The King and I
Music by Richard Rodgers, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
directed by Barbara Buddin, September 12-14 (at the Englert Theatre, audition dates TBA)
East versus West makes for a dramatic, richly textured and ultimately uplifting tale of enormous fascination. It is 1862 in Siam when an English widow, Anna Leonowens, and her young son arrive at the Royal Palace in Bangkok, having been summoned by the King to serve as tutor to his many children and wives. The King is largely considered to be a barbarian by those in the West, and he seeks Anna's assistance in changing his image, if not his ways. With both keeping a firm grip on their respective traditions and values, Anna and the King grow to understand and, eventually, respect one another, in a truly unique love story.
Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Joseph Robinette (from the Newbery Award-winning book by Patricia MacLachlan)
directed by Evelyn Stanske, November 7-9, 14-16
Set in the early 1900s, this play brings to life the charming, heartwarming story of a Kansas farmer, Jacob Witting, a widower with two children—Anna and Caleb, who places an ad in the newspapers seeking a wife. He receives a letter from a Sarah Wheaton of Maine who says she will visit the family for a month to see how things work out: "I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall." Narrated by Anna reminiscing on the eve of her wedding, the story unfolds in a fascinating flashback on that often exciting, sometimes tumultuous month when Sarah and the Wittings came to know one another and learned a few things about themselves as well. The joys and challenges of everyday life are richly depicted in this classic which the New York Times called "an exquisite, sometimes painfully touching tale."
Bus Stop
by William Inge
directed by Luis Sierra; February 6-8, 13-15
In the middle of a howling snowstorm, a bus out of Kansas City pulls up at a cheerful roadside diner. All roads are blocked, and four or five weary travelers are going to have to hole up until morning. Cherie, a nightclub chanteuse, is the passenger with most to worry about: she's been pursued, made love to and finally kidnapped by a twenty-one-year-old cowboy with a ranch of his own and the romantic methods of an unusually headstrong bull. As a counterpoint to the main action, the proprietor of the cafe and the bus driver at last find time to develop a friendship of their own; a middle-age scholar comes to terms with himself; and a young girl who works in the cafe also gets her first taste of romance.
The Foreigner
by Larry Shue
directed by Gerry Roe; March 13-15, 20-22
An inspired comic romp, The Foreigner enjoyed a sold-out premiere in Milwaukee before moving on to a long run Off-Broadway where it received two Obie Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards as Best New American Play and Best Off-Broadway Production. The Foreigner is set in a fishing lodge in rural Georgia often visited by "Froggy" LeSeuer, a British demolitions expert who occasionally runs training sessions at a nearby army base. Accompanying “Froggy” on this visit is his friend, a pathologically shy young proofreader named Charlie who is overcome with fear at the thought of making conversation with strangers. To allow Charlie the peace and quiet he seems to need, “Froggy” announces that Charlie, a native of an unnamed foreign country, speaks no English. Believing that Charlie doesn't understand a word they say, everyone at the lodge reveals far more of themselves than they intend. Ultimately, Charlie’s disguise as a foreigner allows him to expose the “bad guys” and, as Shue said of the play, “make everything turn out all right for the good guys.”
The Baker's Wife
Book by Joseph Stein, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
directed by Josh Sazon; April 24-26, May 1-3
The bickering residents of a small Provencal town at last find peace and contentment in the heavenly bread of the newly arrived baker and his attractive young wife. But when she is lured away by the attentions of a handsome young gigolo, the middle-aged baker loses all zest for life and baking, throwing the community into chaos. An old world charm permeates every moment of this bittersweet, wise and gently offbeat fable of life, love and bread by Joseph Stein (“Fiddler On The Roof”) and Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked,” “Pippin,” “Godspell”). Based on a film by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono, “The Baker’s Wife” stirs with the quiet sophistication of the European cinema. Schwartz is at his romantic best in this rich, melodic, French inflected score containing ballads of breathtaking beauty and spirited comic numbers.