A new season of the arts

The curtain is going up on a new season of performing arts in Snohomish and Island counties, one that reflects the creativity and diversity of the area’s arts organizations and the variety of homegrown concerts and performances.

Stage offerings range from popular Broadway musicals to drama that stretches both artists and audiences. There’s comedy and mystery on the playbill, along with shows for children and holiday performances. The county’s two symphony orchestras have programmed a lively season of music that ranges from classical concerts to pops.

To remain strong and vital, community theater takes vigilance and dedication, as the theater people who devote countless hours on stage and behind the scenes can attest.

No one knows this better than Victoria Walker, artistic director of the Everett Theatre Society, which presents a season of shows at the historic theater on Colby Avenue.

“We are the only non-subsidized performance facility in Everett and we are constantly challenged with new ways of bringing our community into our home,” Walker said.

The organization’s creative approach to the 2004-2005 season has been to invite two other community theater groups to join them in co-producing plays at the theater: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” with Take A Bough Productions of Monroe in March, and Neil Simon’s “Fools” with Driftwood Players in May.

“We will be co-producing and are hoping that this will open the door to other groups who are interested in the co-producing,” Walker said. The theater will also offer two concerts and bring back its silent-film series in the upcoming season.

Here’s a preview of the performing arts in Snohomish County for the 2004-2005 season.

Stage

CAMWOOD PLAYERS offers a season of comedy and drama, presented at the Stillaguamish Grange at the Stanwood-Camano Fairgrounds.

Information, 360-629-4494, www.camwoodplayers.com.

The season:

“No Sex Please, We’re British,” Sept. 10-Oct. 2. This classic British farce – a new bride orders Scandinavian glassware but gets pornography instead, with embarrassing results – completes the company’s 2004 season, setting the stage for 2005.

“Lend Me a Tenor,” Feb. 25-March 19. It’s the biggest night in the history of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company when world famous Italian tenor Tito Morelli is scheduled to sing. But when the tenor gets drunk, then drugged, missteps and mayhem follow.

“12 Angry Men,” May 6-21. In this taut drama, a dissenting man in a murder trial goes up against 11 other jurors who want to convict a teenager accused of murder.

“The Mousetrap,” Aug. 26-Sept. 17, 2005. North America’s longest-running play comes to Stanwood in this Agatha Christie classic whodunit of mystery and murder.

“The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” Oct. 21-Nov. 5, 2005. A lonely widow moves into a house overlooking the sea, where she encounters the ghost of a deceased sea captain.

DRIFTWOOD PLAYERS of Edmonds will present six mainstage plays in the 2004-2005 season. The company, founded in 1957, performs at the Wade James Playhouse in downtown Edmonds. Driftwood also presents screenings of classic Hollywood movies and has an Alternative Stages series featuring dessert theater productions of limited-run plays.

Information, www.driftwood players.com, 425-774-9600.

The season:

“Angel Street” (“Gaslight”), Sept. 10-Oct. 10. In Patrick Hamilton’s psychological thriller a diabolical husband is out to drive his wife insane, but what is this evil man trying to cover up?

“Bye Bye Birdie,” Nov. 19-Dec. 19. Rock icon Conrad Birdie is drafted into the Army (think Elvis in real life), and one lucky teen gets to give him a farewell kiss. This Broadway show produced a blockbuster score including “Put on a Happy Face,” “Got a Lot of Living to Do” and “Kids.”

“Tartuffe” Feb. 4-27. French playwright Moliere’s comedy of manners is a wicked farce in which Tartuffe (“The Imposter”) pretends to be a religious hermit while trying to separate a family from its fortune.

“Blithe Spirit,” April 1-24. Noel Coward’s sophisticated comedy takes place in an English couple’s country house, where an eccentric named Madame Arcati conjures up the husband’s deceased first wife, with hilarious results.

“Barefoot in the Park,” June 3-26. Neil Simon’s romantic comedy follows the exploits of newlyweds who set up housekeeping in a six-floor walkup in Greenwich Village.

“Winnie-the-Pooh,” July 9-25. A musical version of the famous bear with a very little brain but a very big heart, based on the characters created by A.A. Milne.

Alternate Stages productions – comedy, drama and suspense – are dessert-theater performances with limited runs. The season includes:

The horror classic “The Turn of the Screw,” Oct. 29-31; the holiday show “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” Dec. 5-14; the psychological thriller “The Maids,” Feb. 13-21; the comedy “Laundry and Bourbon,” April 10-18; “Lone Star,” June 12-20, a comedy good-old-boys style; and “High Noon in the Styrofoam,” July 18-26, a Wild West melodrama.

EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE THEATRE ARTS program in the fall and spring at venues on the Lynnwood campus.

Information, http://drama.edcc.edu/

“Under Milk Wood,” Nov. 19-23. Welsh poet Dylan Thomas wrote this tale of a day in the lives of 53 characters in a small Welsh Village shortly before his death.

“Much Ado About Nothing,” March 3-7. Shakespeare’s romantic comedy of two sets of lovers.

EVERETT THEATRE SOCIETY’s 2004-05 season includes four plays presented at the historic Everett Theatre in downtown Everett. In addition, the society will present two concerts.

Information, 425-258-6766, www.everetttheatre.org.

The season:

“Kiss Me Kate,” Oct.1-17. Cole Porter’s high-spirited musical is a back-stage look at feuding stars rehearsing for a musical version of “The Taming of the Shrew.” The terrific score includes “Too Darn Hot,” “So in Love” and “From This Moment On.”

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” Nov. 19-Dec. 12. A Christmas classic, this stage adaptation of the movie tells the story of everyman George Bailey, whose brush with suicide is interrupted by angel-in-training Clarence. George discovers that his life does matter and is wonderful.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” March 4-20. Dale Wasserman adapted Ken Kesey’s brilliant novel about a convict who thinks he can escape jail by feigning insanity, with disastrous results. A memorable cast of characters, including the infamous Nurse Ratched. This a co-production with Take A Bough Productions of Monroe.

“Fools,” May 6-22. The Driftwood Players join the Everett Theatre Society in this joint production of Neil Simon’s comedy about a doctor who tries to break a curse of stupidity that the inhabitants of a small Russian hamlet have lived under for 200 years.

Tingstad and Rumbel, Dec. 19. Grammy-winning artists Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel, Northwest favorites for nearly two decades, perform.

Captain Smartypants, April 23. An ensemble drawn from members of the Seattle Men’s Chorus that specializes in vocal harmony and humor.

NORTHWEST SAVOYARDS is an Everett-based Gilbert and Sullivan society and musical theater company that presents four shows at the PUD Auditorium in Everett. The upcoming season includes one Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, two musicals and a family show produced by Debut Family Theatre, a program of Northwest Savoyards.

Information, 425-303-8902, www.northwestsavoyards.org/.

The season:

“The Pirates of Penzance,” Oct. 8-24. Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular comic opera tells the story of young Frederic, apprenticed to a band of tenderhearted orphaned pirates by his hard-of-hearing nurse. Plot complications, patter songs, romantic mix-ups and happy endings follow.

“Song of Singapore,” Jan. 14-30. The setting for this Broadway musical comedy is a dive on the Singapore waterfront. The year is 1941 and war is looming, but inside Freddy’s Song of Singapore Cafe, a customer is dead and priceless jewels are missing.

“Nunsense II,” May 20-June 12. The second installment of one of the most popular Savoyard shows ever finds the Sisters of Hoboken back on stage for another variety show.

NORTHWEST SAVOYARDS’ DEBUT FAMILY THEATRE:

“Cheaper by the Dozen,” March 11-26. A musical comedy based on the book about a father determined to raise his 12 daughters on the industrial model of superefficiency.

OFF THE WALL THEATRE will present a season of five plays including comedy, drama and a musical, at the Frank Wagner Auditorium, Monroe.

Information, 360-805-5699, www.otwtheatre.com.

The season:

“Heaven Can Wait,” Oct. 15-31. In this clever comedy, professional boxer and part-time pilot Joe Pendleton makes an unscheduled trip to heaven, only to learn the trip was premature. Joe goes back to Earth in a new body, that of a millionaire with a murderous wife.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” Dec. 3-19. George Bailey, Bedford Falls and a guardian angel come together for this sentimental holiday favorite. Decency and the value of a single life triumph over cynicism and greed.

“qwertyuiop,” Feb. 11-27. Seattle playwright John Gonzalez has chosen this quirky title (the 10 top-row letters on the typewriter) as the title of his new mystery play. Jack is the author of an adventure series that has suddenly become extremely popular. But when the author discovers he no longer enjoys writing the stories, the characters in his books have other ideas.

“Harvey,” April 22-May 8. Eccentric Elwood P. Dowd has an invisible friend: a 6-foot-tall rabbit named Harvey. Trying to convince the rest of the world that this rabbit is for real is one of the great comic setups in the theater.

