The play simultaneously examines the creative process behind Beethoven's Diabelli Variations and the journey of a musicologist, Katherine Brandt, to discover the meaning behind why Beethoven was compelled to write thirty-three distinct variations on a simple theme by a minor music publisher. The progression of her Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and her relationship with her daughter are also themes of the story, as is Beethoven's growing deafness.
The action takes place both in Beethoven's time and the present, switching back and forth between the two. However, at certain key points, characters from both time periods appear on stage to deliver lines simultaneously, emphasizing the parallels between the exploits of both sets of characters.
Production history
The original production was directed by the playwright, Moisés Kaufman, with piano by Diane Walsh.[5]
33 Variations premièred at Arena Stage in September 2007, with Mary Beth Peil as Katherine, Laura Odeh as her daughter Clara, and Graeme Malcolm as Beethoven.
The play premièred on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in a limited engagement, on March 9, 2009, with Jane Fonda as Katherine, in her first appearance on Broadway in forty-six years.[1] Grenier returned as Beethoven.[5] Sets by Derek McLane; costumes by Janice Pytel; lighting by David Lander; sound by André J. Pluess; projection design by Jeff Sugg; choreography by Daniel Pelzig. It closed May 21, 2009.[6][7]
33 Variations had regional premieres at Carolina Actors Studio Theatre in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 23, 2012, at the Capital Repertory Theater in Albany, New York on September 10, 2010,[8] and at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati on September 2, 2009.
