Bob Balaban
Bay Street Theater has announced its three 2015 Mainstage Summer Season productions, which will begin on May 26 and run through August 30.
The season begins with the world premier of a new comedy titled “The New Sincerity” by Alena Smith, who offers a smart and savvy portrait of a rising generation. The show, directed by Bob Balaban, explores today’s world where balancing politics, love and the quest for success (along with one’s social media presence) can get complicated. When her ambitious literary circle gets involved with a rowdy Occupy-style movement, young journalist Rose Spencer finds herself in a love triangle where it’s hard to tell the difference between sincere action and skillful self-promotion. The production will run from May 26 through June 14.
The second MainStage production, running from June 23 through July 26, is a drama titled “Other People’s Money” by Jerry Sterner, directed by Lonny Price and starring Jason Alexander. The show flashes back to 1987, the later Reagan years, when all was fair in love and business. Lawrence Garfinkle is an expert at buying up undervalued companies and liquidating them for a profit, and he’s the kind of guy you love to hate. But will he win in his newest attempt at domination when he comes up against a surprising adversary, the brilliant and beautiful lawyer Kate Sullivan? Suspenseful and funny, this greed-filled drama is as timely and titillating today as it was when it first premiered.
Jason Alexander
The Mainstage Season culminates with “Grey Gardens,” a musical with music by Scott Frankel, lyrics by Michael Korie, book by Dough Wright and directed by Michael Wilson. The production runs August 4-30. Based on the 1975 documentary by Albert and David Maysles, the musical tells the story of Big Edie and Little Edie Bouvier Beale, the eccentric aunt and cousin of Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis. Set in 1941 and 1973 at the Bouvier mansion in East Hampton, this bold musical follows a mother and daughter on their hilarious and heartbreaking journey from glamorous aristocrats to notorious recluses in a crumbling house filled with memory and cats.
“I am thrilled to announce the full summer Mainstage season at Bay Street,” Artistic Director Scott Schwartz said in a release. “These three works are portraits of America, explorations of our need for social and financial success. They are stories about how love factors into this need, and struggles with it. They are visions of different eras in our country, but all speak to today through the times in which they’re set. We are proud to offer our audience a world premiere as part of the season, continuing our commitment to making Bay Street a center for new works for the theater. And we are delighted to welcome the distinguished and dazzling artists Jason Alexander, Bob Balaban, Lonny Price, Alena Smith, and Michael Wilson to our stage.”
Subscriptions are available by calling the Bay Street Box Office at 631-725-9500 or online at www.baystreet.org.
