June 13, 2011
For Immediate Release
CoHo Gets a Little Bit Naughty This Summer
Madder Music & Stronger Wine**
August 5 – 27, 2011
**2011 Portland Area Musical Theatre Award (PAMTA) Nominee
for “Best Original Musical”!
An audience favorite at CoHo’s Festival of World Premieres Summer last year, Madder Music & Stronger Wine is a musical revue exploring and ultimately celebrating erotica as it manifested in the Victorian Era. Madder Music & Stronger Wine takes the form of an informal salon of the era, combining witty discussion on entertainingly naughty subjects with rollicking new tunes with music by Sir Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) and lyrics by author Russ Cowan, a veteran of the local theatre scene as an actor for over thirty years.
As the nineteenth century wound down, there was an unusual flowering of art of every sort and variety. Madder Music & Stronger Wine explores specifically the abundance of high quality erotica that was a component of the time. Works by such luminaries as Oscar Wilde, Emile Zola and Mark Twain were notable for their frank social commentary on the effects of the Industrial Revolution, but also on the fringe element of human sexuality.
A cast of six actors portray hedonists and whores, cads and clergymen, rogues and royalty as they perform over two dozen roles, including literary characters from erotic novels of the day, the authors who created them, and even historical figures prominent in the Victorian Era. Returning talent from last summer’s World Premiere production include Catherine Bridge, Jeffrey Schoenfeld and author Cowan, along with new cast member Shannon Jones and longtime Portland favorite, Ron Harman.
Performance Schedule
The play runs August 5 – 27, 2011 and is presented in one act (running time approximately ninety minutes), and the curtain rises at 8:30PM on Thursdays through Saturdays to allow for cocktails and socializing before the show. Matinees on Sundays will begin at 2:00PM.
Ticket Information
Adults: $15
Seniors (60+)/Students/Educators/Groups (8+): $12
Thursdays are Pay-What-You-Will
(Prices do not include online/phone fees)
Tickets can be purchased by calling 503-205-0715 and more information is available at www.cohoproductions.org.
Performances are held at CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh Street, Portland, OR, 97210.
