The Minutes opened at Springer Opera House this weekend after much anticipation about the show. A markedly-brilliant combination of comedy and mystery, this is a show that consistently has audience members on the edge of their seats.
Sound like something you'd love? Here are four things to know about The Minutes before you see it at the Springer Opera House this month...
1) It's a Pulitzer Prize nominee for Drama.
The original production received critical acclaim from countless publications worldwide. The show was called "a biting American allegory" by The Guardian and reviewed as a "cunning, sensational indictment of American democracy" by Variety. Known for its witty management of audience expectations and orchestration of genuine surprise, The Minutes was honored with a Pulitzer Prize nomination for drama. In short, this is not just a regular play. This is one marked as a standout among its genre, and a show everyone should see at some point.
2) It's also a Tony Nominee for Best Play.
It's true. In addition to being nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, The Minutes also received a Tony Award nomination for its "scathing comedy... {which] exposes the ugliness behind some of our most closely-held American narratives while asking each of us what we would do to keep from becoming history’s losers." (http://www.steppenwolf.org/) Though the play ultimately lost the Tony Award to The Lehman Trilogy, The Minutes is widely regarded as one of the theatrical masterpieces of our time.
3) The Springer Opera House's production is longtime Springer director Paul Pierce's Swan Song.
The Minutes has been called Paul Pierce’s directorial swan-song by the Springer Opera House. The production follows Pierce's recent retirement after 35 years as Springer’s producing artistic director. Pierce has chosen a cast that is tailor-made for the unique requirements of a play that is equal parts comedy, mystery and suspense.
4) The Springer production's cast features an impressive lineup of Hollywood and Broadway veterans.
When you see The Minutes at the Springer, expect to see a cast full of big names in the industry. Highlights include Ned Bridges, Brian Reddy, and Ann Hearn. Do those names sound familiar?
Pierce’s cast of Springer veterans also includes longtime collaborator, Ned Bridges (A Tuna Christmas, The Play That Goes Wrong, Mother of Rain), Tim Abou-Nasr (Escape to Margaritaville, California Dreamin’, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), David Millstone (Frost/Nixon), Isabella Minter (Evil Dead:The Musical, The Cake), Christian Becerra (Cabaret, Murder on the Orient Express), Marcus Johnson (The Bodyguard), Richard Daniel (Sweeney Todd, The Cake), Courtlyn Holt (Little Shop of Horrors, Murder on the Orient Express) and Tate LeClair (Beauty and the Beast, The Play That Goes Wrong).
Also in the cast is Brian Reddy, an actor audiences will easily recognize from movies like ‘Casino’ and ‘O, Brother Where Art Thou?’ and from tv shows ‘Seinfeld’,’House of Cards” and ‘The X-Files.’ His Broadway credits include ‘Finian’s Rainbow’, ‘Dinner at Eight’ and ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ with Scarlett Johansson. Reddy plays the role of Carp who catapults the plot into orbit following a shocking revelation. Reddy has shared the silver screen with Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, George Clooney, Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton and Dustin Hoffman. He has been directed by Martin Scorsese, the Coen Brothers, Mike Nichols and John Housman, among others.
Another notable name in the cast is Ann Hearn. The actress made her mark early in her Hollywood career as the beloved Margaret Fouch in ‘Evening Shade’ alongside Burt Reynolds, Hal Holbrook, Marilu Henner, Ossie Davis and Michael Jeter. Hearn appeared with Jodie Foster in ‘The Accused’ and with Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte in ‘Lorenzo’s Oil.” Hearn is a busy Los Angeles stage director, notably at Skylight Theatre, the Road Theatre Company in Hollywood and Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills. Her most recent directorial work is the acclaimed premiere of Steve Yockey’s hit, ‘Mercury’ at the Road Theatre Company. In ‘The Minutes,’ Hearn plays the headstrong grande dame, Innes. Hearn is married to legendary Hollywood character actor, Stephen Tobolowsky.
The Minutes runs through April 21. For tickets, click here!