Garage Theatre to Perform The Bald Soprano

A simple dinner party devolves into hilarious chaos and linguistic acrobatics in Eugene Ionesco’s comic masterpiece The Bald Soprano.  The cutting-edge Garage Theatre Group concludes its seventeenth season with a new translation of Ionesco’s absurdist triumph. 

The Bald Soprano will play April 21 through May 2 at the Becton Theatre on the Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, 960 River Road in Teaneck.

In the hysterically funny Bald Soprano, Mr. and Mrs. Smith invite Mr. and Mrs. Martin over for a cheerful dinner.  Polite dinner conversation turns to confusion, and an escalating battle on nonsense ensues. 

This new translation of Romanian-born Ionesco’s comic masterpiece is by Garage Theatre Group’s Artistic Director Michael Bias, who is also directing the production.  “It’s hard to imagine a better play to end our seventeenth season,” said Bias, who has also written and directed Summer of Love, Billie (with Gail Lou) and More Than a Soap Opera (with Ray Davies).

“In many ways, the past 17 years have been a walk through the history of the absurd,” said Bias. “We’ve produced plays by Beckett, Genet, Durang and Lee Blessing among many other experimental playwrights."

The cast of The Bald Soprano features the return of a quartet of Garage Theatre veterans.  Melanie Bell (Mrs. Smith) appeared most recently in Garage's production of The Wind In the Willows, as did Andrew Danish (Mr. Martin). 

Ryan Scott (The Fire Captain) appeared earlier this year as Billy Bishop in Billy Bishop Goes to War and before that as Chico and Harpo Marx in The False Servant. Amanda Yachechack (Mary, the Maid) grew up at the Garage, playing the parts of Maria In West Side Story, Chava in Fiddler on the Roof and many others.

Making their Garage debuts in The Bald Soprano are Megan McDermott (Mrs. Martin) and Brendan Walsh (Mr. Smith). McDermott’s credits include Three Sisters, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Spring Awakening.  Walsh has appeared in The Au Pair Man, Wait Until Dark and Vincent, as well as being seen regularly on TV’s One Life to Live.

As with every Main Stage production at The Garage, The Bald Soprano will feature post-performance “talk backs” among the cast and audience. “These talkbacks should be fascinating—for the audience and for us,” said Bias. “The Bald Soprano is such a strange, complex piece, we’re really looking forward to hearing the audience reaction.”

As part of its continuing commitment to making theatre available to all, Garage is offering several special opportunities to see The Bald Soprano:

•  The Sunday, April 23 performance is “Pay What You Can Day” for any tickets available at the door.

• Student Rush is available for all performances. At curtain time, any unsold tickets will be made available for $15 to anyone with a valid student ID.

• Special Senior Matinee – Wed. April 27, 2pm.  Seniors will be admitted for $25 per person for this show only.

 The Bald Soprano will be performed Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.  Tickets are $37 ($32 for students and seniors). Tickets are available by phone at 201-569-7710 and online at the Garage Theatre website.