The Fantasticks, Twelfth Night, and More Join New Pasadena Playhouse Season
(courtesy of the Pasadena Playhouse)
The Pasadena Playhouse has announced the lineup of productions set for its 2016-17 season, which will also serve as Sheldon Epps' final season as the theater's artistic director.
The season opens with Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones' classic musical The Fantasticks. The show, which tells an allegorical love story about "a boy, a girl, two fathers, and a wall," holds the distinction of being the longest-running musical in history. Directed by Seema Sueko, the production will run from September 6-October 2, with an official opening on September 11.
David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly will follow, running from October 25-November 20 with an official October 30 opening. Inspired by Puccini’s Madam Butterfly, the Tony-winning play offers a fictionalized account of an actual French diplomat who carried on an affair with a Peking opera star for 20 years, only to discover she was actually a man. Bart DeLorenzo will direct.
Next will be the world-premiere musical Shout, Sister, Shout!, conceived and directed by Randy Johnson (A Night With Janis Joplin) with a book by Cheryl West. The production depicts the life and music of legendary gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whose hits include "Down by the Riverside," "This Train," and "Strange Things Happening Every Day." Performances will run from January 31-February 26, 2017, with an official February 8 opening.
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night will then run from March 28-April 23, 2017, with an official April 2 opening, followed by a yet-to-be-announced "Artistic Director's Choice" that will run from May 30-June 25, 2017 (opening June 4).
The Playhouse will also offer Lythgoe Family Productions' Cinderella Christmas for its fifth year of Panto at the Playhouse. The show, written by Kris Lythgoe and directed by Bonnie Lythgoe, will run from December 8-January 8, 2017.
Full casting and creative teams for each production will be announced at later dates.
For more information about the Pasadena Playhouse season, click here.
