April
is the month of Humble Boy, Charlotte
Jones’ stunningly
beautiful, funny, and poignant contemporary retelling
of the Hamlet story. All is not well in the Humble
family hive. Thirty-five year old Felix Humble
is a Cambridge astro-physicist in search of a unified
field theory. Following the sudden death of his
father, he returns to his middle England home and
his difficult and demanding mother, where he soon
realizes that his search for unity must include
his own chaos theory both past and present. Humble
Boy is a winner of the Critics Circle Theatre Award
for Best New Play. “Charlotte Jones's latest
comedy sparkles with eccentric humour and
is as tightly structured as a honeycomb.” – Evening
StandardHumble Boy is
directed by FUSION co-founder Laurie Thomas (FUSION's Time
Stands Still,
First Love, Sarah Ruhl's eurydice and Private
Lives).
Charlotte Jones is a British actress
and playwright. Her first play, Airswimming, debuted
in 1997 at the
Battersea Arts Centre in London. Her other plays
include In Flame, The Dark, The Lightning Play, and
Humble Boy. Charlotte Jones wrote the book to the
West End musical The Woman in White, in collaboration
with the David Zippel and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
"I think the same things inspire me now as inspired
me then: people struggling with the big questions
of life, facing death...the same questions- how to
live in difficult times, how to transcend the everyday,
the epic nature of the human spirit, the miracle
friendship, love and dysfunctional family relationships.
I think my plays are spiritual- which doesn't always
make them fashionable or critic proof- but I can't
help myself- I am interested in the human heart and
all its vagaries...." --Charlotte Jones
Other Desert Venues!!
FUSION
Theatre Company is growing! We're thrilled
to announce performances beyond our home for
the past ten years, The Cell. FUSION will present
Humble Boy:
Thursday, Apr. 25, The Cell,
ABQ, 8PM GALA OPENING SOLD OUT!
Friday, Apr. 26, The Cell, ABQ, 6PM Special
Time!SOLD
OUT!
Saturday, Apr. 27, The Cell, ABQ, 2PM (matinee) SOLD
OUT!
Saturday, Apr. 27, The Cell, ABQ, 8PM SOLD
OUT!
Sunday, Apr. 28, The Cell, ABQ, 6PM
-----
Thursday, May 2, The Cell, ABQ, 8PM SOLD
OUT!
Friday, May 3, The Cell, ABQ, 8PM SOLD
OUT!
Saturday, May 4, The Cell, ABQ, 2PM (matinee)
Saturday, May 4, The Cell, ABQ, 8PM
Sunday, May 5, The Cell, ABQ, 6PM
-----
Tuesday, May 7, The Lensic Performing Arts Center,
Santa Fe, 8PM
Wednesday, May 8, The Lensic Performing Arts
Center, Santa Fe, 8PM
-----
Friday, May 10, The Kimo Theater, ABQ, 8PM
Saturday, May 11, The Kimo Theater, ABQ,
2PM (Pay What You Wish matinee)*
*
underwritten by a generous grant from
Bernalillo County
click to view a special promotional
video about Saturday's special Pay What You Wish performance
at the Kimo
underwritten by Bernalillo County
Brush
up your Shakespeare!
For so work the honey-bees,
Creatures that by a rule in nature teach
The act of order to a peopled kingdom.
They have a king and officers of sorts;
Where some, like magistrates, correct at home,
Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad,
Others, like soldiers, armèd in their
stings,
Make boot upon the summer's velvet buds;
Which pillage they with merry march bring home
To the tent-royal of their emperor;
Who, busined in his majesty, surveys
The singing masons building roofs of gold,
The civil citizens kneading up the honey,
The poor mechanic porters crowding in
Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate,
The sad-eyed justice, with his surly hum,
Delivering o'er to executors pale
The lazy yawning drone.
--Henry V
Special Season
Subscription Available Now!
For
tickets and information call 766-9412 or click
here:
Free parking
is plentiful in our lot just north of the theatre.
The Cell is located at 700 1st St.
N.W., just west of Broadway and south of Lomas. The
historic Kimo Theater is on Central in downtown
Albuquerque; ample parking is available in inexpensive
public parking structures in the immediate vicinity.
Parking
in Santa Fe is available at a number of
inexpensive
public lots in the immediate vicinity of the Lensic.
