4th WALL THEATRE ANNOUNCES EXCITING 2010–2011 SEASON

4th Wall Theatre (formerly 4th Wall Musical Theatre) is a special favorite of mine. I started reviewing this company when they appeared at the Morristown-Beard School, followed them for a season to Kean University, then on to the 12 Miles West Theatre in Bloomfield until they landed at the Westminster Arts Center on the campus of Bloomfield College in Bloomfield.

4th Wall is known for tackling shows that are seldom performed and that celebrate a wide spectrum of visions and voices in the theater and for doing a stellar job with them. They make cutting-edge works accessible and foster a positive theater experience for the artists and the audience! It is always a revelation to attend a performance of theirs.

Executive Director Gwen Ricks-Spencer has announced the group’s 2010–2011 season, which opens with a double dose of comedy, followed by a concert production of a classic Broadway musical. In the spring, 4th Wall will present a workshop production of a new musical and will close the season with a moving and thought-provoking main-stage musical. New Artistic Director, Kate Swan is “thrilled to present a season of great shows which tell stories about art, love, forgiveness, and acceptance.”  (Scroll down for a special offer.)

The 2010–2011 season opens with a double-bill of one-act plays that hilariously tinker with the theatrical idea of the “fourth wall,” the company’s namesake. The Fourth Wall, by A.R. Gurney, tells the story of the worried husband and friends of a woman who has rearranged her living room furniture to face a blank fourth wall because she feels that if she can just break through it, she can make big things happen. This is teamed with The Real Inspector Hound, a classic by Tom Stoppard, about two theatre critics attending a murder mystery, who end up crossing the fourth wall to become characters in the play. The shows will run for two weekends, September 24, 25, 30 and October 1, at 8:00 PM. There will be two matinee performances on Sunday, September 26 and October 2, at 2:00 PM.
Tickets: General admission $20, seniors $16, students $15.

The season continues with a concert production of the classic Broadway musical Funny Girl, with music and lyrics by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill and book by Isobel Lennart. Brought to life on the silver screen with Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl is the love story of Vaudeville and Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice and her husband, Nicky Arnstein. The fantastic score includes such hits as “People,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “The Music That Makes Me Dance.” Presented as part of the theatre company’s “Off the Wall Series” the musical runs for only three performances on January 21 and 22 at 8:00 PM and January 23 at 2:00 PM.
Tickets: General admission $20, seniors $16, students $15.

4th Wall will again present a new musical as part of its M.I.D. (Musicals-in Development) Stage Series. M.I.D. Stage allows the audience a rare opportunity to see, hear and respond to a new musical, while still in development. 4th Wall is proud to give emerging writers the chance to see and hear their work in the context of performance. This season’s story is about forgiveness and faith; production details are not yet finalized and will therefore be announced soon. Performances are March 10, 11 and 12 with a 7:30 PM curtain to accommodate a talk-back session after each performance.
Tickets: General admission $15, seniors and students $12.



The season will close with a main-stage production of the musical, A Man Of No Importance, with book by Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. Written by the creative team behind Ragtime and Once on this Island, and based on the film starring Albert Finney, this moving musical tells the story of Alfie Byrne, a closeted bus conductor and Oscar Wilde devotee, in 1964 Dublin. As he leads his amateur theatre troupe toward a production of Wilde’s Salome at the local church, he struggles to find acceptance, not only from his sister, co-workers, the church and the world-at-large, but within himself. His quiet anthem, stating simply, “You just have to love who you love,” is a remarkable message for our time. The musical will run for three weekends June 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, and 18 at 8:00 PM with a matinee on Sunday, June 12, at 2:00 PM.
Tickets: General admission $24, seniors $20, students $15.

4th Wall Theatre performs at the Westminster Arts Center at the corner of Franklin & Fremont Streets, Bloomfield, NJ. Tickets for all 4th Wall shows may be purchased by calling 973.748.9008, ext. 279. Additional information is available at http://www.4thwalltheatre.org/.

SPECIAL OFFER: See all 4 shows for only $59 ($49 for seniors and students). Purchase your season subscription online at http://www.4thwalltheatre.org/ and save money!