ArtsWest presents the Seattle premiere of Love Song by John Kolvenbach, directed by Kate Witt and featuring Cindy Bradder, Nick DeSantis, Heather Hawkins, and Christopher Zinovitch. The production begins performances on January 27, 2010 at ArtsWest.

Kate Witt, who starred in ArtsWest’s productions of Dead Man’s Cell Phone and Well gives her directorial debut in this off-beat romantic comedy from hot young playwright John Kolvenbach.

“The humor of this piece is great,” said Ms. Witt. “The lyrical quality of many of the lines is beautiful. But most of all, I love the sibling relationship between Joan and Beane.”

In Love Song, an oddball named Beane (Zinovitch) is a modern day hermit, avoiding everyone but Joan, his career-focused sister (Hawkins), and Joan’s cynical husband (DeSantis). Beane’s life is a shrinking, darkening world, until the night a beautiful thief (Bradder) breaks into his apartment. Suddenly all of the love songs make sense. His blissful transformation baffles his sister Joan, who finds her own marriage transfigured even as she tries to unravel the story behind Molly, Beane’s mysterious new love. Funny, enchanting and tender, this off-beat romantic comedy is one of the latest from a hot young playwright whose work has been produced from New York to London’s West End.

John Kolvenbach’s on an average day premiered at the Comedy Theatre on the West End with Woody Harrelson and Kyle MacLachlan, The Gravity of Means premiered at MCC in New York and Goldfish premiered at South Coast Repertory. Love Song was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy for its London production.

Cindy Bradder makes her first appearance on the ArtsWest stage in Love Song. Nick DeSantis, won a Seattle Times Footlight Award for his performance in ArtsWest’s tick, tick...BOOM! and astonished audiences in his portrayal of German transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf in ArtsWest’s Seattle premiere of the Pulitzer Prize winning drama I Am My Own Wife. Heather Hawkins, won a Footlight Award for ArtsWest’s As Bees In Honey Drown and most recently appeared in ArtsWest’s Seattle premiere of Measure for Pleasure. Christopher Zinovitch, who last appeared on stage at ArtsWest in The Judas Kiss, is the director of theater and education at ArtsWest and a longtime director. He has been a mainstay with the company for nine years.

The designers of Love Song are Dan Schuy (set), Josh Randall (lights), Margo Walker (costumes) and Jay Weinland (sound). Liz James is the stage manager.

Love Song is sponsored in part by a generous grant from 4Culture. The 2009-10 Season is sponsored by Personal Safety Nets – www.personalsafetynets.com.

The production opens Wednesday, January 27 at 7:30, and runs until February 20, 2010. Curtain times are as follows: Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30, Sunday matinees at 3:00. There will be no performance on Sunday, February 7.

Tickets are $32. Under 25? Only $10! For tickets, visit www.artswest.org or call the box office at (206) 938-0339. ArtsWest accepts Visa and MasterCard.