Washington Square
A New Adaptation from the Henry James Novel
Written & Directed by Randy Sharp
October 5 - 29, 2022Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8pm
Adults $30; Seniors/Students $20; Artists/Under 30 $10; Veterans & Active U.S. Service Members and Their Families, FREE
Washington Square centers on Catherine Sloper, a wealthy young woman raised in a house of grief by a father bitterly dead to love. Surrounded by a society and family who perceive her as plain and soft spoken, Catherine remains steadfastly committed to her forward-thinking optimism. When Morris Townsend, a mysterious suitor, makes a bid for her heart, Catherine is torn between following her instincts or heeding the warnings of her cruel father and persistent aunt.
While the novel is set in a fashionable New York home during the late 19th century, Sharp's radical interpretation strips away all of the excess of the time period to deeply focus on Catherine's journey into becoming her own person. This sparse, actor-focused design heightens the psychological underpinnings of the story, building tension as the play hurtles towards its inevitable conclusion.
While the novel is set in a fashionable New York home during the late 19th century, Sharp's radical interpretation strips away all of the excess of the time period to deeply focus on Catherine's journey into becoming her own person. This sparse, actor-focused design heightens the psychological underpinnings of the story, building tension as the play hurtles towards its inevitable conclusion.
Featuring: George Demas, Britt Genelin, Jon McCormick, Dee Pelletier
writer / director: Randy Sharp
sound designer / original music: Paul Carbonara
stage manager: Regina Betancourt
asst. stage manager: Laurie Kilmartin
asst. director: Andrew Dawson
dramaturge: Marc Palmieri
light designer: David Zeffren
assistant light designer: Amy Harper
costume designer: Karl Ruckdeschel
Hair pieces provided by The Wig Associates
A special thank you to tdf Costume Collection
prop design/construction: Lynn Mancinelli
website & graphic designer: Ethan Crenson
publicity/PR: Everyman Agency
AXIS COMPANY
Artistic Director - Randy Sharp
Producing Director - Brian Barnhart
Executive Producer - Jeffrey Resnick
Running Time is approximately 80 minutes with no intermission.
Due to the configuration of the theatre late seating cannot be permitted.
Late arrival may result in obstructed view seating.
A face mask is now strongly encouraged inside the theatre.
We will offer flexible options for exchanging tickets and account credit if you cannot attend a performance due to illness or recent COVID-19 exposure.
Late arrival may result in obstructed view seating.
A face mask is now strongly encouraged inside the theatre.
We will offer flexible options for exchanging tickets and account credit if you cannot attend a performance due to illness or recent COVID-19 exposure.
“Ethereal tracks of music by Paul Carbonara fill the silence between the sequences of events, within the world of Catherine and Morris. With carefully sculpted, orange glowing light designed by David Zeffren, it is a dark world where characters, terrifically dressed in period costumes designed by Karl Ruckdeschel, appear and disappear from view. Storytelling by Randy Sharp, who adapted and directed the play, is so clear as each beat and new bits of information are released like delicate morsels.”
—Thater Pizzazz
“Randy Sharp's adaptation is distilled and focused, with scenes blending into one another with impressive fluidity...Her staging is gorgeously enhanced by some brilliantly evocative sound and lighting design work. Last but not least, the production's quartet of actors – George Demas, Britt Genelin, Jon McCormick, and Dee Pelletier – all do superb work, skillfully calibrating their performances to the theater company's intimate basement space.”
—Interludes
“Director Randy Sharp has done an exquisite job of adapting this tale of repression and quiet rebellion for the Axis stage in a lean 85-minute play that stays true to the book, and even, I dare say, makes an improvement or two along the way. The production's four-member cast bring their A-game to the material with humor and fine-tuned performances...Sharp has fashioned a gem of a play that may seem to some more present than past.”
“Washington Square created a beautiful hour and a half based entirely on excellent fundamentals: focused writing, excellent acting, and a compelling story about compelling characters. It left me happy--the final moment of the play felt like a flash of light.”
—StageBuddy
“The acting is of outstanding quality and remains on a high pitch throughout...Randy Sharp's new adaptation of Washington Square is both exciting theater and entirely true to its source material. The quartet of fine actors make this story of 1840's New York entirely credible and engrossing at all times. While it avoids the beautiful trappings usually associated with the period, it is so gripping that they are not missed for a moment.”
—TheaterScene
“Randy Sharp's new adaptation of Henry James' novel 'Washington Square' is a beautifully staged, perfectly acted, chronicle of the Sloper family in 1840s New York...Every moment of this 85-minute production is full and engaging, even the quiet moments, the transitional moments. Director Randy Sharp has, it feels, created a staging of movement, not just of bodies but of time, that seamlessly moves the story forward...The music composed by Paul Carbonara is part of this amazing production of sweeping compositions.”
—Front Row Center
WATCH The trailer for WASHINGTON SQUARE (2022)