“Grease,” July 22-Aug. 7. The fabulous ’50s live on in this rock ‘n’ roll musical. It’s high school all over again, but with a great score, including such hits as “You’re the One That I Want,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Summer Nights” and the title tune.

STORYBOOK THEATRE is part of Studio East, a company located in Kirkland that presents a season of shows for children age 3 through 9 at the PUD Auditorium in Everett. The shows are based on classic children’s stories.

Information, 877-827-1100, www.studio-east.org.

The season:

“Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” Oct. 30-Nov. 7.

“Little Red Riding Hood,” Feb. 19-27.

“Beauty and the Beast,” May 7-8.

TAKE A BOUGH PRODUCTIONS

The Monroe-based community theater presents a season of plays including a Christmas show and a co-production with the Everett Theatre Society.

Information, www.monroeplayhouse.com, 360-805-5699.

The season:

“Searching for David’s Heart,” Oct. 15-30, Iglesia Santa Fe church, Monroe. In this drama/comedy, a young girl feels responsible for her brother’s accidental death. Then she meets the boy who received her brother’s heart in an organ transplant.

“In the Mood,” Dec. 4-12, Crossroad’s Mall in Bellevue. A 1940-style USO show during World War II is recreated in this stage show that includes music, comedy and sketches performed by eight singers and the Moonlight Swing Orchestra.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” March 4-20. Dale Wasserman adapted Ken Kesey’s novel about a convict who thinks he can escape jail by feigning insanity, with disastrous results. A memorable cast of characters, including the infamous Nurse Ratched. This is a co-production with the Everett Theatre Society at the historic Everett Theatre.

“The Lion in Winter,” May 6-22. King Henry II wants to decide succession to the throne, but his imprisoned queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his scheming sons have their own ideas.

THE VILLAGE THEATRE will present four musicals, including two Broadway classics, and one nonmusical stage play as part of its 2004-2005 mainstage season. The company’s Snohomish County season is performed at the Everett Performing Arts Center.

Information, tickets 425-257-8600, www.villagetheatre.org.

The season:

“South Pacific,” Oct. 29-Nov. 14. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s romantic musical set on a tropical island during World War II, includes one of the great Broadway musical scores and a storyline about racial prejudice that still resonates.

“The Secret Garden,” Jan. 7-23. The Tony Award-winning musical by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon is based on the novel about a young girl who discovers and nurses back to life a secret garden.

“Steel Magnolias,” March 4-20. Robert Harling’s play about a group of Southern women who form a close bond of friendship laced with humor and compassion.

“Play It By Heart,” April 29-May 15. A new musical by David Spangler, Jerry Taylor and R.T. Robinson with book by Brian Yorkey, about a country music queen trying to hold on to her career and stay true to her country roots. A Village Theatre’s Originals production in 2000, it is being revised for the new season.

“The Music Man,” July 8-24. Meredith Willson’s sparkling musical about a charming con artist and marching band in a small Iowa town closes the season.

VILLAGE THEATRE’S PIED PIPER PRODUCTIONS presents stage shows for kids at the Everett Performing Arts Center and at the Everett Civic Auditorium. The plays and musicals are based on classic children’s stories and are performed by companies that specialize in children’s theater.

Information, 425-257-8600, www.villagetheatre.org.

The season:

“Brave Irene,” Oct. 17. Based on the book by William Steig, this musical is about a plucky girl who courageously braves the weather to help her mother by delivering a dress for the duchess’s ball.

“Corduroy,” Dec. 11. This jazz-inspired musical is about a department store teddy bear and a lonely girl who needs a friend.

“Laura Ingalls Wilder: Growing Up on the Prairie,” Dec. 12. A musical retelling of the story of Laura Ingalls and her family follows them as they travel across the prairie in search of a little house they can call home.

“The Rainbow Fish,” Jan. 23. This stage adaptation of the popular Swiss tale is about what happens when the most beautiful fish in the ocean shares its beauty.

“Miss Nelson is Missing,” Feb. 6. A musical adaptation of the book by Harry Allard and James Marshall focuses on a substitute teacher who terrorizes a class of misbehaving students.

“Lily’s Crossing,” April 17. A stage show based on the books by Patricia Reilly Giff shows how war affects the life of a young girl.

“From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” May 22. A musical based on the Newbery Medal-winning book by E.L. Konigsburg follows the adventures of a couple of runaway kids who hide out in a big-city museum.

WHIDBEY ISLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS presents a season of theater, family shows and local artists at its performing arts facility in Langley.

