[NEohioPAL] Nikolai Gogol's "The Gamblers" Opens!

[Kyra Burton]

The Gamblers

		 

		 

		CMA's VIVA! & Gala Around Town Presents Cleveland Debut
of Nikolai Gogol's The Gamblers

		
		"Gogol was a strange creature, but then genius is always
strange."  - Vladimir Nabokov

		 

		CLEVELAND (May 9, 2008)-The Cleveland Museum of Art's
(CMA) acclaimed VIVA! & Gala Around Town performance series presents the
Cleveland debut of Nikolai Gogol's The Gamblers May 22 - June 15, 2008,
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m.
at Kennedy's at Playhouse Square.

		Born April 1, 1809 in Ukraine, Gogol, is considered one
the most marvelous, unexpected and original Russian writers in the
world. Today, in Moscow, there are not just one but two statues of Gogol
- a rare honor for a writer. Gogol is credited with founding a whole
school in Russian literature. Fyodor Dostoevsky himself is believed to
have claimed, 'We all crawled out from under Gogol's Overcoat.' 

		The Gamblers was first produced in Moscow in 1843 and
was hailed by critics as "one of the most perfect dramatic works from
the standpoint of technique." This is a testament to Gogol's combination
of extreme economy, verbal dexterity, and brilliant comedic
sensibilities.

		The Gamblers is a hilarious romp about a professional
gambler traveling on a highly profitable con job. After stopping at a
provincial inn where he believes he is playing against local pinheads,
he's poised to pull off his perfect scam. Gogol's play is a brilliant
study of the grotesquery of human avarice. 

		There is a sense of farcical merriment in The Gamblers
that is soon revealed as utter emptiness. Something is very wrong and
all the characters are mild lunatics determined to fleece and outwit one
another while an absurdly logical force keeps them at their futile
tasks. 

		"Gogol's comedy is not a tale of the past," Massoud
Saidpour, CMA director of performing arts, music and film and the
director of the play, said. "While there is an ocean of distance between
19th century Russia and 21st century America, the parallels to our
contemporary time are striking. What better describes the hyper and
absurd greed which has brought about the current mortgage crisis and
many others and has ruined so many?" 

		            This production features Terence Cranendonk
and Fabio Polanco in the lead roles. The Gamblers is the second
installment of the project "Masters of Russian Drama." The first, Swan
Song + Confessions, featuring Dorothy and Reuben Silver, and Terence
Cranendonk; directed by Massoud Saidpour, played in the 2005-06 VIVA! &
Gala Around Town season. 

		 

		Cast

		Terence Cranendonk  (Mr. Rov)

		Fabio Polanco            (Mr. Tesh)

		Justin Tatum              (Lt. Kruger)

		Stephen Brockway     (Mr. Shove) 

		Allen Branstein          (Alexey)

		Skip Corris                 (Mr. Glove Sr.)

		John Busser               (Gabe)

		Gabe Riazi                 (Glove Jr.)

		Britt Moore                (Mr. Hel)

		 

		Production Team

		Melissa Ficocello, Set Design 

		Michael Burnett, Lighting Design

		Tim Kennedy, Sound Design

		Inda Blatch-Geib, Costume Design

		Kyra Burton, Production Manager

		Damien Price, Technical Director

		Jon Boomershine, Stage Manager 

		Elisa Hanna, Assistant Stage Manager 

		
		

		 

		Admission to the performance is $25; $23 for CMA
members. Special group and student rates are available. To purchase
tickets call the CMA Box Office at 1-888-CMA-0033 or online at
www.clevelandart.org/tickets. Limited seating. Due to the nature of this
performance, no late seating. The venue is not wheelchair accessible.
The Gamblers plays in Kennedy's at Playhouse Square located at 1501
Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. Parking is available in the Playhouse Square
Parking Garage.  

		 

	
* * *

		The Cleveland Museum of Art 

		The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality
and breadth of its collection, which includes over 40,000 objects and
spans 6,000 years. Currently undergoing a multi-year expansion project
that will re-imagine the museum, it is a significant international forum
for exhibitions, scholarship, and art education. The Cleveland Museum of
Art is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga
Arts and Culture.  Additional support from the Ohio Arts Council, which
helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic
growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
For more information on the museum, its holdings, programs, and events,
call 1-888-CMA-0033 or visit www.ClevelandArt.org
<http://www.clevelandart.org/> . 

		# # #

		 

		Photo by Janet Macoska.

		 

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