theatre company opens its 2001 season on June 21. "I am looking forward to being in Cedar City this season, " said Vaughn. "Utah is a gre-.1t place to pend the summer and the audience are fantastic . Both Arsenic and Old Lace and The Pirates of Penzance are fun how that I think audiences will enjoy. Plu , l can't wait to share the stage with Fred Adams again. We had a great timein_A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and I think he-will be a hilarious Major General. Should be a blast!" Brian Vaughn, absent from the Festival stages since 1999, returns this season to take on the roles of Monirner Brew ter in Arsenic and Old Lace and the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance. The SUU alumnus recently spent two seasons with the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre where he performed in a variety of roles , including Nicholas in the world premiere of teven Dietz's A Force of Nature. With the Utah hakespearean Fe tival he bas been seen in many roles, including role as Edgar in King Lear and his 1999 fall season role in Forever Plaid and The Compleat Works of Wilm. Shkspr (Abridged). He also played Prince Henry in Henry IV Part I, Dromio of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors, Lord Fancourt Babberly in Relative Values, and Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to· the Porum . Vaughn is a recipient of the Michael and Jan Finlayson Award, aqd the Theatre Week magazine Straw Hat Award. David Ivers will return to the Festival this year for his seventh season. This season, patrons can look forward to seeing him in the roles of Caliban in The Tempest and Jonathan Brew ter in Arsenic and Old Lace. Last year, Ivers delighted audiences as Garry Lejeune in Notses Off and as Abraham lender in the very popular production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. In past years, he has appeared at the Denver Theatre Company in 7:1.e Cripple oflnishmann and completed a econd season at Portland Center Stage in roles including Bo Decker in Bus Stop , Horatio in Hamlet, and ilvius in As You Like It. Ivers has also appeared with the Alabama, Oregon, and Idaho hakespeare festivals; Tacoma Actor's Guild; Portland Repertory Theatre; ierra Repertory • Theatre; and Anises Repertory . At the Festival, he has appeared in more than a dozen production . Leslie Brott will return to the Festival for her ixth season in the role of Abby Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace and Lily Miller in Ah, Wilderness! In past sea ans, Brott has appeared in a variety of role , including Mrs. Lanfrey Clandon in You ever Can Tell, Mrs. Brian Vaughn Laurie Birmingham Leslie Brott David Ivers Darling/l'iger Lily in the 2000 production of Peter Pan and Charlotta lvanova in lhe Cherry Orchard, as well as roles in 1he Merry Wives of Wi~or, Blithe ,pirit, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Richard ll. Brott earned the acclaim of critics and audiences alike during the Festival's 1999 season for her role as Eleanor in The Lion in Winter. Her role as Louise in the fall 2000 production of Always ... Patsy Cline also earned high praise. In addition to her acting career, Brott teaches . hake peace at the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts in anta Maria, Calif. Laurie Binningham will return to the Festival for the first ti.me Ince 1995; where she had appeared for five seasons prior. Birmingham will play the roles of Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance and Martha Brewster in Arsenic and Old lace. During the 1995 Festival season, Birmingham played the role of Domi'!a in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and PeMy Sycamore in You Can't Take It with You . In years past, she has played Queen Margaret in Richard ID, Madame Arcati in Bltthe Spirit, Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and others. In recent years, Binningham has been a regular with the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. he has also worked with American Players Theatre, Chamber Theatre, Skylight Opera Theatre American Folklore Theatre, and the Alabama hakespeare Festival. Birmingham is currently writing her first full-length play, My Ishmael. , "I'm thrilled to be returning to the Utah Shakespearean Festival," said Birmingham. "Working with all the wonderfully talented people and eeing old friends is going to be great. I can't wait." R. Scott Phillips, Utah Shakespearean Festival managing director, is also looking forward to the return of these four actors. "These a.re old Festival friends who have demonstrated a level of commitment and passion for their work iliat audiences love and appreciate," he said,. "lltis, combined wit.'1 the fact that we can get them back together for our'. fortieth anniversary eason -makes it that much better." The 2001 season begins June 21 and runs through Oct. 20. For more information on the Utah Shakespearean Festival, or to order tickets, call 586-7878 or visit the Festival online at www.bard.org. - - ~·. ~ ... ,. ... "' - . - - . --.. -- ..... - ...... - - - . ,. ~- - . -- . I. |