"Charlotte Jones' Humble
Boy is a contemporary retelling of the Hamlet
story, but it's not quite the retelling you
might expect. Rather than a predictable scene-by-scene
remake of Shakespeare's classic tale, Humble
Boy preserves some character relationships
and
themes of the original but with a few twists,
much more humor, and bumble bees as a significant
motif. Like Shakespeare, Jones uses her adaptation
to explore deep, human themes: life and death,
love and loss, dysfunctional family relationships.
FUSION Theatre Company's production of the
piece, directed by FUSION co-founder Laurie
Thomas,
continues through May 11th.
Felix Humble is our protagonist, played excellently
by veteran FUSION performer Bruce Holmes. Set
in the wake of Felix's father's death, the
entire play takes place in the family's country
garden,
which is where, consequently, Felix's entomologist
father died. Felix himself studies theoretical
astrophysics, searching for a unified field
theory, or the "theory of everything," as he
puts it. Holmes' training and experience (including
film and television credits and an MFA from the
University of Washington) is evident in his performance.
Portraying Felix's mother, Flora, is Jacqueline
Reid, a founding member of FUSION with a plethora
of acting and directing experience under her
belt. Reid is perfect as Felix's appearance-obsessed
mother, a woman who is always perfectly dressed,
has just gotten a nose job, and who frets over
wrinkles and gray hairs. While Reid captures
the humor of Flora's character, she also infuses
great depth into her performance, tapping into
Flora's hidden troubles and pains. On the surface
she is a shallow woman, fooling around with another
man when she should be mourning her dead husband;
underneath, we come to see, she truly does love
and miss her husband. Perhaps her obsession with
her appearance stems from the fact that, as she
confesses toward the end of the play, she knows "no
one will ever look at" her the way her
husband did.
Rounding out what is truly a remarkable cast
are Kelley Hazen, as family friend Mercy, who
has perfected her character's nervous and overly
enthusiastic mannerisms (a façade to
mask her own insecurities) and Gregory Wagrowski
as
George Pye, Flora's new suitor. From the accent
to the delivery, Wagrowski brings to life a
character whose unrefined manner starkly contrasts
Flora's
efforts toward elegance and Felix's poetic
perspective on life and the universe. Then
there is Rosie
Pye, Felix's girlfriend from seven years ago;
Acushla Bastible was cast as Rosie but had
to miss the performance I saw due to health
concerns.
Instead, Blair Nodelman filled the role. As
a retelling of Hamlet, Rosie is Ophelia if
Ophelia
were self-empowered and sassy. Nodelman lends
good spirit to the role; Rosie suits her. Finally,
we have Paul Blott as the mysterious gardener
Jim, giving a graceful performance indicative
of his previous experience in Shakespeare as
well as numerous theatrical, film, and television
credits.
I loved watching the cast tell this quietly
moving story; by the time we came back from
intermission,
I nearly forgot I was watching a play and felt
more like I was watching a real family interact
with each other, working through their troubles
and trying to find meaning and redemption in
the midst of hardship. Director Laurie Thomas
must be credited for leading such a wonderful
cast and highlighting the actors' strengths.
In addition to the exquisite acting, the
lighting and sound design is fantastic, a credit
to
resident FUSION designers Richard Hogle and
Brent Stevens,
respectively. The performance is underscored
by transcendent, almost otherworldly string
music, contributing to the feeling that there
are larger
forces at work in these characters' lives.
The lighting backdrop for the set consists
of thin
strings of light illuminated against a black
background, alluding to the strings we hear
when they light up as strings for us to see.
The effect
is unique and beautiful, as is the entire play."
Review, Financial
Times, by Ian Shuttleworth:
"The continuing
success of Charlotte Jones's Humble
Boy at the Gielgud is a puzzlement
to some, but not to me. It's the kind
of English play that they don't really
write any more, though in truth they
scarcely ever did: a play with an immensely
smart head and a big, puzzled but so
engaging heart. Imagine the best of recent
Tom Stoppard, but with a more genuine
sense of emotional wonder."
Review, New York Times,
by John Simon:
"The parallels with Hamlet are
not too heavily leaned on, and the play has wonderfully
whimsical and pointed dialogue, sometimes deliberately
wounding, more often ironically oblique. The humor
is airily offbeat, the science not overinsistent,
and the nomenclatural symbolism adds cheeky spice.
