Pioneer Theatre Company has announced its 1994-95 season (and, no, it's not at all like the previous "announcement" in the Weekend Section on April Fools' Day).
The company's 32nd season will open Sept. 14 with the outrageous musical comedy "The Little Shop of Horrors" and conclude the following spring with an open-ended run of "Man of La Mancha."In between the two musicals will be a new dramatic adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities"; Noel Coward's "Hay Fever"; the recent New York and London hit, "Shadowlands"; William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and Christopher Sergel's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's acclaimed and beloved "To Kill a Mockingbird."
PTC Artistic Director Charles Morey describes the upcoming season as "a rich, varied and exciting mix" of musicals and plays.
"Though each piece is unique," Morey said, "the common thread running through all seven is their exuberant storytelling, abundant theatricality and fertile imagination."
Playdates are:
- "The Little Shop of Horrors," Sept. 14-Oct. 1. The off-Broadway hit came from the team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (the same duo responsible for Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin" scores) and was based on Roger Corman's 1960 cult film.
- "A Tale of Two Cities," Oct. 26-Nov. 12. Morey says this dramatic stage version will capture all the intrigue and passion of Dickens' classic story.
- "Hay Fever," Nov. 30-Dec. 17. This comedy of manners is considered to be one of Noel Coward's major pieces.
- "Shadowlands," Jan. 4-21. William Nicholson's stage version of the true-life love story of renowned Christian scholar and author C.S. Lewis and American poet Joy Gresham.
- "Twelfth Night," Feb. 8-25. Romance and passion fuel this Shakespearean comedy about a headstrong girl disguised as a boy and the beautiful noblewoman who falls in love with "him."
- "To Kill a Mockingbird," March 15-April 1, is the classic American coming-of-age story set in the deep South during the 1950s.
- "Man of La Mancha," opens April 26, with possible extensions to May 20 or 27.
Season subscriptions are now available, with seven-show packages ranging from $61 to $168 along with some individualized options. (Single ticket prices during the season will range from $10 to $30.)
Also, as a result of the successful response to the current season's post-performance discussions with PTC actors, the company is doubling the number of discussions. They'll be held on the second and third Thursdays of each run.
For further information, call the box office at 581-6961.