5 Reasons to See MAX MAKES A MILLION this Summer
5 Reasons to see MAX MAKES A MILLION at the Alliance Theatre this summer:
1.) It’s a celebration of dreamers!
Dreamers of the world unite. MAX MAKES A MILLION is a delightful theatrical adaptation of Maira Kalman's one-of-a-kind book for children. Plot twist, this staged version is for everybody—children of all ages! Incorporating poetry, dance, original jazz music, and visual art, this play follows the beat-poet dog Max Stravinsky on his quest to get from New York to Paris and celebrates those wishful thinkers who dare to dream beyond what seems possible. If a dog can do it, we can do it, folks. Follow your dreams! And follow your GPS right on over to the Alliance to see this imaginative and joyous play.
2.) This is the first time Maira Kalman’s work has been adapted for the stage
Do we all know Maira Kalman? Perhaps best known for her quirky New Yorker magazine covers and brilliant pictorial essays, Maira Kalman has published more than a dozen books for adults and 18 acclaimed children’s books, beginning with the game-changing picture book Stay Up Late (1985), which gave visual form to the popular Talking Heads song from their Little Creatures album. Since then, her works have followed the comic adventures of multiple beloved characters, including Max Stravinsky, and have addressed important historical people and events with books including Looking at Lincoln (2012) and the September 11th-inspired Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey (2002). Long story long, she’s a boss.
3.) Max Makes a Million is directed/adapted by a world-renowned theater artist
Yale in the house. MAX MAKES A MILLION is adapted and directed by celebrated theater artist Liz Diamond, who serves as the Resident Director of Yale Repertory Theatre, Chair of Directing at Yale School of Drama, and who directs new and classical plays at theaters across the United States. Diamond has been awarded the OBIE and the Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Direction, and serves on the Executive Board of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. The fact that Liz chose to create a world premiere with the Alliance for our Youth and Family audiences is a strong statement about the quality of work our TYA program produces. Another long story long- SHE IS ALSO A BOSS.
4.) There are two cool ways to experience Maira Kalman’s amazing art
MAX MAKES A MILLION is produced in collaboration with the High Museum of Art’s exhibition The Pursuit of Everything: Maira Kalman’s Books for Children (June 22 – September 15) which provides an immersive panorama of Kalman’s picture book career spanning three decades. This collaboration is the High and the Alliance’s fifth in a series of exhibition and theater productions based on the work of children’s book authors and artists. So after you see the show, take a short stroll across our campus and immerse yourselves even further into the brilliance of Maira Kalman’s mind.
5.) The tickets are really cheap!
Tickets. Are. CHEAP. And it’s a 38-minute show. And it’s on the very cool underground Hertz Stage, so it’s a full-on experience from the moment you walk in the door. Escape away to an animated New York City, and spend some QT (quality time) with this creative dog. We are spoon-feeding you one of the most inspiring events of the summer. Personal anecdote: Saw the show last week, and was overjoyed both during the performance and afterward when a school group kept exclaiming “I was not expecting that! That was awesome!” It was special. See you there.
MAX MAKES A MILLION runs on the Hertz Stage from June 20 - July 21. Performances are Tuesdays – Fridays, 10:00 a.m. & 11:45 a.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., (with a few exceptions - check the website for the complete schedule.) Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children 6-17, $5 for children 3-5, and free for children under 3. Tickets are available at the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office in person or by calling 404.733.5000, or by going online to www.alliancetheatre.org/max.
