Raven Theatre Opens 40th Anniversary Season with Private Lives
Raven Theatre, Chicago's newest Equity-affiliated theatre, is pleased to open its 40th Anniversary Season with a fresh take on Noel Coward's iconic 1930 comedy Private Lives, directed by Ian Frank, playing September 29 - November 13, 2022 on Raven's 85-seat East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Single tickets go on sale Monday, August 15, 2022. Subscription packages are currently available at raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177. T
Private Lives will feature Eileen Doan, Rudy Galvan, Alexis Green, Matthew Martinez Hannon and Emily Tate.
In this sophisticated and wildly entertaining revival, once-married Elyot and Amanda cross paths on their unexpectedly adjoined honeymoons - same hotel, same resentments, but with new spouses. Sharp words evolve into fresh sparks, followed by an endless roundabout of chaos and romance where enemies become lovers and lovers become fools. This timeless, witty and risque play follows the ups, downs and all-arounds of passion and betrayal. Are they in it for love... or just for the thrill of it all?
Director Ian Frank comments, "The affair is easy. The marriage is hard. It's especially hard when you learn that there is only one person in the entire world to whom you can reveal your true and vulnerable self, your private life. Perfect love wrestles with imperfect human nature and the result is this intimate comedy, as its author called it. The more I read about Noel Coward, the more Private Lives began to reveal its own true and vulnerable self. To me, it's a play about masks and the courage it takes to remove them as the ultimate act of affection. That so many productions of this play are seduced by the witty banter and effortless glamor entirely misses Coward's criticism of that easy facade. Instead, I'm hoping to dig underneath this text and tell a story about two people struggling to figure out how to honestly and completely love each other. What could be funnier than that?"
The production team includes Joe Schermoly (Scenic Designer), Gregory Graham (Costume Designer), Becca Jeffords (Lighting Designer), Daniel Etti-Williams (Sound Designer), Bren Coombs (Props Designer), Kristina Fluty (Intimacy/Movement Choreographer), Eva Breneman (Text Coach and Dialect Designer), Catherine Miller (Casting Director), Lorenzo Blackett (Production Manager), Alan Weusthoff (Technical Director), Liz Gomez (Master Electrician), Finnegan Chu (Assistant Costume Designer) and Rose Johnson (Scenic Artist).