Fun Home set for Millbrook 2017 season
MILL HALL – The Board of Directors and Producing Artistic Director, David E. Leidholdt, are proud to announce their 54th Season. “My goal is to provide our audiences with a diverse selection of classic and contemporary plays and musicals. This season I feel we have a strong assortment of titles, everything from Neil Simon to Monty Python! With the addition of the musical FUN HOME, I think our audiences will be in for a treat” says Artistic Director David E. Leidholdt. FUN HOME is based on Alison’s Bechdel’s graphic novel of the same name, and has its roots in Clinton County. It centers around the story of the Bechdel family’s life in Beech Creek. The show explores her relationship with her father Bruce, a funeral director, English teacher at Bald Eagle-Nittany High School and former President of the Clinton County Historical Society. For many summers Alison’s mother, Helen, was involved with the Millbrook Playhouse, working as a costume designer and actress with the theater.
Other titles for the 54th season include the Millbrook Premier LIFE IS BUT A DREAM by the Creator of last year’s sold out run THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, the classic family musical, SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL, featuring members of the Millbrook Youth Ensemble, and SPAMALOT the musical comedy “lovingly ripped off” from the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. Audiences will also be entertained by shows from Millbrook’s favorite authors Neil Simon and Ken Ludwig.
On the Ryan Mainstage:
LIFE COULD BE A DREAM
-A 60’s Doo-Wop Musical. Written and Created by Roger Bean.
Performances: June 9 – June 18
Life Could Be A Dream brings us to Springfield to meet Denny and the Dreamers, a fledgling doo-wop singing group preparing to enter the Big Whopper Radio contest to realize their dreams of making it to the big time! Trouble comes in the form of Lois, who arrives to put some polish on the boys. Denny falls in love, Wally falls in line, Eugene falls apart, and along comes handsome heartthrob Skip to send the whole situation spinning. The ’60s hits say it all: “Fools Fall in Love,” “Tears on My Pillow,” “Runaround Sue,” “Earth Angel,” “Stay,” “Unchained Melody,” “Lonely Teardrops,” and “The Glory of Love.” Winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Best Musical Award, Life Could Be a Dream will leave you laughing, singing, and cheering—let’s hear it for the boys! RATED G.
SEUSSICAL
-A Fantastical, Magical, Musical Extravaganza! Book by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Music by Stephen Flaherty. Co-Conceived by Eric Idle.
Performances: June 23 – July 1
Seussical brings to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie and a little boy with a big imagination – Jojo. The colorful characters transport us from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos. The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust that contains the Whos, including Jojo, a Who child sent off to military school for thinking too many “thinks.” Horton faces a double challenge: not only must he protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must guard an abandoned egg, left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphant. Seussical is fun for the whole family! RATED G.
MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT
-Find Your Grail! Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle. Music by John Du Prez.
Performances July 7 – July 16
This uproariously witty spoof on the legendary tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table in their quest to find the Holy Grail features a bevy of beautiful show girls, not to mention cows, killer rabbits, and French people. All the hilarities of the story are even funnier set to the rollicking music of the Round Table Knights and the mysterious, definitively diva, the Lady of the Lake. Did we mention the bevy of beautiful showgirls? RATED PG.
FUN HOME
-A refreshingly honest, original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes. Music by Jeanine Tesori, Book & Lyrics by Lisa Kron. Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel.
Performances: July 28 – Aug. 6
When her father dies unexpectedly, graphic novelist Alison Bechdel dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Moving between past and present, Alison relives her unique childhood playing at the family’s Bechdel Funeral Home – in Beech Creek, PA – her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father’s hidden desires. An unforgettable and groundbreaking musical that explores the haunting pull of memory and the power it has to alternately destroy or shape, our identity. Winner of the 2015 Tony Award for Best Musical. RATED PG-13 (Adult Themes and Strong Language).
In Poorman Cabaret:
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK
-A bubbling, rib-tickling comedy!! Written by Neil Simon.
Performances: June 16 – June 25
Paul and Corie Bratter are newlyweds in every sense of the word. He’s a straight-as-an-arrow lawyer and she’s a free spirit always looking for the latest kick. Their new apartment is her most recent find – too expensive with bad plumbing and in need of a paint job. After a six-day honeymoon, they get a surprise visit from Corie’s loopy mother and decide to play matchmaker during a dinner with their neighbor-in-the-attic, Velasco, where everything that can go wrong, does. Paul just doesn’t understand Corie, as she sees it. He’s too staid, too boring, and she just wants him to be a little more spontaneous. Running “barefoot in the park” would be a start… Rated PG.
WAIT UNTIL DARK
-A masterly constructed thriller. By Frederick Knott. Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
Performances: June 30 – July 9
In 1944 Greenwich Village, Susan Hendrix, a blind yet capable woman, is imperiled in her own apartment by a trio of men in search of a doll with a mysterious secret. Through the help of a neighbor, she figures out that she is the victim of a bizarre charade. Susan discovers that her blindness just might be the key to her escape, but she and her tormentors must wait until dark to play out this classic thriller’s chilling conclusion. Rated PG.
KEN LUDWIG’S A COMEDY OF TENORS
-Laugh after laugh greets one improbable scene after another! By Ken Ludwig.
Performances: July 14 – July 29
One hotel suite, four tenors, two wives, three girlfriends, and a soccer stadium filled with screaming fans. What could possibly go wrong? It’s 1930s Paris and the stage is set for the concert of the century—as long as producer Henry Saunders can keep his Italian superstar and his hot-blooded wife from causing runaway chaos. This sequel to Ken Ludwig’s sidesplitting international hit, Lend Me A Tenor guarantees an uproarious ride, full of mistaken identities, bedroom hijinks, and madcap delight that gives new meaning to the phrase “the show must go on”. RATED PG
MRS. MANNERLY
-A hilarious, poignant comedy for grownups inspired by a childhood memory of etiquette class. By Jeffrey Hatcher.
Performances: Aug 4 – Aug 13
Playwright Jeffrey Hatcher’s semi-autobiographical memories of a 1967 childhood etiquette class conjures up the world of unruly ten-year–olds studying manners. Jeffrey, the star pupil, is in reality a young rascal who wants nothing more than to be good at something, so he sets his sights on mastering his manners. Mrs. Mannerly is a demanding teacher, and no student in her thirty-six years of etiquette classes has achieved a perfect score. Will Jeffrey do what it takes to come out on top or will his outrageous schemes to win, no matter the collateral damage, cost him more than he bargained for? RATED PG
Season Flex Passes are now available. Flex Passes are a block of eight tickets for the price of seven which can be used in any combination for any of the eight regular season performances, and also enable you to select your seats in advance of individual tickets going on sale to the general public. As an added bonus, if you make your purchase before April 15th, you get a bonus ninth ticket for the same price — an outstanding value! Patron Passes are the same as Season Tickets, and include a donation to Millbrook Playhouse, which is recognized both in our Playbill and on our website. Flex Passes are only $175 (a $225 value!), and Patron Passes are only $200. They are both available now by calling the Box Office at 570-748-8083, online at www.millbrookplayhouse.org or by Email to Info@MillbrookPlayhouse.org. Gift Certificates are also available. (There is a $2.00 per Season/Patron Ticket fee for online orders – there is no fee for redeeming your tickets.)
