Most people know Somerset Maugham for his celebrated novels and stories, but we tend to forget that he was also one of the most popular and important dramatists of his time. Revisiting The Circle, we knew at once that it was perfect for APT: witty, elegant and deftly plotted, its sparkling exterior hiding a tender and occasionally dangerous interior. The play boasts two love triangles, one of the older set, another of the younger. Lady Kitty left her family 30 years ago for a new husband and a new life. But now she's back, second husband in tow, to revisit what she left behind and to find her now-grown son dealing in a triangle of his own. The hall of mirrors that ensues is both funny and alarming, consistently entertaining, and, ultimately, devastatingly wise.
First Performance: Friday, July 30 8:00 p.m.
Opening Night: Saturday, August 7 8:00 p.m.
2 hours and 30 minutes including two 15-minute intermissions.
This play should be accessible to people over 14, as well as younger seasoned theatergoers.
| Director | James Bohnen** |
| Costume Designer | Anne Murphy |
| Scenic Designer | Junghyun Georgia Lee† |
| Sound Designer | Joe Cerqua† |
| Lighting Designer | Michael A Peterson |
| Voice & Text Coach | Ashley Smith |
Cast
| Elizabeth Cheney | Susan Shunk* |
| Edward "Teddy" Lutton | Marcus Truschinski* |
| Lord Clive Cheney | Brian Mani* |
| Lady Catherine "Kitty" Cheney | Tracy Michelle Arnold* |
| Lord Hugh "Hughie" Porteous | James Ridge* |
| Arnold Cheney | Paul Hurley* |
| Mrs. Anna Shenstone | Ally Carey |
| Butler | Paul Bentzen* |
| * | Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers |
| ** | Member of Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, an Independent Labor Union |
| † | Member of United Scenic Artists |
APT in the Wall Street Journal
| 8:16AM.September 03rd, 2010
New reviews of The Circle, Another Part of the Forest and Major Barbara from Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal.
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As the warm Wisconsin night closes in, so does ‘The Circle’ at American Players Theatre
| 8:52AM.August 16th, 2010
A review of 'The Circle' from Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune.
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Lovers Spar In The Circle
| 12:26PM.August 09th, 2010
A review of The Circle by 77 Square's Lindsay Christians.
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The ABCs of APT
| 9:35AM.June 14th, 2010
A 2010 season preview by 77 Square's Lindsay Christians.
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There is a high polish in the writing that gives The Circle a sheen of wit and erudition. Through much of its first act we are comfortably certain we know where we are: in a world of frivolous concerns about nothing much, tempests raging in elegant teapots and much clever talk to amuse us greatly and send us on our way. Then one character dares to bluntly speak a truth and the play pivots away from frivolity and pierces the heart.
Somerset Maugham, both as a masterful novelist and short story writer and as a gay man in a society where that wasn't condoned, knew much about masking, about secret longing, and about finding the courage (and sometimes selfishness) to risk much. He was also a healthy cynic who salted his romance with uncomfortable truths about the ravages time brings to even the most confidently fearless.
At the end of her wonderful novel, Mrs. Dalloway, written at almost exactly the same time, Virginia Woolf writes, "What does the brain matter, compared with the heart?" Maugham's play holds the mirror up and asks us to choose between an orderly, comfortable existence and the precariousness of romance. Why can't one have both, you ask? Why not indeed.
Let's see.
- James Bohnen
Gift of the Magi
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