“The 2013 season is by far the most ambitious undertaking in the history of the theater,” said Executive Director Nathan Rotz. “We want folks to leave each show having had their most exciting entertainment experience of the summer. Each show will be one ‘wow’ after another.” And there is certainly enough for the summer theatre lover to get charged up about. Franklin County Visitors’ Bureau and Patriot Federal Credit Union serve as the 2013 Season Sponsors.
The new eight show season at Totem Pole Playhouse begins on May
25, 2013 with the Broadway smash Noises
Off by Michael Frayn. Hailed by many critics as the "funniest farce
ever written," and Tony nominees and winner of the Olivier award for Best
Play, Noises Off is the ultimate insider show for theater buffs. A
backstage farce about a zany bunch of actors performing a farce, this side-splitting
comedy pokes fun at every theater cliché in the book. Love triangles, bumbling
actors, an imperious director and lost contact lenses are all part of the high-spirited
antics in this fast paced laugh fest.
The area premiere of a musical about the life of one of America’s
most cherished singers hit the stage in early June. A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline follows the Hall of Fame country
legend, who rose from her humble roots near Winchester, Virginia all the way to
fame and fortune at the Grand Ole Opry, at Carnegie Hall, and beyond. This show
includes over 20 of her memorable hits including 'Crazy,' 'Walkin' After
Midnight,' 'Sweet Dreams,' 'She's got You,' and 'I Fall to Pieces' as it
follows her climb from obscurity to international stardom.
For the first time in five seasons, Totem Pole pulls one out of
the vault
with a hysterical spoof of 1930s Busby Berkley-style movie-musical
spectaculars – Dames at Sea. The show
tells the story of Ruby, just off the bus from Utah, who in the span of one day
falls in love, gets cast as a dancer in a Broadway musical, saves the show by
moving it to a Navy ship, takes over for the star, becomes a hit sensation, and
gets married, to boot! The role of Ruby in the original Off-Broadway production
launched the career of Bernadette Peters. Plenty of singing and tap dancing
keep this vessel bounding over waves of laughter.
A classic by Broadway’s master of comedy, Neil Simon, serves up
the laughs in The Sunshine Boys. This
comedy tells the story of an old vaudeville team, Lewis and Clark, who are
talked into reuniting for a TV special about the history of comedy. The only
problem is - the two old men hate each other and haven't spoken in years! With
echoes of The Odd Couple and Simon's early career as a gag writer for TV,
this comedy gets to the heart of what's funny about real life. The original
production ran on Broadway for over 500 performances, and the film version was
an even bigger hit, garnering Oscar nominations for both of its stars, Walter
Matthau and George Burns.
Totem Pole moves east on Route 30 to the Majestic Theatre in
downtown Gettysburg with Richard Hellesen’s The
Road From Appomattox. Much has been written about Lee and Grant at their
first meeting at the Appomattox Courthouse, but very little is told of the
second meeting of the two Generals a day later. Originally commissioned by the
Ford’s Theatre Society, this Civil War one act drama captures the patriotism
and compassion of two of American Civil War’s most intriguing figures.
The Playhouse returns to the Mad Men era of martinis and
mayhem in the classic bedroom farce, Boeing
Boeing. It's the 1960s, and an American living in Paris finds himself
juggling three fiancées, all air hostesses with busy international routes who
know nothing about each other. Worlds collide and the comedy heats up when the
flight schedules change and all three women wind up in his apartment at the
same time. The play has been in near continual production for almost 40 years
all over the world, including very recent West End and Broadway revivals that
garnered the Olivier and Tony awards for Best Revival of a Play. As reviewed in
Variety, "The breakneck pacing, the agonizing, close-call timing of all
the comings and goings, the escalating outrageousness…make it impossible not to
be swept along."
Totem Pole often boasts that its seasons have “something for
everything.” In the third musical of the summer, the Playhouse hopes that they
have a show about one thing everyone loves – the circus! Musical theater runs
off and joins the circus with Barnum,
a magical musical about the improbable life of P.T. Barnum. Clowns, jugglers,
tightrope walkers and even a world renowned opera singer weave through the love
story of Barnum and his wife Charity. The original New York production ran for
over 850 performances and won three Tonys - one for Jim Dale as Barnum - and
the very first Tony nomination for a young Glenn Close. And with legendary
Broadway creators Cy Coleman (Sweet
Charity, City of Angels, Will Rogers Follies)
and Michael Stewart (Carnival!, Hello,
Dolly, 42nd Street), a spectacle like this figure to be the greatest show
on earth!
Even though you may have never heard her name, legendary Brill
Building songwriter Ellie Greenwich helped shape the sound of a generation,
penning such doo-wop classics as 'Be My Baby,' 'Chapel of Love,' Leader of the Pack,' 'Da Doo Ron Ron'
and 'River Deep, Mountain High.' The Tony nominated musical, Leader of the Pack highlights this
songwriter’s work, which was an important element in the 1960s' "Wall of
Sound" and were recorded by artists like Darlene Love, The Ronettes and
Tina Turner. This musical re-telling of her life and music was one of the very
first of the 'jukebox musicals,' and given the familiarity and energy of her
songs, it's no surprise that it's still one of the most performed to this day.
Calendar – Totem Pole
Playhouse 2013
Season Sponsors: Franklin County Visitors Bureau and Patriot
Federal Credit Union
Noises Off
By Michael FraynMay 25 - June 9, 2013
Sponsored by Walker, Connor & Spang, LLC
A Closer Walk with Patsy
Cline (Family Friendly)
By Dean ReganJune 11 – June 23, 2013
Sponsored by F & M Trust
Dames At Sea (Family Friendly)
Book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin MillerMusic by Jim Wise
June 25 – July 7, 2013
The Sunshine Boys
By Neil SimonJuly 9 – July 21, 2013
The Road From Appomattox (Family Friendly)
July 10-July 21By Richard Hellesen
Boeing Boeing
By Marc CamolettiJuly 23 – August 4, 2013
Sponsored by M & T Bank
Barnum (Family Friendly)
book by Mark Bramblelyrics by Michael Stewart, and music by Cy Coleman
August 6 – August 18, 2013
Sponsored by Edward Jones (Cindy Wolf) & Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium
Leader of the Pack (Family Friendly)
The Ellie Greenwich MusicalMusic and Lyrics by Ellie Greenwich and friends
Liner notes by Anne Beatts
Additional material by Jack Heifner
Based on an original concept by Melanie Mintz
August 20 – September 1, 2013
Sponsored by Essis & Sons Carpet One and Rotz & Stonesifer, CPA
No comments:
Post a Comment