[Don't miss] Jones’s spirited traversal
from beeing to being."
Review, The Observer, by
Kate Kellaway:
"It is a wonderful honeycomb
of ideas - about bereavement, black holes,
mothers (sometimes the last two are interchangeable),
fathers,
gardening, ambition, disappointment and bees."
Humble
Boy Cast
Paul Blott
Paul Blott* (Jim)
is
a not so recent transplant from Los Angeles where
he worked several seasons at Will Geer’s Theatricum
Botanicum playing a variety of Shakespearean roles.
Paul also appeared in numerous Shakespeare in Santa
Fe productions. His more recent work includes a wide
variety of roles with FUSION: “Big Daddy” in Cat
on a Hot Tin Roof, “Willy Loman” in Death
of a Salesman, “Steve” in August
Osage County, “Father” in Eurydice, “Clown
1” in The 39 Steps, “Mark
Rothko” in Red and, earlier
this season, "Lyman" in Other
Desert Cities.
Paul’s
film/television work includes Lightning Jack, The
Last Hit, Lazarus Man, The
Last Stand at Saber River, Maniacts, The
Rambler, In Plain Sight,
and Longmire. When not acting, Paul & his
wife Susie are usually found in the greenhouse or
office of Aroma Fresca, their herb business. Paul
has been a proud member of Actors’ Equity
Association since 1980.
Kelley Hazen
Kelley Hazen* (Mercy
Lott) Albuquerque audiences may remember Kelley
in two of her favorite roles for the stage
- as "Lyra Amsted" in Wild
Distant Star for SW Repertory and as "Ariel" in
The Tempest for NM Shakespeare. Kelley currently
calls Los Angeles home where she has appeared
in numerous television sitcoms, episodics and
feature films, including Grey’s Anatomy,
Dexter, Entourage, Everybody
Hates Chris, MERCURY
RISING and the SINGLE SANTA movies for The
Hallmark Channel. Kelley is especially proud
of her work with screenwriter/playwright, Hurt
McDermott, having collaborated on four plays
and three feature films, including as "Detective
Burke," in the award-winning independent
film NIGHTINGALE IN A MUSIC BOX. Their latest
work, BLACKMAIL is soon to be released. Ms.
Hazen began her career in Chicago with work
at Steppenwolf Theater, Goodman Theatre, Northlight,
Victory Gardens, The Organic, Ivanhoe, Forum,
Royal George, Drury Lane and Chicago Shakespeare/Shakespeare
Repertory. Ms. Hazen developed the popular
and infamous Cafe Voltaire Underground Performance
Space - host to over 500 productions and 30,000
visitors from 1992-1995 and garnering 15 Critics'
Choice Awards. As well as work regionally and
Off Broadway, Ms. Hazen continues her stage
work in LA with award winning roles in 43
Plays for 43 Presidents, Gorey Stories and The
Complete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged. Ms. Hazen has
been nominated for Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson
award three times and for LA Drama Critics’ award
twice, once as a recipient. Kelley has been
a proud member of Actors' Equity Association
since 1983.
Bruce Holmes
Bruce Holmes* (Felix
Humble) most recently appeared with FUSION
this season as "Russ" and "Dan" in Clybourne
Park. Last season, he appeared in
the world premieres of The
Mayan Flute, You
Can’t Get a Decent Margarita at the North
Pole, and Tennessee Williams’ Once
in a Lifetime. Previous FUSION roles
include: “Michael Novak” in God
of Carnage, “Clown 2” in The
39 Steps, “Bill Fordham” in August:
Osage County, “Brother Timothy” in The
Mandrake, “William Detweiler” in How
the Other Half Loves, “Ned” in Parlour
Song, “Teddy” in The
Homecoming, “Ben” in Death
of a Salesman and “Christy” in The
Lieutenant of Inishmore. He also appeared
in FUSION’s children’s tours of The
Invention and The Lost Ending,
as well as in Jen Silverman’s award-winning The
Education of Macoloco (Samuel French
OOB Festival, NYC). Bruce has also directed
and acted in several annual productions of
FUSION’s The Seven: New Works
Festivals. In Seattle, he worked at
A.C.T., Center Stage, AHA!, N.W. Shakespeare
Ensemble, and The Empty Space Theatre. Bruce
has also performed with The Idaho Repertory
Theatre and in Washington, D.C. he performed
at Arena Stage and with the Washington Shakespeare
Theatre. In Virginia, Bruce appeared with The
Metro Stage Theatre. Recent film/tv credits
include the USA series In Plain Sight,
the feature film Fright Night and
the lead in Ultimatum Pictures’ Voiceover.
