Hyde Park Theatre News

The Lonely Highway and Athens v Sparta Rock HPT

2009-12-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

The Lonely Highway by Hans Frank
returns to Hyde Park Theatre.

Two nights only!
Friday, December 18 and Saturday, December 19 at 8:00 PM.

Tickets: $15

For reservations, call 479-PLAY.

Sloppy Sean returns to his old stomping grounds at The Hyde Park Theatre for two evenings of comedy, mayhem, and Rock-a-Billy. The Lonely Highway has been called a cross between Pee Wee's Playhouse and The Porter Waggoner Show, with a dash of Andy Kaufman.

Backed by the band Glambilly, Sloppy Sean will take you where few audiences dare to go.

Call 479-PLAY for tickets and more info.

And on Thursday, December 17 ATHENS v SPARTA rocks the Hyde Park Theatre. See why they have sold out The Cactus Cafe twice in the past year. Amazing musicians, great vocals, and narration by HPT's Ken Webster.

Tickets $10

Show begins at 8:00 PM

Call 479-PLAY to make reservations.

2009-12-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

Chronicle also raves about THE COLLECTION

2009-09-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Avimaan Syam wrote a lovely review of THE COLLECTION in The Austin Chronicle.

Arts Review

BY AVIMAAN SYAM

The Collection

Hyde Park Theatre, through Oct. 10

Running time: 1 hr, 15 min

Having never committed adultery myself, I can only theorize on the subtle art of deception required to mask an affair. There are details you need to know and details you definitely need not to.

Times. Locations. What someone wore. What someone did to someone else's unmentionables. Whether the affair actually happened or was entirely made up. It's enough to make your head spin, but it's those details that the characters of Harold Pinter's The Collection struggle with, bandy about, and continually deceive themselves and the audience over. Ah, Pinter!

Pinter plays live in the beyond. The horrible, amazing truth lives just beyond the next scene, hopefully, expectantly. Characters talk beyond what other characters know. Motives and meanings, directions and decisions live just out of the audience's perception.

There's this constant feeling that you're missing something, that you'll figure it out soon, only ... only it's Pinter.

And yet for all the looming questions and ominous portents, Pinter's works are incredibly subtle and wickedly comic. It's an intricate balance, but Ken Webster and the Hyde Park Theatre do a wonderful job walking that line with their performance of The Collection.

Bill (Joey Hood), a young dress designer, lives with the older Harry Kane. Their relationship lives somewhere between father and son and boy toy and cantankerous sugar daddy. An anonymous man starts pursuing the neat Bill, and upon their first confrontation we learn that the man, James, wants to meet the man that cuckolded him. Howdy, Bill.

The narrative that follows that revelation plays out like a never-ending status game. For a while, James commands the stage, brimming with the power of victimhood. Bill then trumps him by laying out details of the affair that James never knew. Harry pulls the knowledge right from under them. Anon everything switches, back and forth, status and power and pace. I'm not sure any playwright so vividly captures the power of silence.

If I'm going on about the play and not the production, it's because HPT's staging so truly catches the spirit of Pinter. I was reminded of a quote attributed to Shakespeare at Winedale founder James Ayres: "You're not funny; Shakespeare's funny." In other words, trust the text.

Webster's production trusts The Collection to be funny, dramatic, and engaging. The action is very relaxed, effortless even in its precision. There could be a lot of sound and fury in this did-they/didn't-they affair, but everyone's remarkably civil about the whole thing, which gnaws at the audience's expectations. We want fights, tears, professions of love. What we get is subtlety, silence, maybes. It's all tension and no release, and it's maddening, delightfully maddening.

Hood and Webster work so well together: Hood's Bill is prim, proper, and easily bothered, while Webster's James is cool, collected, unnerving. The acting throughout never seems more or less than it needs to be. And Paul Davis must be commended for another efficient, effective set.

There are so many veiled emotions inside a Pinter play; the relationships ever-changing, the character with the least power ending up with the most. Instead of getting lost, the Hyde Park Theatre cast makes it look easy in this engaging, comedic production.

