Lyric Stage Company of Boston Presents Moises Kaufman's 33 VARIATIONS, 1/4-2/2

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston presents Moisés Kaufman's 33 VARIATIONS, January 4 - February 2, 2013. Performances begin Friday, January 4, 8pm, with the press opening slated for Sunday, January 6, 3pm.

Drama, memory, and music combine to transport you from present-day New York to 19th-century Austria as a mother comes to terms with her daughter and a composer comes to terms with his genius - while both strive to overcome progressive physical hurdles. Separated by 200 years, these two people share an obsession that transcends the boundaries of time. Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project, Gross Indecency) has written an extraordinary play about passion, parenthood, the creative process, and the moments of beauty that can transform life.

The play simultaneously examines the creation of Beethoven's piano masterpiece the Diabelli Variations, and the struggle of a musicologist, Katherine Brandt, to discover why Beethoven was compelled to compose thirty-three distinct variations on a simple, uninspired theme. The progression of her ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and her relationship with her daughter are also themes, as is Beethoven's growing deafness.

The action takes place both in the present and in Beethoven's time, switching back and forth between contemporary New York City to Bonn, Germany and Vienna, Austria in the late 1800s.

The play includes excerpts from the Diabelli Variations performed live.

CREATIVE TEAM:

Directed by Spiro Veloudos
Scenic Design, Cristina Todesco**
Costume Design, Charles Schoonmaker**
Lighting Design, Karen Perlow
Sound Design, Brendan Doyle
Projections Design, Shawn Boyle**
Production Stage Manager, Maureen Lane*
Assistant Director, A. Nora Long
Assistant Stage Manager, Samantha Setayesh

FEATURING:

Paula Plum* Dr. Katherine Brandt
Dakota Shepard Clara Brandt
Kelby T. Akin* Mike Clark
James Andreassi* Ludwig van Beethoven
Will McGarrahan Anton Diabelli
Maureen Keiller* Dr. Gertrude Ladenburger
Victor L. Shopov Anton Schindler

Catherine Stornetta Pianist

*Member of Actors Equity Association (AEA) ** United Scenic Artists (USA-Local 829)

The production runs January 4 - February 2, 2013, Wednesdays, Thursdays - 7:30pm and Wednesday matinees - 2pm, January 9 & 30, Fridays - 8pm, Saturdays - 3pm & 8pm and Sundays - 3pm.

Post-show talkbacks: Sundays, January 6 & 20 after 3pm performance. Press opening: Sunday, January 6, 3pm. VIP opening: Wednesday, January 9, 7:30pm (post-show reception with cast and crew - open to all ticket holders).

The Lyric Stage is located at 140 Clarendon Street, Copley Square, Boston, Mass. Tickets: $25 - $58. Seniors - $5 off regular price. Student rush - $10. Group rates available. Box Office: 617-585-5678 or online: lyricstage.com.

ABOUT THE CAST/CREATIVE TEAM:

Kelby T. Aiken* (Mike Clark) appeared at The Lyric Stage during the 2008-09 season in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and during the 2010-11 season in The Understudy. Other area credits include Hamlet, Paul, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Glass Menagerie, Romeo and Juliet, and Much Ado About Nothing (Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre), Take Me Out (Foothills Theatre), As You Like It and Curse of the Starving Class (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company/American Voices Reading Series), Richard III, A Christmas Carol (2007), and All the King's Men (Trinity Repertory Company), and The King Stag (Elemental Theatre). Kelby has also worked with Guerilla Shakespeare Project on productions in RI and NY. He received his M.F.A. in Theatre Studies from Brown University. More information on his work can be found at brown.edu/Departments/Trinity/actor-kelbytakin

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