2008 Iowa Summer Repertory Theatre

Experiencing a live performance is an exhilarating, intimate event unlike any other. We invite you to keep that love alive and treat yourself to a summer of dynamic and distinctive performances from the UI Division of Performing Arts.

Down the Rabbit Hole
Three Plays by David Lindsay-Abaire

“Curiouser and curiouser,” cried Alice on her fantastic adventure down the rabbit hole in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Like the wild, upside-down world in Carroll’s famous tale, the plays of David Lindsay-Abaire take us into strange, parallel universes rich with quirky characters, unexpected twists and turns and non-stop hilarity.

One of the fastest rising stars in contemporary American theatre, Lindsay-Abaire floored audiences and critics in 1999 with the off-Broadway hit, Fuddy Meers. His follow-up plays Wonder of the World and Kimberly Akimbo further established him as a major comic talent and had critics searching for new superlatives.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Lindsay-Abaire made his Broadway debut—and picked up the 2007 Pulitzer Prize—for his exquisitely touching drama, Rabbit Hole, about a family coping with the accidental death of their four-year-old son. While seeming to be a stylistic U-turn from his abstract comedies, Rabbit Hole resonates with the same emotional exploration found in all his plays—the plight of ordinary people finding themselves in unexpected circumstances in a world that doesn’t make sense anymore.

In comedy or drama, through laughter or tears, Lindsay-Abaire deftly steers his characters through harrowing circumstances until they find their way through the rabbit hole and emerge stronger and wiser, with the ability to cope against the infinite possibilities of human experience.

Wild and whimsical, compassionate and honest, these are extraordinary stories by an extraordinary playwright. It is our pleasure to share them with you.

Now in our 25 th season of presenting the works of a single, contemporary playwright, Iowa Summer Rep has forged a tradition of theatre that is uniquely exciting, provocative and always entertaining. The 2008 season brings together the wonderful talent of David Lindsay-Abaire, a fine company of professional actors, and Iowa’s very own natural beauty.

No event in Iowa quite compares to the magic and charm of Iowa Summer Rep, and evenings at the festive “Dinner on the Patio” are among the greatest summer pleasures anywhere. Our outdoor patio overlooking the Iowa River is a magical setting for summer evening dining and camaraderie before each evening performance. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Call 319-335-3105.

Wonder of the World June 26, 27, 28, 29 (2 pm) July 3, 4 (6 pm), 5 Directed by Eric Forsythe E. C. Mabie Theatre Cass Harris has a list of 267 things she’s determined to do in her lifetime (learn Swedish, find her soulmate, go on The Newlywed Game), if only she wasn’t stuck in a claustrophobic marriage. When she discovers a twisted little secret in her husband’s sweater drawer, she seizes the opportunity to throw herself back into life and, inspired by a Marilyn Monroe movie, heads to Niagara Falls. On her hilarious adventure of self-discovery Cass is quickly checking items off her list as she crosses paths with a lovelorn alcoholic, a marriage therapist who moonlights as a clown, a salty sea captain, a pair of fumbling private detectives and a strange caper involving a gargantuan jar of peanut butter, all of which pushes her perilously close to the water's edge. [Purchase Tickets]

Rabbit Hole July 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,13 (2 pm) 15, 16, 20 Directed by Mary Beth Easley Theatre B If only a doting father hadn't bought his boy a dog; if a loving mother had double-checked the latch on a gate; if on a fateful day, a teenager had taken another route home. These are the "what-ifs" and "if-onlys" in David Lindsay-Abaire’s stunning drama about a couple struggling to cope with the accidental death of their young son. A departure from his trademark absurdist comedy, Lindsay-Abaire’s bittersweet, rich and humorous play journeys from darkness to light with empathy, hope and great imagination. Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and five Tony Award nominations, Rabbit Hole reminds us of the power of the human spirit to heal and know that in the face of tragedy, we can, ultimately, live on. [Purchase Tickets]

Fuddy Meers July 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26 Directed by Sean Paul Bryan E. C. Mabie Theatre An alarm clock rings and a woman sits up in bed. She doesn't know where she is or how she got there. In fact, she can't remember anything, including her own name. Living with psychogenic amnesia means that Claire wakes up each day starting from scratch to put together the puzzle of her life. But today she’s about to find a few missing pieces. A lisping, ski-masked man appears out of nowhere and kidnaps her to the house of her mother, a stroke victim with a speech impediment who desperately tries to protect her from her true past. But in this distorted world, nothing is what it seems. A hodgepodge of astoundingly bizarre characters collide and ricochet through this hilarious who-dun-what, taking us on a rollicking ride into ever-increasing mayhem. [Purchase Tickets]