MAIN STREET THEATER
1999 – 2000 MILLENNIUM
25TH TWENTY – FIFTH SEASON
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INDIAN INK
BY TOM STOPPARD
CHELSEA MARKET
SEPTEMBER 16 – OCTOBER 17, 1999
SOUTHWEST PREMIERE – In only the second American production of this play from the author
of Arcadia and Travesties, a young Englishwoman travels to India on the eve of that country’s
Independence and has her portrait painted. Fifty years later, a son and a would-be biographer
thousands of miles apart try to unravel the story of poet Flora Crewe and the Indian artist who
painted her against the backdrop of a country struggling to be free.
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DEEP DOWN
BY DOUG GRISSOM
TIMES BOULEVARD
SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 31, 1999
SOUTHWEST PREMIERE – Three people dig for very different treasure in Grissom’s 1998
drama, which will be the inaugural event of MST’s Common Ground, an initiative toward
diversification in theater. Set against the backdrop of the turbulent ‘60s, a black ex-con is hired by
a white Florida Farmer to dig for 16th Century gold while the farmer’s bored teenage daughter
watches. As relationships develop among the three people, what they eventually unearth are
remnants of a 19th century slave camp – and a racial prejudice on the part of both men that
threatens to destroy their trust in each other.
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OH, KAY!
BIG MUSICAL
MUSIC BY GEORGE GERSHWIN,
LYRICS BY IRA GERSHWIN,
BOOK BY P.G. WODEHOUSE
OCTOBER 21 – 31, 1999
The Roaring Twenties is the backdrop for a lively tale of rum-runners, British nobility and absurdly
mistaken identity. The irrepressible music runs the gamut from the nonsensical “Do – Do – Do” to
the unforgettable “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me.”
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STATE OF THE UNION
BY HOWARD LINDSAY AND RUSSEL CROUSE
TIMES BOULEVARD
NOVEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 19, 1999
This Pulitzer Prize – winning satire of American Presidential politics demonstrates that little has
changed since 1946 when a man’s ideals and his ambitions fight it out in the political arena. An
industrial mogul is urged by his mistress, a powerful newspaper publisher and Washington power
broker to consider a run for the Presidency. As he “tests the mood of the country” on a nationwide
tour, his accompanying wife, fully aware what is going on behind the scenes, encourages his dream
of giving the American people the government they deserve – much to the dismay of his handlers.
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JUBILEE
MUSIC AND LYRICS
BY COLE PORTER,
BOOK BY MOSS HART
CHELSEA MARKET
DECEMBER 31, 1999 – JANUARY 16, 2000
Members of a royal family, fearful of a revolution, try to hide themselves among the common
people of their Kingdom and discover that their lives have been greatly enriched by the experience.
Notable songs include “Begin the Beguine” and “Just One of Those Things.”
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DEFYING GRAVITY
BY JANE ANDERSON
TIMES BOULEVARD
JANUARY 13 – FEBRUARY 13, 2000
Houston Premiere – Our fascination with space flight is the launching pad for Anderson’s 1998
drama, which shifts back and forth in time as it encourages us to view things from a different
perspective. Sharing the stage in this stunning spectacle are: Claude Monet, whose Impressionist art
taught us to see differently; the Teacher / Astronaut, who tries to communicate her great dreams to
the children around her; an elderly couple in an RV, who imagine future hotels in space as they
watch the shuttle launch; and the NASA workers, whose lives are centered around making space
flight happen. The result is a moving story that will touch and inspire each of us.
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THE CHEMISTRY OF CHANGE
BY MARLANE MEYER
TIMES BOULEVARD
MARCH 2 – APRIL 2, 2000
Southwest Premiere – Lee, a venal divorcee, supports her numerous adult children (each of whom
has a different father) by marrying – over and over again. On the way to her 10th wedding, the
bride is side tracked by a carnival attraction and winds up marrying “Smokey,” the Devil himself,
instead. Her grown children meet the newest husband with astonishment and unease and soon find
they don’t care for the active role “Smokey” takes in their lives. This comedy sends us on a
roller-coaster ride full of the unexpected twists and turns in life.
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TBA
CHELSEA MARKET
MARCH 9 – MARCH 26, 2000
Several excting titles from the second part of the century are under consideration. When we have a
selection, you’ll be first to know!
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THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE
BY HARLEY GRANVILLE-BARKER
TIMES BOULEVARD
APRIL 27 – MAY 28, 2000
Written 95 years ago, this comedy still rings true as it examines the responsibility placed on those
who manage other people’s money. The Son of the Voysey and Son family firm learns from
Voysey Senior that the firm has been speculating with its clients’ money for three generations, not
only meeting the conservative interest payments they expect, but also supporting the family in a very
prosperous style with the leftover profits. The son must decide to continue the family tradition or
face eventual ruin and imprisonment. What follows is an examination of the place money holds in
our society and the morality behind the “art” of money management.