The Blonde, The Brunette and The Vengeful Redhead

by Robert Hewett
REGIONAL PREMIERE!

4/22/2010 - 5/16/2010

A cheating husband, a meddling neighbor and a dropped ice cream cone combine to shatter Rhonda Russell’s quiet, suburban life.  Seven very different characters each offer their own perspective of the day Rhonda went berserk – all played by a single gifted performer.  A captivatingly brilliant and heartfelt tour de force about loss and ultimate redemption. (Contains Suggestive Dialogue and Adult Language, Estimated Run Time: 2 hours including one 15-minute intermission)

Sponsor for show - WBUR

The Blonde, The Brunette and The Vengeful Redhead

CAST

Performer.............................................................Karen MacDonald

CREATIVE TEAM

Director...............................................................Melia Bensussen
Scenic Designer...........................................................Judy Gailen
Costume Designer.....................................................Arthur Oliver
Lighting Designer......................................................Dan Kotlowitz
Sound Designer.....................................................David Remedios

CAST BIOGRAPHY


 

KAREN MACDONALD (Performer) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Frankie), A Moon for the Misbegotten (Josie), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Martha), Blithe Spirit (Elvira). American Repertory Theatre: Over 70 productions including Endgame (Nell), The Seagull (Arkadina), Copenhagen (Margrethe), Donnie Darko (Kitty Farmer), Oliver Twist (Mrs. Bumble), A Marvelous Party, No Exit (Estelle), The Miser (Frosine), Othello (Emelia), Island of Slaves (Euphrosine), Olly’s Prison (Ellen), Dido, Queen of Carthage (Anna), Highway Ulysses (Circe), Mother Courage and Her Children (Mother Courage). Off-Broadway: Theatre for a New Audience, Roundabout Theatre, Second Stage, Playwrights Horizons. Regional: All My Sons (Kate Keller), A Civil War Christmas (Mary Todd Lincoln), Huntington Theatre Company; boom (Barbara), New Repertory Theatre; Third (Laurie Jameson), Portland Stage; Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Gloucester Stage Company; The Misanthrope, Berkshire Theatre Festival; My Heart and My Flesh, Infestation, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre; Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company; The Beauty Queen of Lenane, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Vineyard Playhouse; Shirley Valentine, Charles Playhouse; As You Like It, Twelfth Night, The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare and Company. National: Hartford Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, GeVa Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Buffalo’s Studio Arena, New Mexico Repertory Theatre, The Alley Theatre, The Wilma Theater, among others. International: Festivals in Asti, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Edinburgh, Avignon Israel, Belgrade; Duke of York’s Theatre, London. Directing: Woman in Black, Gloucester Stage Company; Surly Girl, Dressed Up/Wigged Out!, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Film: Orphan, What’s the Worst That Can Happen?. Television: Law and Order, The Crucible, PBS Frontline and American Experience. Awards: Elliot Norton Awards for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Olly’s Prison, No Exit; IRNE Awards for Othello, The Miser, The Provok’d Wife, The Birthday Party, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Education: BFA, Acting, Boston University’ School of Fine and Applied Arts. Teaching: Undergraduate Acting at Harvard University, Dramatic Arts at Harvard Extension School and Acting for Singers at New England Conservatory. Other: She is a Founding Company Member of American Repertory Theatre and Co-Founder of The Next Move Theatre.


PRESS ARTICLES

One actress, seven quirky characters - The Boston Globe

Loves of a Blonde - The Hub Review

"This MRT production is the total package" - Talkin' Broadway Review

Transformations - The Boston Phoenix (review starts under the picture of Karen MacDonald)

Betrayal, redemption in one-woman play at Lowell's Merrimack Rep - Wicked Local Acton

Karen MacDonald lights up 'The Blonde' at Merrimack Rep - Metrowest Daily News

MRT actress a sensation seven times over - The Lowell Sun

"Not to be Missed" - Zingology review

Seven characters are just fine for comedienne MacDonald - The Boston Globe highlights the many roles Karen MacDonald plays in the production.

Actress returns to MRT in one-woman play - Lowell Sun interview with Karen MacDonald.


BLOG ARTICLES

Scenic Designer Interview - Judy Gailen gives a sneak peak at her set design.

Backstage Interview with Stephanie Johnson - Emerson College graduate student Stephanie Johnson on being the assistant to the director .

THE BLONDE, THE BRUNETTE AND THE VENGEFUL REDHEAD VIDEOS & PHOTOS



Director Melia Bensussen and performer Karen MacDonald talk about Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s upcoming production of The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead by Robert Hewett, running April 22 – May 16, 2010.


Karen MacDonald in The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead.
Photo by Meghan Moore.




Karen MacDonald in The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead.
Photo by Meghan Moore.


Karen MacDonald in The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead.
Photo by Meghan Moore.




Karen MacDonald in The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead.
Photo by Meghan Moore.