Événement

"Mrs. Mozart," a play by Michael Lankester

The Sanctuary Series presents a special benefit performance of Mrs. Mozart, a one-woman play written and directed by Michael Lankester based on conversations Constanze Mozart had with English tourists in 1829 interspersed with the great composers music performed on piano by Mr. Lankester. The performance will be followed by a "Viennese" reception.

The remarkably evocative play, which will be staged in the Sanctuary of the South Salem Presbyterian Church, has been extremely well-received wherever performed since it premiered in the United States in 1999 at The Bushnell in Hartford with Estelle Parsons starring as Constanze.

For this production, the part of the great composers widow will be played by Brenda Curtis. A veteran of the American stage, Ms. Curtiss acting career spanned decades. A leading lady across the US and Canada, she performed in many classics of the theater. Twice directed by Jose Ferrer, she acted with him in "The Dresser," and has performed with such other notables as Rosemary Harris, Van Johnson, Jean Marsh, Robert Guillaume and Paul Hecht. A resident of South Salem where she raised her two boys, her husband is Broadway actor John Bergstrom.

Conductor, composer, arranger and commentator, Michael Lankester has recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, was conductor-in-residence at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra for 15 years. A former Music Director of the National Theater of Great Britain, Mr. Lankester worked with many distinguished directors including Jonathan Miller, John Dexter, Ingmar Bergman and Franco Zeffirelli. He collaborated extensively with Laurence Olivier composing and recording scores for numerous plays and television productions and served as conductor for the inaugural production of Tom Stoppard's play "Every Good Boy Deserves a Favour."

Through his play, Mr. Lankester, reveals how the much-maligned wife of the frenetic and childlike Mozart was actually an ideal companion who created an environment within which he could flourish.