EVERETT — Village Theatre will start its upcoming 2018-19 season with a new artistic director, Jerry Dixon, whose goal is to both challenge and entertain audiences.
“The season needs to ebb and flow,” Dixon said.
It will feature three musicals, including “Million Dollar Quartet,” the story of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, which premiered at Village Theatre 12 years ago.
The season begins with “The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes,” which opens Oct. 26.
The play was part of the theater’s festival of new musicals in 2013.
Barnes, an average American guy, one day wakes up to discover his life has become a musical. Desperate to return things to normal, he embarks on a fantastical quest through the realm of musical theater.
Roald Dahl’s “Matilda the Musical,” opens Jan. 4. It’s the story of a bright young girl stuck in a school where one of the teachers isn’t very nice to the students.
Dixon called the play “a beautiful gem of a romantic musical,” demonstrating the magic and power of youth and how they see the world.
“I Do! I Do!” a musical about 50 years of marriage, opens March 1. The musical was created by the same team that developed “The Fantastics.”
“No matter how sophisticated we become, we always wonder if there’s someone out there for me — the same things they’re saying in ‘I Do! I Do!,’ Dixon said.
“I know people will be snuggling up” during the play, he said.
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” opens April 26, 2019.
It’s the story of a 15-year-old boy, Christopher, wrongfully accused of murdering his neighbor’s dog. He sets off to solve the mystery and prove his innocence.
“I can imagine people sitting on the edge of their seats with Christopher’s journey,” Dixon said. “I love the fact this young boy teaches us so much about ourselves by looking at the world through his eyes.”
The season concludes with “Million Dollar Quartet,” which opens June 28, 2019. Dixon called the show, with hit songs of the 1950s, the season’s jukebox musical.
Dixon said that when he was invited to see the show on Broadway, initially he was skeptical. “Do I really want to see a musical about Elvis Presley?” But as he listened to the music, “I found myself exploding with joy.”
“It’s just something from the first strings of music that catches you and never lets go,” he said.
More about the new season is at www.villagetheatre.org.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
About Jerry Dixon
Jerry Dixon first came to the Village Theatre in 2006 as guest director of “Barnstormer.” Since then, he has directed a number of shows there, including “Show Boat,” “The Full Monty” and last season’s “A Proper Place.”
He lives in New York City and performed on Broadway in shows such as “Once On This Island,” “Tick, Tick..Boom!”and “If/Then.”
He has been visiting the theater regularly since last fall’s announcement of his appointment as the theater’s artistic director.
The move followed the decision by the Village’s current artistic director, Steve Tomkins, to retire effective May 31.
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