[Capdist-announce] Area Premier of "The Designated Mourner" Resumes December 3 & 4

[Charles Treadwell]

Area premier of "The Designated Mourner" 
December 3-4
 
D & M Productions will present the Capital District premier of Wallace Shawn’s The Designated Mourner
 at ZuZu’s Wonderful Life for two more shows the first weekend in 
December.
  
The play stars Ed McMullen, Sue Caputo and John Stevenson.
 F. Paul Dellio, who has collaborated with McMullen on several 
productions over the years, is directing. D&M Productions, founded 
by McMullen in 1997, specializes in areas premiers of two-and 
three-character plays. 
  
The Designated Mourner
 is set in an unidentified country run by a repressive regime, which is 
in the process of putting down a revolt from the long-oppressed 
underclass. The regime targets members of the liberal intelligentsia 
suspected of sympathizing with the rebels. The play is presented almost 
entirely in alternating monologues among its three characters: Howard, a
 revered intellectual and literary figure, whose history of dissident 
writings have put him in danger of retaliation from the regime; his 
loyal daughter and fellow intellectual, Judy, who shares her father's 
outlook; and her husband, Jack, once an admirer of Howard but now 
antagonistic toward the elitist or "highbrow" culture that his 
father-in-law and wife represent. As the government steps up its 
measures to quell the revolt, the consequences spill over into the lives
 of these characters, forcing either life-altering or life-numbing 
responses from each of them. 
  
Dellio has directed several quality productions over the past 30 years. These include: The Actor's Nightmare, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Murder In The Cathedral, Lady Windemere's Fan, A Man For All Seasons, Duet For One, Wrecks, Faith Healer, and Molly Sweeney. In addition to directing, Dellio, a former professional dancer and actor, is also a playwright.
  
  
McMullen adds the Jack role to a wide spectrum of characters he's played, such as Valmont (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), Frank Hardy (Faith Healer), Roy Cohn (Angels In America), Mr. Rice (Molly Sweeney), Donnie Dubrow (American Buffalo), Thomas Becket (Murder in the Cathedral), Henry VIII (A Man For All Seasons), Ed Carr (Wrecks), Tony Wendice in Dial M
 For Murder, and General Wallace (The Andersonville Trial). McMullen has also directed productions of Faith Healer, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Chinese Coffee.
  
Caputo,
 taking on the Judy role, is a seasoned actor, choreographer, and 
director. She has appeared in several productions at Capital Rep, NYSTI,
 Fort Salem Theater, and Theatre Voices. Among her numerous credits, she
 choreographed James Joyce’s The Dead and played Helga in M. Butterfly, both at Capital Rep; acted with NYSTI in Philadelphia Story, Man of LaMancha, King of Shadows, and A Tale of Cinderella. This past summer at Fort Salem, she played Stacy in the world premier of Star Crossed and directed and
 choreographed Forever Plaid. Caputo owns ZuZu’s with her husband.
  
Stevenson,
 playing Howard, is the co-founder of Pentimento Playback, an 
improvisational theater company that specializes in performing the 
stories of audience members. He was also a professional actor in his 
twenties, focusing primarily on Shakespeare.
 Stevenson performed the role of Robert in the first Capital District 
production of Betrayal in 1982. Stevenson and McMullen worked together 
in a 1989 production of Inherit The Wind at the RPI Playhouse. 
  
Performance
 dates and times are:  Dec. 3 and 4 at 8 pm.
  
Admission is $15. For additional information, call 518-522-7273. ZuZu's Wonderful Life Cafe is located on 301 Hamilton Street in Albany. 
  



      


      


      
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