SHOWS

2011/2012 – Our 26th Season

Power and Passion.  Laughter and Love.

 

Dear Coastal Rep friends and family,

Although it’s hard to top last year’s spectacular 25th Anniversary Season, that is exactly what we intend to do!

In these turbulent times, there’s no better place to rejuvenate the soul than with an unforgettable evening at the theatre.  This year we are offering an adventurous playbill designed to fill our audiences with life, love and laughter!

Come with us as we travel from Dicken’s Victorian England to North America’s aurora borealis.  From dancing in the aisles to do-wah-ditty to sharing the suspense of family secrets revealed, our exciting thrills and chills, mesmerizing drama, and laugh-until-it hurts humor.

As always, thank you so much for your support of  live theatre on the coast.

Always,

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Michael Lederman, Artistic Director

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A Christmas Carol

Book by Charles Dickens

Adapted for the stage by Bruce W. De Les Dernier

Directed by Mark Drumm

November 18 – December 17, 2011

Gather your family and friends and join Ebenezer Scrooge as he experiences an unforgettable Christmas Eve.  You’ll be rapt as Scrooge entertains visits from a cast of ghosts who will leave him a changed man.  Explore the past, present and future in Scrooge’s evolutionary transformation from miser to the embodiment of the joy and spirit of Christmas.  This classic Victorian tale for the family will warm your heart, and you will leave filled with the kindness and generosity of the season.

This is a rousing family show, with belly laughs and cheering songs…—guardian.co.uk

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The Marvelous Wonderettes
By Roger Bean
Directed by Michael Lederman
February 10 – March 4, 2012 

Bring the entire family to this irresistible musical comedy! Writer Roger Bean transports the audience to the Springfield high 1958 Prom where we meet the Wonderettes — Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy — four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts and voices to match. As we learn about their lives and loves, we are treated to the girls performing beautifully arranged renditions of classic ‘50s songs including Mr. Sandman, Lollipop, All I Have To Do Is Dream, Sincerely and Sugartime.

After intermission, the audience is in for a wonderful surprise as you’re whisked away to the girls’ ten-year reunion. The Wonderettes perform again with high-octane and soulful renditions of classic ‘60s tunes such as Heatwave, Son of a Preacher Man, Rescue Me and Resepect., and we see how their friendships have changed and endured in this captivating new Off-Broadway hit.

The show is a delightfully good time. —Variety

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Artichoke

By Joanna Glass

Directed by Paul Anable

March 30 –  April 21, 2012

Join us for this new production of a Coastal Rep favorite. Filled with quirky characters, this warm-hearted portrait of a family finding its way blends laughter and poignancy into a delicious treat. Set on a farm in Saskatchewan, Artichoke is the turbulent story of Margaret and Walter, estranged for fourteen years after Margaret discovers Walter’s illegitimate child, who she ultimately raises as her own.   One summer, Margaret satisfies her need for culture and affection with a visiting professor, and much to the surprise of everyone, opens a door to reconnect her family.  Glass is a master of characterization, mood and dialogue, and this production spotlights the inability of people to connect and relate with each other, even in the closest circumstances.   This engaging dramatic comedy, populated by colorful, intriguing characters, is perfectly suited to our community and our intimate theatre setting. Join us in this journey to find the meaning of divine forgiveness.

A poignant, absorbing, and often exhilarating play, beautifully written. —Variety

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Almost, Maine

By John Cariani

Directed by Roxane Ashe

June 1 – 23, 2012

John Cariani brings us a whimsical story of good people, doing good things, caught up in the complexities of love.  This offbeat comedy comprises vignettes exploring the joys and hazards of romance among quirky characters in the mythical town of Almost, Maine. Odd and supernatural occurrences pepper the often hilarious scenes about discovering the magic and mysteries of love.  You will find that even in the frigid Northeast, love keeps us warm.

Utterly endearing…with a faint dusting of snowbound magical realism.
A place as distinct as Lake Wobegon or Cicely, Alaska. —Broadway.com

A whimisical approach to the joys and perils of romance. Magical happenings bloom beneath the show drifts. Almost, Maine explores the thunderclap of love and the scorched earth that sometimes follows. —New York Times

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler, Based on the play by Christopher Bond
Directed and Choreographed by Joe Duffy 

July 20 – August 18, 2012

Benjamin Barker (now known as Sweeney Todd) returns to London after escaping from jail and teams up with the enterprising widow Nellie Lovett to take revenge on all of London.  His murderous plot, combined with Mrs. Lovett’s questionable business inspiration, creates a macabre use for his victims.  The Victorian horror story of revenge and obsession, highlighted by Stephen Sondheim’s most complex and powerful score, will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Whether you find humor in this dark tale or are terrified by the revolting practices of this pair, you will long remember this chilling, Tony award winning masterpiece.  Winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and recipient of 9 Tony Award nominations.

Adult themes.

Without a doubt, Stephen Sondheim is the greatest living theater composer/lyricist, and Sweeney Todd is his masterpiece. —talkinBroadway.com

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