"Bengal Tiger of the Baghdad Zoo" Oct. 21-24 and 26-27
In late October, live firearms, ghosts and war will collide to bring “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” a play by Rajif Joseph, to Geneseo.
Serving as a metaphor for the United States’ involvement in Iraq, this production demands existential consideration. Director senior Kimberly Olsen said she will attempt to blur the lines between man and beast as the production chronicles the struggles of two soldiers and the ghost of a Bengal Tiger wandering through the drudgery of Baghdad.
Olsen said she is anxious to reflect on “a war [she] grew up with” and emphasize the true relationship between humans and animals - or perhaps animals and animals - in the face of war.
This Honors Capstone Experience project will test the minds of the audience and the skills of the director. Olsen appears to know what she has gotten herself into, however, calling the show “something that will really challenge me” and “quite an interesting play.”
“Bengal Tiger”—what Olsen called “not your normal mainstream show”—will run from Oct. 21-24 and 26-27 in the Robert E. Sinclair Black Box Theatre.
“Anything Goes”
Nov. 6-10
Geneseo’s department of theatre and dance’s upcoming production of the high-energy, classic musical “Anything Goes” is sure to have audiences laughing and singing along.
The show, which will run Nov. 6-10, features an exciting score by Cole Porter with memorable numbers such as “It’s De-Lovely,” “I Get a Kick Out of You” and of course the title number, “Anything Goes.”
Visiting guest director Melissa Rain Anderson called the show “the definitive 1930s musical comedy” as well as “one of the greatest American classics.”
“It’s a big dance show, which I am always interested in exploring,” Anderson said. She said that she intends to keep the zany, fast-paced production “buoyant, afloat and alive.”
Set on an ocean liner headed for London, “Anything Goes” tells the tangled yet charming story of Billy Crocker, a stowaway in love with debutante Hope Harcourt, who is engaged to a wealthy British nobleman. When a nightclub singer and a second-rate gangster are thrown into the mix, hysterical chaos ensues.
“Anything Goes” is an exciting and fun musical that is sure to have Geneseo audiences in stitches.
"Case Reopened"
Nov. 21-23
Veg S.O.U.P will present “Case Reopened,” an original play by junior Jennie Conway, on Nov. 21-23 in the Robert E. Sinclair Black Box Theatre.
In her first experience writing and directing a play, Conway created two main characters: Emma, a writer, and Lizzie, her detective alter ego.
Through Emma’s internal struggles, Conway explores the relationships that people have with others as well as the way they treat themselves.
“I really wanted to develop a female character that was very flawed, very emotionally scarred, and then show someone overcoming that and changing for the better,” she said.
The dynamic and relatable transformation of Emma, as she slowly opens up to her family and friends, guarantees a thought-provoking experience.
The play’s tentative audition date is Sept. 29. Conway said she hopes she will find enthusiastic actors with lots of personality. Because this script is an original work that has never been performed, Conway said she is willing to work with actors by adapting their lines to mesh more naturally with their individual personalities.
The production, described by Conway as “psychological [and] a little absurdist,” will surely present the audience with a complex look into an overworked mind.u