Anna-what? Anna-who? Seriously…what is this show?! It’s an unrecognizable title, but don’t let that hang you up!
In this new play by Sharr White, our main man Ulysses writes an epic poem about his ex-wife Emma in which he uses climbing the mountain Annapurna as an analogy for their long, complicated, fractured relationship. The revelation of the poem comes at the end of 90 minutes of taut, natural, funny, heart-breaking, real, beautiful dialogue between these two layered and well-defined characters. And you couldn’t ask for two better actors than Christine Winkler Johnson and John Pokrzywinski n to play Emma and Ulysses. (Fun fact: Annapurna is the tenth highest mountain in the world, named after the Hindu Goddess of nourishment.)
Ulysses and Emma used to be married, until something happened and she left him. Twenty years later, she shows up at his door (specifically, the door of his dilapidated trailer home) in the mountains of Colorado. They spend the next 90 minutes reluctantly reconnecting and rehashing the past, trying to make sense of where they were and where they are now. The play is written as an intricate and beautiful dance between two people.
Don’t worry…the play is really funny too! It starts out lighter and more comedic, until secrets of the past are revealed and then it’s when Emma, Ulysses, and the audience are privy to some pretty heavy territory.
The entire play takes place within the enclosed space of Ulysses’ grungy trailer, save for a few wanderings out the door at the back.
If you need a review of the show before the actual one is printed, here it is: Annapurna is a smart, funny, poignant, heart-breaking, fierce play. It plays two weeks only (June 2-12), and if you love a captivating night at the theatre, this is the show for you.
A behind-the-scenes look at our set of ANNAPURNA.
Get Tickets
What: Annapurna
When: June 2-12, 2016
Where: The Duluth Playhouse (506 W. Michigan St, Duluth MN, 55802)
Show Times: Thursday – Saturday @ 7:30pm, Sunday @ 2pm
Ticket Prices: Adults – $27, Youth/Students – $20, Groups (15+) – $23
Buy Tickets: Online at duluthplayhouse.org or call 218.733.7555