He received his BFA from the University of
New Mexico and his MFA from the professional
Actor’s Training Program at the University
of Washington. Bruce has been a proud member
of Actors’ Equity Association since
2005.
Jacqueline Reid
Jacqueline Reid* (Flora
Humble) is a founding member of FUSION. At
FUSION: Clybourne Park, Other
Desert Cities, Time Stands Still, Once
in a Lifetime, God of Carnage, The
39 Steps, August: Osage County, Overruled, A
Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, How
the Other Half Loves, The
Homecoming, Parlour Song, Suddenly
Last Summer, Private Lives, Hedda
Gabler, The Glass Menagerie, A
Streetcar Named Desire, The
Taming of the Shrew, Closer,
and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Regional: Romeo and Juliet, Agnes
of God, Crimes of the Heart, Tribute.
Film & Television: Heat Lightning (Best
Actress: Bend, Oregon Film Festival), Doc
West, Triggerman, In
Plain Sight, Unsolved Mysteries,
and True Confessions with
Adam Arkin. Directing credits include the regional
premiere of Doubt, Freud's
Last Session, Red, The Mandrake, Happy
Days, Death of a Salesman, The
Lieutenant of Inishmore, Buried
Child, Who’s Afraid
of Virginia Woolf?, A Lie
of the Mind, The Unexpected
Man, The Long Christmas Ride
Home and the world premieres of Mad
Hattr and You Can’t
Get a Decent Margarita at the North Pole.
She is a graduate of the North Carolina School
of the Arts. Jacqueline has been a proud member
of Actors’ Equity Association since
1983.
Gregory Wagrowski
Gregory Wagrowski* (George
Pye) has been working professionally as an
actor and director for over thirty years. He
served
as the Artistic Director for both the Smokebrush
Theater and The Colorado Actors’ Theater.
He has performed a variety of roles in theaters
across the country including the Public Theater
in New York, the St. Louis Repertory Company,
the Magic Theater in San Francisco, the Mark
Taper Forum, and the Los Angeles Theater Center
where he was an Artistic Associate for seven
years. He was a founding member of two theater
companies, The Old World Theater Company in
Chicago and The Noe Street Theater in San Francisco.
He is proud to be working with FUSION once
again, where he has been seen in productions
of Clybourne Park, Freud's Last Session,
Time Stands Still, You Can’t
Get A Decent Margarita At The North Pole, Once
In A Lifetime, Talk To Me
Like The Rain, and August:
Osage County. He has worked extensively
in both film and television where his most
recent credits include In Plain Sight, Odd
Way Home, Mad Men, The
Unit, Criminal Minds,
and ER. He has also recently
finished directing his first film, Matanza.
Gregory has been a proud member of Actors'
Equity Association since 1981.
Acushla Bastible
Acushla Bastible (Rosie
Pye) is a multidisciplinary performance artist.
As an actor, movement artist, and workshop
facilitator, Acushla has worked extensively
in Europe and the United States, performing
with Angel Exit Theatre (UK and Ireland),
The Laboratory for International Theatre
Exploration (NYC), Shakespeare Santa Fe,
The Santa FeOpera, Theater Grottesco, and
Littleglobe (NM). As a writer / director,
she has created pieces for the Santa Fe Opera,
Theater Grottesco, Words Afire Festival (UNM),
Todi Arte Festival in Umbria and the Festival
Internazionale dell’Attore in Naples.
With Angel Exit Theatre, she has been nominated
for awards at the Edinburgh and Dublin Fringe
Theatre Festivals. She is currently developing
a musical fable called COAL about
fossil fuel dependence, with composer Molly
Sturges.
Acushla is also on faculty at the Academy
for the Love of Learning, where she is
the Artistic Co-Director of Lifesongs.
She is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin,
the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, École
de Théatre Jacques Lecoq in Paris
and an alumnus of Lincoln Center Directors
Lab.
* member Actors Equity Association
the union of professional actors and stage managers
in the United States
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