The William and Mary theatre department will host a preview of its next fall production in Andrews Hall tonight at 9:30 p.m. The event, a “’90s Celebrity Dance Party,” is a fundraiser for Broadway Cares: Equity Fights AIDS, but will also serve as a special premiere for the new show, “As Bees in Honey Drown.”
p. The comedy, written by Douglas Carter Beane, is the story of a young writer’s brush with fame. As an up-and-coming novelist, Evan Wyler is courted by smooth-talking agent Alexa Vere de Vere. She is smart, pretty and crooked, and makes her living feeding on naive wannabes who fall for her spiel about how to get famous fast. She captivates Evan with glam and glitz, red carpets and VIP rooms, but he soon realizes that the world of celebrities is not all it’s cracked up to be.
p. Widely acclaimed as Beane’s best play to date, the show premiered off-Broadway in New York City in 1997. It won several awards, including the Outer Critics Circle John Gassner playwriting award, and is now being featured in a traveling production as well as on college campuses.
p. “As Bees in Honey Drown,” directed by Christopher Owens, will officially open Nov. 30 in Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall. Performances will run at 8 p.m. through Dec. 2, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Dec. 3. Opening night will feature a red carpet entrance as well as several campus and local celebrities.
p. Tickets will go on sale Nov. 19. General admission is $8, but only $5 for students. Call the box office at 221-2674 for details.
The play will contain brief nudity and is recommended for mature audiences only.