Civic Theatre’s new season includes world premiere

A world premiere is the highlight of the Civic Theatre’s 2010–2011 season, which kicks off Sept. 24. The other productions of the 14-play season include the latest Broadway musical blockbusters, a classic satire, child-friendly fare and theater standards.

The season opens with one of the longest-running off-Broadway musicals ever: Godspell, a modern-day retelling of the Gospel According to St. Matthew. Performances run through Oct. 10.

Next comes a classic satire, Tartuffe by Molière (Oct. 8–23). Written nearly 350 years ago, this scathing look at religious hypocrisy is as fresh as this morning’s newspaper.

Sleepy Hollow, A Musical Tale, a world premiere, is an all-new musical treatment of Washington Irving’s tale. The production (Oct. 29–Nov. 6) is the first of three plays from the Civic Youth Theatre. The other two are Lyle the Crocodile, a comical tale of a friendly reptile (March 18–26), and The Hundred Dresses (May 20–28).

Next up is the musical revue Some Enchanted Music: A Tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein (Nov. 12–20), a musical valentine to the greatest duo in American musical theater, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Leapin’ lizards! Annie, the Tony Award-winning tale of the plucky orphan who finds a real home, is back (Nov. 26–Dec. 12)! Then the joint will be jumpin’ (Jan. 14–30, 2011) with another Tony Award winner, Ain’t Misbehavin’. The musical revue relives the Harlem Renaissance through the music of jazz great Fats Waller.

Leading Ladies, a new comedy by Ken Ludwig (Jan. 28–Feb. 12), recounts the hilarious cross-dressing attempt of two unemployed actors to obtain a legacy from an addled aunt. That’s followed by the Broadway hit Wait Until Dark (Feb. 18–March 5), an adaptation of the suspenseful 1967 movie.  

Thorton Wilder’s classic Our Town (April 1–16); Distracted (April 15–May 1), a funny, bittersweet exploration of Attention Deficit Disorder; the madcap You Can’t Take It With You (April 29–May 1) and the Tony Award-winning smash 2006 Broadway musical comedy hit The Drowsy Chaperone (May 6–29) round out the season.

Want a more detailed description of each production or performance schedules for a particular show? Just click here!

For Friday and Saturday performances, single tickets cost $9 for students 12 and younger, $19 for older students and senior citizens and $22 for other adults. For Thursday and Sunday performances, prices drop to $9 for students 12 and younger, $14 for older students and senior citizens and $17 for other adults. Check out the Civic Auditorium seating chart here.

A single Adult subscription, good for eight performances, costs $110. A Double Adult subscription (16  performances) costs just $210. A Single Senior Adult subscription (eight shows) costs $99, while a Double Senior Adult one (16) costs $185. Get season subscription details here. You can buy a season subscription online, by calling (269) 343–1313 or by visiting the Civic’s box office.

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