Information, 360-221-8268, 800-638-7631, www.wicaonline.com.

Theater series:

“Dinner with Friends,” Oct. 15-30. Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Donald Margulies exploring the strains of modern day marriage.

“A Christmas Story,” Dec. 3-18. Jean Shepherd’s nostalgic comedy about a boy and a BB gun at Christmas.

“Sylvia,” Feb. 11-26. A.R. Gurney’s fantasy about a talking dog named Sylvia who enters the life of a disaffected couple and becomes “the other woman.”

“Lillian in Limbo,” April 15-30. Tom Churchill’s circus melodrama.

“The Laramie Project,” June 3-18. Moises Kaufman’s much-honored drama that recounts the aftermath of the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo.

Family Series:

Terry Fator, ventriloquist, Nov. 19; Jugglemania!, Jan. 21; Portland Taiko, March 18; “The Big Time Family Musical with Theatre Simple,” May 6.

Local Artists Series/Special Events:

Titambe Marimba Band, Nov. 20; Timothy Hull and Friends, Jan. 15; Ossman/Firesign/Tirebiter/Electrician/Dwarf, March 26; Judith Adams, May 7; Karla Bonoff with Kenny Edwards, May 29.

WHIDBEY PLAYHOUSE in Oak Harbor presents a season of shows, including musicals, drama and comedy, in its downtown Oak Harbor theater.

Information, 360-679-2237, www.whidbeyplayhouse.com

The season:

“The Cemetery Club,” Feb. 10-24. A touching comedy-drama about three women who meet for tea once a month before going to visit the graves of their husbands, until one of the widows meets a man.

“Inspecting Carol,” Dec. 3-18. Daniel Sullivan’s send-up of holiday shows takes a back-stage look at what happens when a community theater group tries to put on their annual Christmas show.

“A Little Night Music,” Feb. 4-26. Stephen Sondheim’s musical is based on an Ingmar Bergman film about mismatched couples in turn-of-the-century Sweden.

“Ten Little Indians,” April 1-16. Agatha Christie wrote this whodunit about 10 strangers in a remote village who are murdered, one by one.

“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” June 3-25. Another Sondheim classic, this one a bawdy farce set in ancient Rome.

Music

CASCADE SYMPHONY presents its 43rd season with four concerts, performed at the Edmonds Center for the Arts and Mountlake Terrace High School under the baton of Music Director Michael Miropolsky.

Tickets, information, www.cascadesymphony.org, 425-745-5921.

The season:

“Melody and Beauty,” Oct. 25. Works by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Strauss are performed, with Elizabeth Ripley, coloratura soprano, and Karl Reyes, tenor, the featured soloists.

“Colors and Passions,” March 7. Music by Ravel, Strauss, Revueltas and Khachaturian is on the program. The soloist is Nathan Hughes, oboe.

“Movement and Rhythm,” Jan. 10, Mountlake Terrace. Works by Elgar, Bach, Respighi and Beethoven will be performed, with violin soloists Michael Miropolsky and Stephen Provine playing the Bach Double Violin Concerto.

“Tragedy and Victory,” April 25, Mountlake Terrace. Moussorgsky, Strauss, Saint-Saens and Shostakovitch are on the program and the soloist is pianist Mark Salman.

EVERETT CHORALE, Snohomish County’s premiere choral group performs at the Everett Performing Arts Center. Lee Mathews directs.

Tickets, information, 425-257-8600 www.everettchorale.org.

The season:

“A Musical Journey for the Holidays,” Dec. 4-5. Seasonal music by Mendelssohn, Rutter, Emerson, Cornelius, Newbury, Menotti and others, plus “Twelve Days of Christmas” by Courtney.

“A Musical Journal on American Rivers,” March 27-28. Medley from “Showboat” and “Big River,” classics such as “Shenandoah,” “At the River” and “From the Journals of Lewis and Clark” by Daniel Bukvich, performed with the Choral Arts Orchestra.

“A Musical Journey with Women Composers,” June 4-55. “Seasons – A Song Cycle” by Linda Steen Spevacek, “Four Madrigals to Poems of James Joyce” by Williametta Spencer, “Three Spirituals” by Alice Parker will be performed along music by other women composers.

THE EVERETT SYMPHONY’s 2004-2005 season includes classical, pops and by-popular-request concerts, plus holiday shows, chamber music and more. Paul-Elliott Cobbs is music director and conductor. The new season will featured noted soloists and guest conductors. The orchestra performs at the Everett Civic Auditorium, the Everett Theatre, First Presbyterian Church, a New Year’s celebration at the Everett Performing Arts Center and a concert at Arlington High School.