Examiner.com review of THE COLLECTION

2009-09-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

Ryan Johnson reviewed THE COLLECTION in examiner.com

Harold Pinter is a difficult playwright to pull off. With his ambiguities, subtleties and pregnant silences, there’s just too many things that could go wrong in a production of his works, so when Hyde Park Theater decided to open their season with one of his works, theater fans were right to have some doubts. Thankfully, this production was in the able hands of widely acclaimed director Ken Webster, winner of more B. Iden Payne and Austin Critics’ Table Awards than almost any other person in town. Instead of picking from one of the playwright’s many intense dramas, Webster and company instead decided on one his darker comedies, The Collection. This story of two couples, and the confusion that arises from a love affair that may or may not have happened, is told not just in words, but also in long, lingering looks, startling moments of silence, and some marvelous physicality, and with a talented group of actors at his disposal, Webster is able to pull it off beautifully.
Hyde Park has a habit of finding some of the best actors in Austin to grace its stage, and their latest production is no exception. Ken Webster himself stars as James, a serious, stoic gentleman who has just discovered from his wife that she had an affair with another man, dress designer Bill, played by Joey Hood, seen previously in the acclaimed drama Killer Joe, as well as Hyde Park Theater’s bombs in your mouth. He plays the character with modest style and grace, as well as the healthy swagger of a successful young man. The wife, Stella, also a dress designer, played by Kelsey King, winner of multiple B. Iden Payne and Austin Critics’ Table Awards, is seductive without being too sexual, spending most of her time trying to come to terms with her admission of adultery. The stand performance out of the cast, however, comes from a character completely independent of these two couples, Harry, played by Ian Manners, a regular in Shakespeare works across the city, making his first trip to Hyde Park with this production, whose hilarious cantankerous old coot elicits laughter whenever he takes the stage.
What you get with a trip to see The Collection is the combination of one of Austin’s best directors, with one of the world's best playwrights, with some of the top acting talent the capital city has to offer, and the result is a sight to behold. The show will have audiences laughing, crying, even sweating with anticipation throughout its runtime, and you won’t want to miss a second of it. The play contains quite a bit of sexual conversation, and some suggestive themes, but there’s nothing so obscene that it should keep any teenager away who wants to get a lesson in classic theater. For those wanting to know about the theater of Pinter, or for those who simply enjoy a nice play, come on down to Hyde Park Theater to experience one of the greatest productions of the week.
The Collection is playing until October 10th at Hyde Park Theater. For directions, tickets, or information on their spectacular upcoming season, be sure to visit their website at hydeparktheatre.org.

Rave review for THE COLLECTION

2009-09-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

Spike Gillespie with The Austinist wrote a lovely review of our current production, THE COLLECTION by Harld Pinter.

The Collection, a play written by Harold Pinter and currently showing at Hyde Park Theatre, is purposefully ambiguous and, at times, flat out intentionally confusing. That said, the truly puzzling thing about the performance, which is directed by (and also features) Austin’s own gift-to-the-stage, Ken Webster, is this: In this town where the standing ovation is de rigeur, to the point that a gaggle of pre-schoolers toddling across the street can merit wild vertical applause, Webster and company did not receive a sustained, leap-to-their feet round of deafening clapping from the near full house in attendance last Friday night.

Which is not to say the crowd was unappreciative. Oh no. From the laughter that punctuated the evening at all the right moments, it was clear folks got what was going on— as much as one could get it. Maybe, then, everyone was just stunned into ass-stuck-in-seat mode at the end. Or perhaps they stayed down in hopes that the cast would come back out and run through the entire 73 minutes a second time. That would’ve been just fine.

Webster has impeccable taste when it comes to selecting plays. That said, more often than not he veers toward the incredibly dark and, oftentimes, violent. With The Collection, though, he has selected a piece that, while it certainly has enough dark emotional elements, doesn’t step into the realm of physical violation visited upon one character by another.

Instead, as we figure out eventually, James (Webster) is led to believe that Bill (Joey Hood) has committed adultery with his wife, Stella (Kelsey Kling). Toss into this mix the fourth character in the play, Harry (Ian Manners), who is some sort of mentor (or is that master?) of Bill—his decades younger “roommate—” and there’s plenty to keep the show moving right along.

