Photograph © T Charles Erickson
John Douglas Thompson is the caliber of actor virtually any theater would relish on its marquee. That he’ll perform at UCCS’s Theatreworks for a three-week run starting this month is nothing short of remarkable, said Murray Ross, Theatreworks artistic director.
“This is really, truly, a rare and unique opportunity to see a great actor who normally appears on Broadway and only occasionally tours big metro areas,” Ross said. “It’s just not to be missed.”
Ross explained how Theatreworks got Thompson here to perform the one-man “Satchmo at the Waldorf.” Thompson was here three years ago for a UCCS Prologue appearance. Ross floated the idea to Thompson of coming back some day, then saw Thompson perform “Satchmo at the Waldorf” off-Broadway in New York.
Thanks to what Ross called “good timing, John’s own generosity and our production team’s energy and skill, we are bringing him here.”
Thompson recently ended a run of the play in San Francisco in a theater of approximately 1,000 seats. He’ll perform here in the 180-seat Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater, Ross noted. “Satchmo at the Waldorf” opens Feb. 18 and is part of Black History Month programming.
The play is about trumpet legend Louis Armstrong and written by Terry Teachout, an Armstrong biographer. It takes place during Armstrong’s last gig, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, four months before he died in 1971. “Over the course of the evening we learn a lot about this extraordinary man and his music, whose life and art covered much of the 20th century,” Ross wrote in a Theatreworks essay.
Thompson will do a few other events while he’s here, including a Prologue appearance, which is sold out, and a visit to a local school.
“John Douglas Thompson is not a household word in America in general, but that’s only because he’s a star of the theater and not movies and television,” Ross said. “In the world of theater all across America, he is universally recognized as one of our greatest actors.”
Details:
When: Feb. 18-March 6, with shows 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays.
Where: Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater, University Hall. “The language in ‘Satchmo’ is emphatic, vigorous and profane,” according to Theatreworks.
Tickets: $23 for youth, $45 for adults, UCCS students free. Tickets will be 2-for-1 for faculty and staff opening weekend (Feb. 18-21) using promo code “UCCS.” Go to http://www.theatreworkscs.org or call 255-3232
A Feb. 21 Prologue event with Thompson is sold out. It is sponsored by the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, Theatreworks, the Chancellor's Office and the Department of Humanities.
Other Black History Month events
Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m.: "Dope" film showing, Dwire Hall, Room 121. Sponsored by Black Student Union. Free.
Feb. 22, 11:30-2 p.m.: Blast from the Past: Education and Food, an interactive timeline of black history. Berger Hall. Sponsored by Black Student Union, MOSAIC, student chapter of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Office of Student Activities. Free.
Feb. 24, 6 p.m.: “Selma” film showing and discussion, University Center Theater, Room 302. Sponsored by MOSAIC and Respect on Campus. Free
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