New Work in Progress: A ROOM WITH A VIEW at The Old Globe Theatre

An interview with Eric Louie, Associate Producer at The Old Globe Theatre, about their upcoming production of A Room with a View by Marc Acito and Jeffrey Stock, happening this summer.

Amid the golden sunlight and violet-covered hills of Tuscany, sheltered English girl Lucy Honey Church meets freethinking George Emerson. For the first time, she glimpses a world of longing and passion she never imagined. Back in her corseted Edwardian life, Lucy must decide whether to yield to convention or give up everything she has ever known. Comic, romantic, satirical and real, A Room with a View blends a gorgeous score with this timeless story that gives a new voice to these unforgettable characters.

How did The Old Globe discover A Room with a View?
Director Scott Schwartz is an Old Globe alum (Golda’s Balcony, Lost in Yonkers, Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound). The project came to us a little under a year ago and we fell in love with it.

How closely does the show follow the story of the book or the movie?
It definitely follows the book, but as with any adaptation for the stage, there are of course changes—some characters are combined or cut, some dramatic moments added, etc. We’re true to the heart of the story and the characters.


The show is relatively young in its development. What work has The Old Globe done on the show so far and plan to do before you head into rehearsals?
We did 2 workshops—one in October 2011 and another in December 2011—which were focused primarily on script work with a few staging bits thrown in to the last workshop. We’ve learned an unbelievable amount from being able to hear the piece out loud and the process has been invaluable. The creative team has done an incredible job of taking the things we’ve learned from each reading and immediately going back to work on the piece. In fact, we just got a new draft of the script with a bunch of exciting changes this past week.

What moment in the script are you most excited to see realized on the stage?
Is it cheesy to say the entire thing? This piece is so rich with luscious music, an incredibly witty and sophisticated book, a design team to die for, all helmed by a brilliant director—I’m honestly most excited to see the piece in its entirety brought to life.

What are the hopes for the show after The Old Globe?
A goal is certainly to send the piece to New York and certainly for productions around the country.

Elevator Pitch: Why should we come to San Diego to catch A Room with a View?
When’s the last time you were swept away by a musical and taken on a journey that’s musically lush, incredibly witty and emotionally moving with a strong young female protagonist?
For more information about A Room with a View, please visit www.oldglobe.org.