The Thomaston Opera House is pleased to announce its 2009 Season. The 2009 Season is as follows:
ON THE MAIN STAGE
ALL SHOOK UPJanuary 24, 30, 31, February 6 & 7, 2009 at 8:00pm
January 25, February 1 & 8, 2009 at 2:00pmALL SHOOK UP is a jukebox musical featuring the music of Elvis Presley, with a book by Joe DePietro. Into a square little town in a square little state rides a guitar-playing roustabout who changes everything and everyone he meets in this hip-swiveling, lip-curling musical fantasy that'll have you jumpin' out of your blue suede shoes with such classics as "Heartbreak Hotel," "Burning Love," "Jailhouse Rock," "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Don't Be Cruel."
Directed & Choreographed by Foster Evans Reese
Mel Brooks' THE PRODUCERSMarch 14, 20, 21, 27, 28, April 3 & 4, 2009 at 8:00pm
March 15, 22, 29 & April 5, 2009 at 2:00pmSPECIAL FOUR WEEK ENGAGEMENT!!!
Outrageous, hilarious, a teeny bit offensive, off the wall, and the winner of a record 12 Tony Awards are just a few things that
THE PRODUCERS is. But it is never boring and you will find yourself holding your sides with laughter as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom sing and dance their way through the greatest show biz scam that there ever was.
Bialystock and Bloom! Those names should strike terror and hysteria in anyone familiar with Mel Brooks' classic cult comedy film. Now as a big Broadway musical,
THE PRODUCERS once again sets the standard for modern, outrageous, in-your-face humor.
The plot is simple: a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his mild-mannered accountant come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history thereby bilking their backers (all "little old ladies") out of millions of dollars. Only one thing goes awry: the show is a smash hit! The antics of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom as they maneuver their way fecklessly through finding a show (the gloriously offensive "Springtime For Hitler"), hiring a director, raising the money and finally going to prison for their misdeeds is a lesson in broad comic construction. At the core of the insanely funny adventure is a poignant emotional journey of two very different men who become friends.
With a truly hysterical book co-written by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan (Annie) and music and lyrics by Mr. Brooks,
THE PRODUCERS skewers Broadway traditions and takes no prisoners as it proudly proclaims itself an "equal opportunity offender!"
Directed & Choreographed by Sharon A. Wilcox
Musical Direction by Dan Ringuette
THE ODD COUPLEJune 6, 11*, 12 & 13, 2009 at 8:00pm
June 7 & 14, 2009 at 2:00pm
*Special Thursday Evening PerformanceTHE ODD COUPLE is a 1965 Broadway hit play by Neil Simon, and was followed by a successful film and television series, as well as other derivative works and spin offs, many featuring one or more of the same actors. The plot concerns two mis-matched roommates, one uptight and the other slovenly. Felix Ungar, a neurotic, neat freak newswriter, is thrown out by his wife, and moves in with Oscar Madison, a slovenly sportswriter. Together with their friends Murray the Cop, Speed, Roy and Vinnie, they all try to cope with the trials of marriage and divorce by playing poker, drinking beer, and complaining to each other. Living with the slovenly, dumpy Oscar is no picnic and living with Felix is like living with a permanent maid! To escape the hum-drum life of two newly separated bachelors, Oscar introduces Felix to the "Pigeon" sisters, Gwendolyn and Cecily. What should have been a cozy evening for four turns into a pity party with enough tears to fill a highball glass! As tempers rise, Oscar kicks Felix out and ironically sends him into the coddling arms of the Pigeon Sisters.
THE ODD COUPLE concept is best described in the one-sentence treatment Simon submitted to Paramount. "Two men--one divorced and one estranged and neither quite sure why their marriages fell apart--move in together to save money for alimony and suddenly discover they're having the same conflicts and fights they had in their marriages. In side-splitting Neil Simon fashion, roommates Oscar and Felix skip the honeymoon and go straight to the hilarious bickering.
Directed by Donna Storms
SEUSSICALJuly 25, 31, August 1, 7, 14 & 15, 2009 at 8:00pm
July 26, August 2, 8*, 9 & 15, 2009 at 2:00pm*Special Saturday Matinee PerformanceSEUSSICAL is based on the books of Dr. Seuss that debuted on Broadway in 2000. The play's story is a rather complex amalgamation of many of Seuss's most famous books.
"I can see that you’ve got quite a mind for your age!
Why, one Think and you dragged me right onto the stage!
Now, I’m here, there is no telling what may ensue
With a Cat such as me, and a Thinker like you!"
So says the mischievous Cat in the Hat at the onset of this fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza! Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Lucky Stiff, My Favorite Year, Once On This Island, and Ragtime) have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie and all of the Whos of Whoville!
These classic, colorful tales are seamlessly brought together by Jojo, a young boy and “thinker of strange and wonderful thinks”! As each story unfolds you will marvel at how relevant and profound Seuss’s subtle themes are; making this musical one that appeals to all ages.
The score emerges as a Seussian gumbo of musical styles, ranging from Latin to pop, swing to gospel, and R&B to funk! So let your toes tap, your fingers snap, and your imagination run wild, for "If you open your mind, oh, the Thinks you will find lining up to get loose! Oh, the Thinks you can think! Oh, the Thinks you can think when you think about Seuss!!"
