THEATRE TUSCALOOSA ANNOUNCES 2017-2018 SEASON

THEATRE TUSCALOOSA ANNOUNCES 2017-2018 SEASON

Theatre Tuscaloosa will present three plays, two musicals, a one-night-only appearance by folk singer Kate Campbell, and two SecondStage productions during the 2017-2018 Season, which is themed “Music & Mystery.”

The mainstage season opens with Patrick Barlow’s The 39 Steps (September 22-October 1). This comical spy-thriller mixes a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel and a dash of Monty Python. The 39 Steps is a two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning mystery packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters, an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and old-fashioned romance. This fast-paced whodunit is fun for ages 11 and up.

Back by popular demand, Theatre Tuscaloosa is reviving Romulus Linney’s stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (December 8-17).  In this traditional tale, four mysterious spirits visit Ebenezer Scrooge to help him find the true meaning of Christmas. It is a show for both young and old and a great way to get the whole family into the

holiday spirit.

At the beginning of the new year, audiences will be transported to 1920s Berlin in Cabaret (February 23-March 4). Based on the writings of Christopher Isherwood with book by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb, Cabaret won Tony Awards for best musical and best score.  Cliff, a young, American novelist, arrives in Berlin to find his muse. He is eagerly swept into the world of the Kit Kat Klub, where the incomparable emcee, to be played by Ray Taylor, proclaims there are no troubles and life is a cabaret! Cliff’s typewriter sits idle as he becomes entangled with the mysterious Sally Bowles. A dark, menacing power is on the rise in Berlin, but for now they remain blissfully ignorant.  After all, in the Kit Kat Klub, life is beautiful, the girls are beautiful, and even the orchestra is beautiful! This musical is intended for mature audiences.

In May, audiences are invited to visit Second Samuel (May 18-27), a sleepy, south Georgia town where it’s hard to keep a secret, but everybody has one. The show is set during the summer that Second Samuel’s beloved music teacher, Miss Gertrude, passes away. As her friends and neighbors prepare for her funeral, her mysteries are unveiled. Nobody could have imagined how the death of one sweet little old lady would turn the entire town upside down! This show is appropriate for audience members ages 13 and older.

The mainstage season will conclude with the summer musical, Once Upon a Mattress (July 13-22). When Winnifred the Woebegone arrives at Prince Dauntless the Drab’s castle hoping to win his hand, his overbearing mother, Queen Agravain, invents a test that only a true princess can hope to pass. Based on “The Princess and the Pea” by Hans Christian Anderson, this funny and irreverent musical is filled with songs, laughter, and romance for the whole family.

The SecondStage season opens with CQ/CX by Gabe McKinley, running November 1-5.  This show asks the question, “What is truth – facts or feelings?” A young, hotshot writer’s fast and loose writing style forces The New York Times to dig for an answer.  Like all SecondStage productions, this show will be presented in a small, intimate venue (less than 100 seats) and will feature new theatre artists as they explore and experiment with the art form.  The venue is to be determined.

On October 27, 2017, Theatre Tuscaloosa will hold a special event as Kate Campbell returns to the Bean-Brown Theatre for Page to Stage: Kate Campbell – Songs and Stories.  Campbell is a renowned singer-songwriter recognized worldwide for her unique sound and storytelling style.  This one-night-only performance will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The SecondStage season concludes March 26-30 with A Festival of One-Acts, which will feature four brief, funny, poignant plays presented all in one evening.  The venue is to be determined.

The 2017-2018 season is produced in cooperation with Shelton State Community College and will be presented in the Bean-Brown Theatre on the Martin Campus of Shelton State Community College (9500 Old Greensboro Road), except as noted above.

Season tickets are discounted fifteen percent over individual ticket prices and include the five mainstage productions: The 39 Steps, A Christmas Carol, Cabaret, Second Samuel, and Once Upon a Mattress. Packages are $89 for adults, $77 for seniors and member of the military, and $63 for students and children. Season tickets may be purchased as either traditional packages (same night and seat(s) for each show) or as flex passes, which may be redeemed in any order and combination for any of the 2017-2018 mainstage productions.  Both Page to Stage: Kate Campbell – Songs & Stories and the two SecondStage productions may be purchased at a discount as add-ons to any season package.