Cleveland Play House

Wednesday, April 29 was the start of FusionFest 2009 at the Cleveland Play House.  It was also opening night for the world premiere of Heaven’s My Destination in the Play House’s Drury Theatre.

As described by Michael Bloom, the Play House’s Artistic Director, FusionFest is “new theatre… music and dance in the same building… an opportunity to move from one performance to another… a unique collaboration of Cleveland institutions… major national artists.”

FusionFest is the only multi-disciplinary festival of new work at a regional theatre in the country.  Participating in this year’s festival, in addition to the Cleveland Play House, are the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Orchestra, Verb Ballets, Karamu House, MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland) and the Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland.

The calendar includes:

Heaven’s My Destination, April 24 – May 17 (presented by Cleveland Play House)
Basil Twist’s Dogugaeshi, April 30 – May 3(presented by Cleveland Museum of Art)
What You Will, April 30 (presented by Mandel JCC)
FusionFest All-Stars, May 1-2 (presented by Verb Ballets)
Minstrel Show,  May 2 (presented by Karamu House)
A Girl’s Guide to Coffee, May 3 (a NEW Play Reading)
One-Man Star Wars Trilogy, May 6 – May 10 (presented by Cleveland Play House)
American Music w/Chamber Players, May 8 (presented by Cleveland Orchestra)
Pecha Kucha, May 8 (presented by MOCA)
U.S. V. Howard Mechanic, May 9 (a NEW Play Reading)

Heaven’s My Destination is a theatrical adaptation of a Thorton Wilder novel.  Thorton Wilder, one of the country’s greatest authors is, perhaps, best known for his classic play Our Town (1938) for which he won one of three Pulitzer Prizes.  Another play, The Matchmaker (1939/1954), was adapted into the Broadway musical Hello, Dolly!

Heaven’s My Destination is the story of George Brush, a traveling salesman, and his “quest to sell textbooks and save souls.”  As he travels through Depression-era America, he meets an odd cast of characters with often humorous results.  The acting is excellent and the eight members of the cast play more than 20 different characters.

Adapted for the stage by playwright Lee Blessing, Heaven’s My Destination is directed by Michael Bloom.

The Cleveland Play House is located at 8500 Euclid Avenue.  –Submitted by CMusselman

Editor’s Note: Read more about Cleveland Play House and its upcoming big move here.