Directed by Rick Doyle
THE WEDDING SINGERSeptember 19, 25, 26, October 2 & 3, 2009 at 8:00pm
September 20, 27, October 4, 2009 at 2:00pm
In
THE WEDDING SINGER, it's 1985 and rock-star wannabe Robbie Heart is New Jersey's favorite wedding singer. He's the life of the party, until his own fiancee leaves him at the altar. Shot through the heart, Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own.
Enter Julia, a winsome waitress who wins his affection. Only trouble is Julia is about to be married to a Wall Street shark, and unless Robbie can pull off the performance of a decade, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever. With a brand new score that pays loving homage to the pop songs of the 1980's,
THE WEDDING SINGER takes us back to a time when hair was big, greed was good, collars were up, and a wedding singer might just be the coolest guy in the room.
Musical Direction by Dan Koch
MAMENovember 7, 13, 14, 20 & 21, 2009 at 8:00pm
November 8, 15 & 22, 2009 at 2:00pm
Flash back to the roaring 1920's as a 10-year-old orphan boy is delivered to his swinging, eccentric Auntie Mame while she is hosting a cocktail party for her wildly flamboyant friends. Thus begins 18 years of fantastic adventures as she proves that life can be a banquet. The Jerry Herman score includes the title song, "If He Walked Into My Life," and "We Need A Little Christmas." Some of Mame's wild, adventurous spirit is inside everyone who lives for the moment and believes that "life is a banquet!"
IN THE ARTS CENTER
This year’s SummerARTS Series will feature the works of Neil Simon with the kick-off of the series on the main stage in classic Neil Simon fashion with THE ODD COUPLE. SummerARTS will continue with two more Neil Simon offerings in our intimate 45-seat arts center.
45 SECONDS FROM BROADWAY by Neil SimonJune 19, 20, 15, 26 & 27, 2009 at 8:00pm
June 21 & 28, 2008 at 2:00pm
The title,
45 SECONDS FROM BROADWAY refers to the amount of time it takes to walk to Broadway from the play's setting, a coffee shop inspired by the one located off the lobby of midtown-Manhattan's tourist-class Edison Hotel, a long-time watering hole for struggling actors, aspiring writers, standup comics, and suburban matinee ladies. Holding center stage is Jackie Mason-like comedian Mickey Fox, surrounded by an eclectic cast of characters including the dining spot's proprietor and his wife, an upscale society dame (in search of an intricately double-brewed cup of tea served in fine china on white linen) and her nearly mute husband, a British impresario, a Broadway ingenue, and a South African playwright.
Directed by Tim Phillips
THE STAR-SPANGLED GIRL by Neil SimonJuly 10, 11, 16, 17 & 18, 2009 at 8:00pm
July 12 & 20, 2009 at 2:00pm THE STAR-SPANGLED GIRL is set in the San Francisco in the 1960s and is a love triangle mixed with politics. Andy and Norman are radicals who barely make a living working on their magazine, Fallout, which is dedicated to fighting "the system" in America. Sophie, a former Olympic swimmer, is an all-American, Southern girl who moves into the apartment next door. It's love at first sight (or, as the play has it, first smell) for Norman, but his feelings are not reciprocated. Norman's obsession with Sophie makes Andy hire her just to keep the magazine going. Then Sophie falls for Andy, though they are at odds politically, threatening to destroy the magazine and the men's friendship.
Directed by F. George Paris
PLAYWRIGHT PROJECT 3 at Thomaston Opera HouseOctober 16, 17, 22*, 23 & 24, 2009 at 8:00pm
October 18 & 25, 2009 at 2:00pm
*Special Thursday Evening Performance
The final production in the Arts Center Series will be selected from a group of new works by unpublished CT playwrights presented as “staged readings” in early 2009. Audience members for these “staged readings” will become part of the selection committee to determine which submission will be produced as a full-length production in October 2009. The Thomaston Opera House will begin taking submissions for the Playwright Project in October 2008.
CHILDREN'S SERIES
BLUE’S CLUE LIVE! The Most Spectacular PlaceApril 25, 26, May 2 & 3, 2009 at 1:00pm & 4:00pmBLUE’S CLUES LIVE! THE MOST SPECTACULAR PLACE begins when the curtain greets and welcomes the audience into the wonderful world of Theatre. On stage, Blue and Steve lead the audience on a clue-based journey, in search of the most spectacular place of all. This quest takes them through the Storybook Forest, where Blue and Steve meet the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks, The Big Bad Wolf and other characters from classic fairytales. Blue and Steve even travel to outer space in search of the most spectacular place, discovering planets and other celestial wonders along the way. When they discover the final clue, Blue and Steve lean that aside from the surprise-filled world of Theatre, home is the most spectacular place of all!
Direction & Musical Direction by Dave Versosci
THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVERDecember 5, 6, 12 & 13, 2009 at 1:00pm & 4:00pm
The Herdmans show up at the church Christmas Pageant tryouts and everyone is horrified. Why? Because they are horrible children! They steal, burn down buildings, and terrorize the neighborhood. As the infamous Herdman clan takes over the church pageant, everyone's traditional notions of Christmas are challenged. See how a story can transform us all, even when told by a misfit group of kids in bedsheets.
Directed by Jeff Dunn
Season subscriptions and individual tickets for the 2009 Thomaston Opera House Season will be available on September 30, 2008. For additional information on the current 2008 Season as well as next year’s productions, visit our website at www.thomastonoperahouse.org or call the Box Office at (860) 283-6250. The Thomaston Opera House…BIG THEATRE in a small town!