The 5th Avenue Musical Theatre Company’s 2006-07 season will feature the world premiere of the Broadway-bound musical “Cry-Baby,” plus three shows new to Seattle and three returning favorites.
“Cry-Baby” joins a rapidly growing list of musicals, including “Hairspray,” “Princesses” and “The Wedding Singer,” that The 5th Avenue Theatre has helped prepare for a Broadway run.
John Waters, director of the film on which the stage play is based, said he was “thrilled to be coming back to Seattle with ‘Cry-Baby.’ Here’s a town that understands my sense of humor and has a passionate theater-going public that roots for winners outside the usual Broadway boundaries. In other words, the perfect place for me to be a ‘juvenile delinquent.’”
The three shows new to Seattle are “Bombay Dreams,” “White Christmas” and “Edward Scissorhands.” The three remaining shows in the season are classics that audiences have repeatedly requested: “Company,” “Camelot” and “West Side Story.”
Here are the season highlights:
The season kicks off Sept. 12 to Oct. 1, with the national tour of “Bombay Dreams,” a dazzling stage spectacle set amid India’s bustling Bollywood film industry. The idea for this new musical emerged after Shekhar Kapur and Broadway musical giant Andrew Lloyd Webber became entranced by the allure of Bollywood movies and the music of India’s most celebrated and popular composer A.R. Rahman (“The Lord of the Rings: The Musical”).
The rarely produced Stephen Sondheim favorite “Company” runs Oct. 17 to Nov. 5 as The 5th Avenue continues its commitment to produce the entire Sondheim canon. This hilarious and affecting portrayal of five married couples – as seen through the eyes of perpetual bachelor Robert – explores the joys and pitfalls of love, commitment and relationships. It features a brilliant score, including the celebrated songs “Side By Side By Side,” “Ladies Who Lunch” and “Another Hundred People.” Winner of six 1971 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, this landmark show remains as relevant and razor-sharp as ever, demonstrating that relationships, while not perfect, go hand-in-hand with “Being Alive.”
Just in time for the holidays, Nov. 28 to Dec. 17, “White Christmas” is a delightful new musical that’s as fresh as new fallen snow. The 5th Avenue is one of four theaters in America to produce this classic Christmas movie musical that had never before been adapted for the stage. It includes the beloved Irving Berlin songs “Sisters,” “Blue Skies” and the popular title song, “White Christmas.” The fun begins after WWII when two of the hottest song-and-dance men in show biz team up with a sister act to save their former general’s country inn. The result is a sparkling holiday package filled with splashy dance numbers, treasured tunes and loads of heartwarming nostalgia.
“Cry-Baby” gets its world premiere Feb 13 to March 4. The musical is based upon the Universal Pictures film written and directed by Waters, who will return to Seattle to participate in the exciting process of creating a new musical. Much of the “Hairspray” producing team returns, joined by Imagine Entertainment chairman Brian Grazer. The Tony Award-winning creative team includes Rob Ashford as the choreographer, the “Hairspray” book writers Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, and an exciting songwriting duo new to Broadway David Javerbaum (five-time Emmy Award-winning writer for “The Daily Show”) and Adam Schlesinger (bassist/songwriter for Fountains of Wayne).
While “Hairpsray” is a story about acceptance, “Cry-Baby” is a story about class. It’s set in the hysterical high-throttle world of 1954. Eisenhower is president, rock ‘n’ roll is king, and Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker is the baddest boy in town. His ability to shed one single tear drives all the girls wild especially Allison Vernon-Williams. A rich, beautiful “square,” Allison finds herself irresistibly drawn to the dreamy juvenile delinquent (played in the movie by Johnny Depp) and his forbidden world of rockabilly music and fast cars.
British stage and film legend Michael York will kick off Seattle’s spring theater season March 20 to April 8, starring in one of history’s greatest love stories, “Camelot.” The new national touring production of Lerner &Lowe’s timeless masterpiece is set in King Arthur’s enchanted kingdom Camelot, a place where honor and chivalry reign. When Queen Guenevere falls in love with Sir Lancelot, this idyllic land is placed in jeopardy. The splendid score includes the romantic and haunting “If Ever I Would Leave You,” the captivating “How To Handle a Woman” and the majestic “Camelot.”
Straight from the London stage, “Edward Scissorhands” will play Seattle April 25 to May 13, 2007 as part of a limited tour that includes Los Angeles and New York. This magical new dance musical without words is devised, directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne and New Adventures. This stunning dance/theater production is based on the original motion picture written and directed by Oscar-nominated Tim Burton, by special arrangement with 20th Century Fox. It includes music composed, arranged and adapted by Terry Davies based on the original motion picture score by Danny Elfman. “Edward Scissorhands” is a touching and witty gothic fairytale that tells the story of a boy created by an eccentric inventor. With only scissors for hands, Edward must find his place in a strange new suburban world where the well-meaning community struggles to see past his appearance to the innocence and gentleness within.
In 2007 the world will celebrate the 50th anniversary of “West Side Story.” The 5th Avenue will hold its own celebration by collaborating with Spectrum Dance Theater. This co-production, a modern telling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, includes a full orchestra and a large cast of nearly 40 actors, singers and dancers. Two feuding street gangs – the Jets and the Sharks – are on a collision course in the gritty slums of New York City. With explosive dancing and some of the most electrifying music ever written for the Broadway stage (“Maria,” “Tonight,” “Somewhere”), “West Side Story” is one of the all-time great American musicals created by four legends of the theater: Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim and Jerome Robbins. Winner of 10 Academy Awards in 1961 and two Tony Awards in 1958, this beautiful love story addresses the issue of prejudice in a complex world and remains as fresh today as it was 50 years ago.
The 5th Avenue’s Spotlight Nights will continue for a sixth season. The free, one-night-only events are designed to enhance the audience’s musical theater experience and are crafted to highlight specific aspects of each show. The schedule for these will be announced later.
Subscriptions for the 2006-07 season are available now. Package prices range from as little as $68 (4 shows, previews) to $357 (7 shows, weekend). The Second Sunday Talkback and 30-Or-Under ticket packages remain popular and new this season are the Girls Night Out and Q Club packages. For season ticket information, call 206-625-1900, stop by The 5th Avenue Theatre box office at 1308 Fifth Ave. in downtown Seattle, or go online to www.5thavenue.org.
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