Information, www.everettsymphony.org, 425-257-8382.

Classical concerts:

Classical concert I, Oct. 1. Mozart Symphony No. 10 and the Rachmaninoff Piano Concert No. 2 will be performed with guest conductor Jerzy Salwarowksi and pianist Alexander Ardakov. Concert repeated Oct. 3 at the old Arlington High School.

Classical concert II, Jan. 28. Spanish composer/conductor Salvador Brotons is at the podium in a program of his own works plus music by Berlioz and David, with soloist Mark Babbitt, trombone.

Classical concert III, “Meet the Everett Symphony,” Feb. 25. The program includes music by Mendelssohn, Bruch, Dragonetti and de Saraste, with soloists from the symphony including Fred Chu, violin; Brian Hodgson, bass; Cami Davis, cello.

Classical concert IV, April 30: Noted young tenor Kenneth Gayle, newest member of the Three Mo Tenors singing ensemble, sings a selection of works for tenor voice in a program that also includes music by Verdi and Respighi.

By Popular Request:

“Salute to Big Bands,” Nov. 19. Seattle-based jazz vocalist Primo Kim joins the orchestra to perform some of the great standards of the Big Band era.

“A Night with Nat,” May 20. Everett favorite Nadine Shanti sings music from the songbook of the great Nat “King” Cole.

Everett Symphony Presents:

“A Night at the Opera,” Oct. 30. Singers from the Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program join the Everett Symphony Chamber Orchestra for an evening of opera duets, arias and ensembles.

“Basically Baroque,” March 6, 2005. The Everett Symphony Chamber Orchestra performs Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 and Handel’s “Royal Fireworks.”

Holiday programs:

“Nutcracker,” Dec. 11-12. Olympic Ballet Theatre and the symphony team up for their annual performances of this holiday classic.

“Messiah Sing-along,” Dec. 19. Join members of the orchestra for this annual sing-along of Handel’s oratorio.

“Night Before New Year’s Eve,” Dec. 30. Television’s Tony Ventrella hosts this annual party and concert, with a salute to the music and memories of 50 years, 1954-2004. Guest artists are vocalist Nadine Shanti and singer/keyboardist Murl Allen Sanders.

OLYMPIC BALLET THEATRE, based in Edmonds, presents a season of dance concerts in Edmonds and Everett.

Information, 425-774-7570, www.olympicballet.com.

The season:

“Nutcracker,” the company’s lavish holiday classic will be presented Dec. 2-5 at Edmonds Center for the Arts; Dec. 11-12 at Everett Civic Auditorium with the Everett Symphony Orchestra; Dec. 18-19 at Meany Theatre, Seattle.

“Peter &The Wolf” plus “The Alchemist’s Dream,” dances that introduce young audiences to orchestral instruments and to dance, are performed Feb. 12 at the Everett Performing Arts Center; March 6-7 at Moore Theatre, Seattle.

“The Preview” is a program of new works and audience discussion with the dancers and choreographers, Feb. 19, Anderson Center, Edmonds.

“Swan Lake” Act 2 will showcase the company in selections from the popular story ballet on May 7, Anderson Center, Edmonds.

PORT GARDNER BAY CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY presents a season of chamber music concerts in the top-floor ballroom of the Hartley Mansion (and Jan. 9 concert at First Presbyterian Church), Everett. The afternoon concerts showcase a broad range of local musicians and singers followed by a reception.

Information, 425-353-7311.

The season:

Selina Greso, oboe; Mark Wilson, classical guitar; Sept. 12.

“Trio non Frio” with Terry Mason, violin; Cheryl Lindley, cello; David Spring, piano; Nov. 14.

Port Gardner Bay Chamber Orchestra and County Music Teachers’ Association Concerto winners, Jan. 9.

Far Shore Four barbershop quartet, Feb. 13.

“The Clarinet and Friends” with Steven Noffsinger, April 10.

Village Theatre photo

Taryn Darr as Ensign Nellie Forbush and Eric Polani Jensen as Emile de Becque in Village Theatre’s production of “South Pacific.”

Photo courtesy Forest City (N.C.) Daily Courier

Mary Ingalls (Aimee Cherry) and her sister, Laura (Jennifer Kersey), enjoy their ride in a covered wagon as they head west in “Laura Ingalls Wilder.”

The Everett Chorale has a series of musical journeys planned for this season.