Eugene O'Neill Theater

Preview started : 9th February 2009
Opened: 9th March 2009
Limited engagement until : 24th May 2009

"It’s a fine line between brittle and breakable. Jane Fonda blurs that distinction to memorable effect"
Ben Brantley, New York Times

Jane Fonda returns to Broadway as a musicologist racing against time to unravel one of Beethoven's towering obsessions as well as her own legacy.

In 1819, fledgling publisher Anton Diabelli commissioned 50 composers to write a variation on a waltz he had created. Beethoven rejected the invitation, dismissing Diabelli's waltz as ordinary. He then obsessively created 33 variations on Diabelli's theme. Why?

Kaufman's play weaves Beethoven's artistic journey with that of Katherine, a musicologist deciphering clues left behind in Beethoven's notebooks and letters and wondering about her own obsession with genius.

Katherine's obsession takes her from present-day New York to 19th century Austria. As the music that consumes Katherine comes to life on stage, she races against time to find common ground with her daughter and to embrace the legacy of her own life.

Oscar & Emmy Award winning Jane Fonda made her Broadway debut in the 1960 play There Was a Little Girl for which she earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured actress. Her last appearance on Broadway was in the 1963 drama Strange Interlude. 33 Variations marks her return to Broadway after 46 years.

Creators
Written & Directed by: Moisés Kaufman
Derek Mclane, Set Design
Janice Pytel, Costume Design
David Lander, Lighting Design
Andre J Pluess, Sound Design
Jeff Sugg, Porjection Design
Daniel Pelzig, Choreography
Chalres Lapointe, Hair/Wig design

Cast
Jane Fonda as Katherine Brandt
Samantha Mathis as Clara Brandt
Colin Hanks as Mike Clark
Zach Grenier as Ludwig van Beethoven
Don Amendolia as Anton Diabelli
Susan Kellermann as Dr Gertie Ladenburger
Erik Steele as Anton Schindler
Diane Walsh as the Pianist / musical director

Audience:  33 Variations  is appropriate for children aged 9 and over.  Children under 4 years of age will not be admitted into the Eugene O'Neil Theater.

Run time:  2 hours and 40 minutes with one 15 minute intermission

Show Times