Photo by Troy Freund Photography
Rehearsal for Boulevard Theatre's ‘I Never Sang for My Father’
Rehearsal for Boulevard Theatre's ‘I Never Sang for My Father’
Mark Bucher’s Boulevard Theatre opens its 39th season with the Milwaukee premiere of playwright Robert Anderson’s 1968 family drama I Never Sang for My Father. The four-performance run takes place at Sugar Maple (441 E. Lincoln Ave.) on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 25 and 26, as well as on Friday, Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m. The final performance is on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 4 p.m.
Produced as an elevated concert staging without sets, the two-act drama concerns a family in the midst of the traditional struggle between parents and children who confront the emotional challenges of aging and divided loyalties. Bucher explains the play and its title saying, “Anderson, who, by the way, is known as ‘the dramatist of loneliness,’ has selected a title that reflects the universal desire for every child wishing to ‘sing’ for their parent or parents, so that they may both understand and be understood; so that they may give the love each child carries within themselves; and so that they will be accepted, and appreciated, by their parents.”
The cast of seven includes David Ferrie, Matt Specht, Joan End, Caitlin Kujawski Compton, Pat Sturgis, Bob Balderson and Angelita Colin, many of whom will be familiar to Boulevard audiences.
In recent seasons, Mark Bucher has opted for the streamlined “elevated concert staging” as a novel and artistic approach for his productions. While certainly economic, the choice to eschew traditional theatrical values that often rely on extravagant sets, artsy lighting and other technical effects to buttress lesser quality writing or acting, the “naked excellence” as Bucher calls it, of a concert staging demands a strong script and the actors’ sovereign stagecraft to deliver it. Of course, it also requires effective direction which Bucher has achieved over and over throughout his near four-decade long career. His more recent concert stagings have consistently received rave reviews.
Admission for Never Sang for My Father is on a “Pay What You Will/Can" or"PWYW/C" basis. However, patrons must reserve seats through boulevardtickets@gmail.com. There are a limited number of performances and very limited (40 guests per show) seating.
For additional information about this production and the Boulevard Theatre and details, visit milwaukeeboulevardtheatre.com.