And yet, though it does move, at the same time The Collection simultaneously has the pacing of an episode of Mad Men, which is to say Pinter does not rush the plot. The dialogue, also like Mad Men, is often succinct, and Pinter’s trademark pauses are more than a little pregnant. Thus when James confronts Bill, as he does more than once, often it is his long silences (accompanied by Webster’s excellent facial expressions) that get across his point. Think of Javier Bardem’s chilling quiet moments in No Country for Old Men.

When language is employed in The Collection, it is employed precisely and spot on. Here we have four people all working with more or less the same story and yet this same story is told, viewed, dissected, confirmed and denied multiple times and through widely varying perspectives. A pleasant confusion ensues for the audience as we are challenged to examine our own thoughts and feelings on infidelity, what constitutes “truth,” and whom we ultimately choose to believe.

Webster couldn’t give a bad performance even if Javier Bardem was directing him to do so with the sawed off barrel of a shotgun. Ian Manners, who happens to also be a UT Professor, perfectly inhabits the character of stodgy old Englishman, ever demanding in his silk dressing gown. Kelsey Kling is excellent as a woman who is either seeking to set things straight via true confession or hoping to stir shit up via the opposite—we might never know. But it is Joey Hood here who deserves the most kudos. No stranger to the HPT stage, he’s done strong turns in Killer Joe and Bombs in Your Mouth. But this is his most shining moment to date as a slums-to-manor bad boy, toying with those around him in a slow cat-dangles-mouse ritual. Put them all together on a set designed by design genius Paul Davis and, to understate the matter, there’s not a thing to complain about in The Collection.

The Collection runs through October 10th at Hyde Park Theatre.

THE COLLECTION on KUT

2009-09-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Michael Lee at KUT put together this great piece for Arts Eclectic on KUT.
http://kut.org/items/show/18148

The Collection opening weekend

2009-09-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

The first weekend of THE COLLECTION has been a joy to work on. Opening night's audience was smaller than we would have liked, but very responsive. Friday night's show was sold out and was one of the greatest audiences I've ever had the pleasure of performing for. Joey Hood, Ian Manners, and Kelsey Kling have been giving incredible performances. The set, lights, costumes, and sound are all top-notch. Looking forward to tonight's performance, as we close out our first of five weekends.

fronterafest - gladsome week #1

2008-01-16T04:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first of my five weekly FronteraFest 2007 newsletters. Last year ice ice baby forced us us cancel performances the first week. But this year nothing stands in our way, and the festival starts tonight! (And if you like, skip all my verbiage and go straight to the full week's schedule at the end of this email).

As ever since the dawn of time, we begin and end the festival with the Short Fringe. That's the unjuried free-for-all of performance, song, dance, comedy, and assorted madness at the Hyde Park Theatre. This week includes dog comedy improv, a ballet for a dog and red-haired girl (possibly no real dog involved in that one, I don't know), several pieces in which people do or do not speak to various body parts (yes including the ones you are thinking of), a meta-murder mystery, a Gnostic goddess, and WAY more. Admit it, you're intrigued! I can guarantee that every night will be unpredictable--come check it out.

And oh by the way you're invited to our justly renowned opening weekend party: Pink Avocado Catering (another fine sponsor) promise some luscious eatables this Saturday night after the Best of Week show (so beginning around 10:30p). We'll have good things to drink as well, so come on down to meet the artists and staff--it's always a great time.

Online tickets: thanks to our sponsor 4thwalltickets.com you can buy tickets online at www.hydeparktheatre.org (online is the ONLY place we can accept AmEx, by the way). You can also call 479-PLAY (7529)--or take your chances at the door, if you're feeling lucky. But many Short Fringe performances do sell out.

Finally, once again this year: You be the judge. Of the five shows that move on to Best of Week each week, four will be chosen by a panel as usual, but the fifth will be determined by audience vote.

No, wait, one more thing: evening covered parking is now available for HPT patrons in the lot at 4315 Guadalupe Street, just north of The Parlor (The Parlor is directly across 43rd street from the theater). You can reach the covered parking by driving through The Parlor's parking lot (just don't park there). Stop by The Parlor before or after the show for a slice of excellent pizza and a beer!

