WESTON, VT (June 22, 2022) – Weston Theater Company announces the beguiling Sondheim musical: MARRY ME A LITTLE, playing July 6 – July 30 at Walker Farm.
Rife with whimsy and elegant reveries, this dialogue-free revue conceived and developed by Craig Lucas and Norman René shapes a story of longing in Manhattan. Tony Award winner and legendary composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s “songs that got away” breathes life into the yearnings of two single dreamers who live in the same building, just one floor between them. Alone in their separate apartments on a Saturday night, they imagine sweet fantasies and dream of love. This charming and bittersweet musical finds meaning in a collection of sparkling songs from Anyone Can Whistle, Follies, Company, Forum, A Little Night Music, and other favorites.
“Marry Me a Little is a multifaceted gem of a musical, full of Sondheim’s rich and witty song and poetry and tremendously evocative of the stories and experiences we all have shared so recently,” says Weston’s Executive Artistic Director Susanna Gellert. “David Bonanno and Margo Seibert, beloved stars of Weston, are as excellent as ever in this bittersweet and charming exploration of love, loss, and hope.”
Returning to Weston to direct is Tony- and Olivier Award-nominated actor and Obie-winning director, Michael Berresse. His previous Weston productions include Once, Million Dollar Quartet, Next to Normal, Peter and the Starcatcher, Round and Round the Garden, and the world premiere of Analog & Vinyl. Berresse has appeared in over 9000 performances on Broadway including Kiss Me, Kate (Tony nom.), The Light in the Piazza, [title of show] (director, OBIE award), The Cher Show, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Damn Yankees, and Guys and Dolls among others. Other direction: Darling Grenadine (Roundabout), The Golden Apple (Encores!), Now. Here. This. (Vineyard), The Last Five Years (ACT).
Berresse’s talents will be musically complemented by a familiar face to Weston audiences, Music Director Yan Li. Li’s most recent work with Weston was seen in An Iliad and The Fantasticks (2019). Other recent music direction includes Fun Home (NYU), Ah, Wilderness! (Hartford Stage), Promenade (NYU), Oh What a Lovely War (Marymount), Anna Karenina: a riff (Notch Theatre), Marguerite (Astoria Performing Arts Center), Age of Innocence (Hartford Stage, McCarter Center), and Side Show (Trinity Rep). His work as a composer/lyricist includes Made In China (NY Times Critics’ Pick), The Ghost Says Boo, Sweet Nothings, Enjoy the Ride, The Puzzling Disappearance of Yinxing Villa, and Bethune: The Musical.
The cast features longtime Weston veteran David Bonanno as The Man, an aspiring novelist; and 2020 Drama Desk Awardee Margo Seibert as The Woman, a singer-songwriter stuck in the 70s. Bonanno’s memorable productions at Weston over the past 35 years include An Iliad, Fun Home, Vanya and Sonia, and Masha and Spike, The Music Man, Stones in His Pockets, The Full Monty, Of Mice And Men, Death Of A Salesman and Floyd Collins. He was in the original Broadway company of The Light In The Piazza, the Chicago companies of Ragtime and Lend Me A Tenor and the National Tour of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. He has been seen regionally at The Goodman, Indiana Rep, Milwaukee Rep, Delaware Theatre Company, Shaker Bridge, and Northern Stage.
Joining Bonanno is treasured Weston veteran Margo Seibert (2019’s Always..Patsy Cline). She received a 2020 Drama Desk Award for her performance in Octet at Signature Theatre Company. The award-winning musical was recently reprised at Berkley Rep. Other theater credits: Broadway: Rocky (Drama League Award Nomination), In Transit. Off-Broadway: Unknown Soldier, The Thanksgiving Play; Tamar of the River (Drama Desk Award Nomination), The Undeniable Sound of Right Now. Television: FBI: International, Instinct, Elementary, The Good Cop, and Boardwalk Empire.
Says Director Michael Berresse: “The opportunity to present a treasure trove of rarely heard material from one of our greatest ever musical theatre artists doesn’t come around every day. For that reason alone, Marry Me a Little is a gift. The immense charm, insight, and beauty of these extraordinary Sondheim songs also offer a timely reminder that from moments of isolation can emerge great joy, humor, and inspiration. Add in Margo and David’s exquisite talents and Marry Me a Little is yet another example of Sondheim’s uncanny ability to make “being alive” endlessly entertaining
MARRY ME A LITTLE plays at Walker Farm (703 Main Street, Weston, VT). Adult tickets range from $50-74. “Pick Your Price” Subscription tickets start at $39. Discounts are available for students, veterans, and Vermont residents. Prices do not include sales tax.
Following MARRY ME A LITTLE, take a psychedelic journey with HAIR, visit the small town of Chinquapin in STEEL MAGNOLIAS, and reminisce with the music of Woody Guthrie in WOODY SEZ. Subscriptions and tickets are available online and by calling the Weston Box Office at 802-824-5288.
Weston Theater Company builds on and enhances the unique assets of its Vermont village campus to produce a diverse, entertaining, and challenging season of live professional theater and high-impact events; enrich the theater-going experience with education and outreach programs for all ages; and make significant contributions to the American theater through training programs, play development, and retreats. It is a non-profit organization supported in part by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever-growing family of individuals and organizations who believe in the impact the performing arts make on its community. Learn more at westontheater.org