Monumental Musicals, Lapine Premiere with Debra Monk & More Slated for Signature Theatre's 2016-17 Season; Plus Previously Set FREAKY FRIDAY!

Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland announce the full lineup for Signature Theatre's 2016/17 season, including the previously announced production of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's FREAKY FRIDAY.

"The new season at Signature is an eclectic mix of new works as well as reinventions of some great musicals that Washington hasn't seen," stated Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. "We're also featuring four DC writers in our season which makes us proud to be premiering their work in their hometown. With four world premieres along with the exciting writers and artists we have lined up, it promises to be a great 27th season."

"In the past two years, starting with the hiring of Joe Calarco as Director of New Works, Signature has significantly increased its investment in and commitment to bringing new voices to life on stage," says Managing Director Maggie Boland. "Midwestern Gothic got its start as part of our American Musical Voices Project, and both it and Silver Belles received workshops at Signature last season. The Gulf's Signature life started as a SigWorks Monday Night New Play Reading piece. Now all three works are ready to be put on their feet in front of Signature's smart and appreciative audiences."

The 2016/17 season kicks off with the DC premiere of Jelly's Last Jam (August 2 - September 11, 2016); the musical about famed and notorious jazz entertainer Jelly Roll Morton by George C. Wolfe, Susan Birkenhead, Luther Henderson and featuring the music of Jelly Roll Morton. This immersive new staging, directed by Matthew Gardiner (Signature's West Side Story, Cabaret) and choreographed by Jared Grimes (Broadway's After Midnight), places the audience in D.C's legendary Jungle Inn. Heralded as "roof-raising" by The New York Times when it premiered in 1992, Signature Theatre welcomes back Nova Y. Payton (Signature's Dreamgirls, Hairspray), Craig Wallace (Ford's Theatre's The Guard) and introduces jazz pianist Mark G. Meadows (Jazz at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center) in the role of Jelly Roll Morton.

In the fall, Signature will present the world premiere The Gulf (September 13 - November 6, 2016) by DC playwright Audrey Cefaly (Quotidian Theatre's Maytag Virgin). Betty and Kendra waste away a languid summer day fishing when the motor breaks down stranding the two, and their tumultuous relationship, in the Gulf. Signature's Director of New Works Joe Calarco (Signature's The Flick, Cake Off) directs this provocative new comedy that will transform the ARK Theatre into the Alabama Delta. Featuring Maria Rizzo (Signature's West Side Story) and Rachel Zampelli (Signature's The Fix).

In October, Signature partners with Disney Theatricals to present the world premiere musical comedy Freaky Friday (October 4 - November 20) based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers and hit Disney films. When an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right again before mom's big wedding. With a score by Pulitzer Prize-winners Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Broadway's Next to Normal, If/Then) and a book by Bridget Carpenter (TV's Friday Night Lights, Parenthood), Freaky Friday is a hilarious, contemporary update of an American classic. This premiere production is directed by two-time Tony nominee Christopher Ashley (Broadway's Xanadu, The Rocky Horror Show, Memphis) and choreographed by Olivier Award winner Sergio Trujillo (Broadway's On Your Feet, Jersey Boys).

For the holiday season, Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer (Broadway's Follies, Million Dollar Quartet) will direct the world premiere of Silver Belles (November 22 - December 24) by Matt Conner (Signature's Nevermore, Crossing, Creative Cauldron's Turn of the Screw), Allyson Currin (WSC Avant Bard's Caesar and Dada) and Stephen Gregory Smith (Creative Cauldron's Turn of the Screw). The Silver Belles must come to the rescue of the town's annual Christmas Pageant after the death of their longtime director. It's a raucous send up of small town Christmas pageantry that features some of D.C.'s favorite leading ladies, including Donna Migliaccio (Signature's Sunday in the Park with George), Nova Y. Payton (Signature's Dreamgirls), Naomi Jacobson (Signature's Cabaret), Sandy Bainum (Signature's Company), and Ilona Dulaski (Signature's Witches of Eastwick).