As ever, evening parking is also available at Kenneth's Hair Salon, just south of the theater, and at the Hyde Park Church of Christ on the northeast corner of 43rd & Avenue B. Once again, we are grateful to them both for their generosity.

HPT is located at 511 West 43rd Street.

For an up-to-the-minute schedules for all events and to buy online tickets--check out

http://www.hydeparktheatre.org

And all gratitude to our endlessly excellent sponsors:
The Austin Chronicle
KGSR
4thwalltickets.com
Pink Avocado Catering
The Austinist.com
Worley Printing
The Pilates Center of Austin
Motorblade

Next week I'll tell you more about the Long Fringe (January 22-February 3) (if you can't wait, get all the details right now on our web page). But for now, just luxuriate in the full week #1 Short Fringe schedule below.

SHORT FRINGE THIS WEEK

NOTE: Pieces each night are listed in the order in which they will be performed.

Tuesday, January 15, 8:00pm ($12)
"Ballet for Dog and Red-Haired Girl," by Hank Schwemmer. An open window and a long way down. Directed by Emily Fordyce with Elizabeth Doss and David Yeakle.

"My Vagina And I Are Not On Speaking Terms," by Nettie Hartsock. Monologue from I'll take the husband and two kids with a vagina on the side to go (work in progress).

"Junky Central USA," by Elizabeth Krieg, choreographed by RAD. Incorporates dance, acting, and poetry: news report of the state of the nation through the eyes of our favorite junkies.

"The Weiner Chronicles," by Alex Garza (Blue Spot Theatre Co.). In this new collection of monologues, Alex Garza dares to solve the mystery and rationalize the enigma that is man's phallic dependence.

"Buddy Daddy" (Coldtowne). Arthur Simone, improvisational actor, is joined on stage by his dog, Robin Goodfellow. Hilarious & adorable. This is not stupid pet tricks.

Wednesday, January 16 8:00pm ($12)
"A Genuine Plea to My Insides," (Listrunk) by Kelli Bland. A dialogue between the performer and her body.

"Uprise! Productions Presents: Cry Havoc Stage Combat." Warriors explore revolution using ancient customs and modern displays of physicality.

"Stand" & "Son of the Lizard King," by Jason Tremblay (Theatre Silica). In the past two years, these pieces have captured 17 audience awards including the Double Gold Star in Prague and Velvet Oar in Sydney.

"My Junior," by Anne Boyd (Ujima). A young mother struggles to save her son from the future she believes his race predestines him to lead.

"Apocalypse," by Elizabeth Cobbe (ASW Commission.) The world is coming to an end. Oops!

Thursday, January 17, 8:00pm ($12)
"Lube It or Lose It," by Sue Bilich & Abby November with Sandy Simon and Mary Elizabeth. American Senior Sex Therapist Association Semi-Annual Conference: Living Better Sexuality After 60: "Sexuality from puberty until you plotz."

"Wayne’s Big Body Part," by Kelley Estes (Angry Little Theatre). A short piece about a big piece.

"This Dream Is Short But This Dream Is Happy," by Sean Tribe (Emily Fordyce). A monologue about Las Vegas, redemption, graduate school and a Gnostic goddess who makes it all possible.

"Trigger Happy Jack," by Timothy Braun. A dream that leaves a girl with a decision to make. First southwestern production. Directed by Jeanne Harris.

"Improv for Evil" by Mike Kinald, Nadine Latief, Marc Majcher, Bob Apthorpe, Matt Pollock, Jason Vines & Eric Heiberg. Scene-based improvised comedic piece inspired by audience suggestion.

Friday, January 18, 8:00pm ($12)
"Princess Press-On" (Allison Landa). When does a cross-cultural experience go wrong? Both paralyzing and funny, this story is more truthful than it is comfortable.

"Relativity and Mr. Underfoot," by Hal Fulton. A lab borrows Einstein's brain for research ... but as usual, things don't go entirely as planned.

"A Meta-Murder Mystery," by Patton Quinn & Kerri Lendo. Comedy Variety.

"Brain Big: Excerpts from a play about female body image," by Priscilla Sample. Monologue. Director: Jenifer Carsud.

