The Overcoat makes American premiere at The Bushnell
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts is proud to announce the seventh show of the 2004-2005 Broadway Series. The Overcoat, from the creative genius of Canada's Morris Panych and Wendy Gorling, will make its American premiere January 14-30, 2005 in The Bushnell's Belding Theater.
Based on Nikolai Gogol's short stories, The Overcoat and Diary of a Madman, and set to the music of Dmitri Shostakovich, The Overcoat is a brilliant and comedic piece that seamlessly integrates physical theater with sweeping music to tell a richly detailed story of the transformation of a common man's ordinary life when he acquires a beautiful new overcoat. Evoking the silent films of masters Chaplin, Keaton and Fritz, The Overcoat lampoons affected society while remaining an emotionally compelling and comedic account of the Everyman. Set amidst grandeur and poverty, 22 actors conjure the recognizable tale of how the need to be popular can inspire lust, envy and exquisite madness.
The Bushnell's involvement with this project, as a co-producer with Toronto's Canadian Stage Company and Glynis Henderson Productions in London, is a strategy to provide a broader range of very high quality programming for its audiences, and to play a larger role in the creation and development of exciting, new artistic works.
"This endeavor is critically important for The Bushnell and, most importantly, our customers," said Bushnell Executive Director David Fay. "It helps us ensure the availability of the highest quality touring productions, not only for Hartford but for other performing arts centers across the country. It gives us much more flexibility in choosing wonderful new productions for our audiences."
As the featured attraction at both the World Stage Festival in Toronto last year and the London International Mime Festival earlier this year, the production has been praised by critics and audiences alike. It continues an international touring schedule through 2004.
The Overcoat was first created and performed at the Vancouver Playhouse in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in October 1997. It returned to Vancouver again in 2000 and then toured throughout Canada. The production was also filmed for television. After it aired on Canadian National Television in 2002, it was nominated for nine Gemini Awards (the Canadian Emmys).
This Dora Award-winning production has also earned six Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards, including Best New Play and Best Director for creators Morris Panych and Wendy Gorling. Each breathtaking element of this show is combined to create a world of splendor and madness-from the award-winning set design, haunting lighting and striking period costumes.
The Globe and Mail called it "Dazzling, hilarious, enchanting, beautiful and haunting-It will make you laugh and send shivers down your spine." Variety called The Overcoat "A simple moral fable, told in truly remarkable fashion-a seamless piece of dance theater that operates on a grand scale."