"Kawaisoo (The Pity of Things)," by Jason Grote (Capital T Theatre Co.). Both humorous and tragic, this one-woman show explores America's tendency toward commodity fetishism in the aftermath of 9/11.

8:00pm Saturday, January 19 BEST OF THE WEEK ($14)
This week’s panelists will choose four of the five Best of Week selections. Also, every night, the audience will vote for the show they would most like to see again. The top vote-getter of the week will get the fifth Best of the Week slot. The chosen plays will be announced by midnight, Friday January 18, and appear online Saturday morning, January 19.

**

Thom Pain Returns!

2007-11-12T06:04:00.000-08:00

That's right -- this is your early warning of the return of that dark and hilarious fellow from Hyde Park's extraordinary and award-winning production of Thom Pain (based on nothing), by Will Eno. The show premiered in Austin this spring, following a raved-about New York run, and was such a hit for HPT that we're bringing it back for a four-week run, beginning November 29.

After seeing Thom Pain, the Austin Critics' Table gave HPT Artistic Director Ken Webster (St. Nicholas; Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll; The Pillowman) their 2007 award for Outstanding Lead Acting -- and nominated the show for Outstanding Production for good measure.

If you saw Thom Pain this spring, you know what all the raves are about. If not, then this time around don't miss this hilarious, curious, heartbreaking, astonishing show.

The show runs at 8:00 PM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, November 29 - December 22. Every Thursday is Pay What You Can Night; Friday and Saturday tickets are $17 ($15 for students, seniors, and ACOT members). For reservations, order tickets online at www.hydeparktheatre.org or call 479-PLAY.

Hyde Park Theatre is located at 511 W. 43rd Street. Evening parking is available at Kenneth's Hair Salon, just south of the theater, and at the Hyde Park Church of Christ on the northeast corner of 43rd & Avenue B. We are grateful to them both for their generosity.

two for one this friday

2007-09-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Featuring Loretta had a marvelous opening weekend at Hyde Park
Theatre, selling out every show. But this weekend only, in the face
of the ACL Fest juggernaut, we're offering a special two for one deal
on Friday night--see below.

Why do you want to see this particular comedy this particular
weekend? Well here's what the Austin American Statesman wrote about
Featuring Loretta: "The ensemble nails the comedy with a superb
balancing act. Michelle Keffer deadpans Loretta, waiting in ambush
with perfect punch line timing. Noah Neal hinges and frets about the
erotic video plans from Michael, hilariously balanced by Ben Wolfe
between the extremes of lascivious sleaze and pitiable loner. And Liz
Fisher as Sophie, does the Slavic jokes while still providing a
simple earnestness."

And this Friday only, you can get two-for-one tickets when you make
your reservation by phone, simply by mentioning this email. Thursday
as always is Pay What You Can.

The show runs at 8:00 PM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays,
September 6 - 29, 2007. Every Thursday is Pay What You Can Night;
Friday and Saturday tickets are $17 ($15 for students, seniors, and
ACOT members). For reservations call 479-PLAY (7529); or you can
purchase tickets online at http://www.hydeparktheatre.org .

By the way, applications for FronteraFest 2008 are now available
online. Just Do it!

Hyde Park Theatre is located at 511 W. 43rd Street. Evening parking
is available at Kenneth's Hair Salon, just south of the theater, and
at the Hyde Park Church of Christ on the northeast corner of 43rd &
Avenue B. We are grateful to them both for their generosity.

Featuring Loretta opens soon

2007-08-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

The folks who brought you The Pillowman are at it again, this time with George F. Walker's sexy comedy, Featuring Loretta. A beautiful young woman is pursued by two suitors: one who wants to put her on a pedestal, and one who wants to put her in pornographic films. Austin Arts Hall of Fame member Ken Webster directs the Austin premiere of this light-as-gelato summer comedy.

Featuring Loretta features Michelle Keffer, Noah Neal, Ben Wolfe, and Liz Fisher, with designs by Paul Davis, Don Day, and Diane Morrison.

The show runs at 8:00 PM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, September 6 - 29. Every Thursday is Pay What You Can Night; Friday and Saturday tickets are $17 ($15 for students, seniors, and ACOT members). Hyde Park Theatre is located at 511 W. 43rd Street. For reservations call 479-PLAY (7529).