In December, Signature will reaffirm its mission to stage inventive new productions of classic musicals by tackling Maury Yeston's (Nine) Tony Award-winning musical Titanic (December 13, 2016 - January 29, 2017). Directed by Eric Schaeffer, Titanic will feature a cast, crew and orchestra of over 50 artists and an inventive new 360 degree staging in Signature Theatre's intimate 300 seat MAX Theatre. Featuring Erin Driscoll (Signature's Road Show), Florence Lacey (Signature's Sunset Boulevard), Kevin McAllister (Ford's 110 in the Shade), Tracy Lynn Olivera (Signature's The Fix), Bobby Smith (Signature's Road Show) and many more.

In the spring, Signature will launch two world premiere productions. In the MAX Theater, Emmy and Tony Award winner Debra Monk (Mozart in the Jungle, Grey's Anatomy) stars in Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing (February 28 - March 26, 2017) written and directed by Pulitzer Prize winner James Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods). Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing is based on the real-life story of Elva Miller, who gained notoriety as an unlikely pop phenomenon in the 1960s for her renditions of "Downtown," "Monday, Monday," "A Hard Day's Night," and more. In the ARK Theatre, Matthew Gardiner directs Midwestern Gothic (March 14 - April 30, 2017) by Josh Schmidt (Off-Broadway's Adding Machine) and Royce Vavrek (Dog Days, 27). Commissioned as part of Signature's American Musical Voices Project, Midwestern Gothic paints a vivid portrait of a young woman whose imagination runs wild in a desperate to escape her desolate surroundings.

To end the season, Joe Calarco will direct the Tony Award-winning rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar (May 9 - July 2, 2017). With a score by Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the Opera, Evita) and Tim Rice (Evita, Chess), featuring "I Don't Know How to Love Him" and "Everything's Alright," Jesus Christ Superstar tells the story of Jesus' life in his final week. This epic story will come to life in Signature's MAX Theatre and will feature Natascia Diaz (Signature's West Side Story) as Mary Magdalene, Bobby Smith (Signature's The Fix) as Pontius Pilate and Sherri Edelen (Signature's Cake Off) as King Herod.

Signature will present several cabaret performances in the 2016/17 Season. In the summer, audiences can escape the heat in the air-conditioned ARK for Sizzlin' Summer Nights Series (July 5 - 22, 2016); A four-show Cabaret Series (Woodstock, October 11-15, 2016; Nicholas Rodriguez, January 31 - February 4, 2017; Apollo Link, May 9-13, 2017; and Songbirds: Great Women of Jazz, June 6-10, 2017).

Signature offers flexible subscription options for the 2016/17 season. Subscription packages are now on sale. Custom packages for mainstage productions can be created for 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7- or the full 8-show season. Package prices begin at $190. Sizzlin Summer Nights All-Access passes are $175; Cabaret Series subscriptions are $130 for all four cabarets.

Benefits of subscribing include first choice of seats, savings over individual ticket prices, fee-waived ticket exchanges and discounts on extra tickets. Season subscriptions are now on sale by calling Signature's Box Office at 703 820 9771 or by visiting SigTheatre.org. Subscribers may add the SHEN Cabaret Series and Sizzlin' Summer All-Access Pass to their subscription orders.

Patrons can get a preview of the upcoming season at Signature Theatre's annual Open House (Saturday, July 23, 2016 from noon-8:30PM). This FREE event includes free performances and workshops every 15 minutes, special ticket offers, outdoor activities and more!

Single tickets for the entire season will go on sale mid-June, 2016

SIGNATURE THEATRE'S 2016/17 SEASON

DC Premiere
Jelly's Last Jam
August 2 - September 11, 2016
MAX Theatre

Take your seat at the legendary Jungle Inn nightclub for the electrifying, Tony Award-winning musical that tells the story of jazz through one of its most notorious entertainers: Jelly Roll Morton.

Journey from the back alleys of New Orleans to the dance halls of Chicago to the stages of New York with "he who drinks from the vine of syncopation" in a sizzling memoir of pride, lust and a past denied.

Directed by Matthew Gardiner (West Side Story, Cabaret), this Washington premiere stars acclaimed jazz pianist Mark G. Meadows (Jazz at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Strathmore), and featuring the soul-stirring Nova Y. Payton with dazzling, high-energy choreography by Broadway's Jared Grimes. Now that's how you jazz!

Book by George C. Wolfe
Music by Jelly Roll Morton
Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead
Musical Adaptation and Additional Music Composed by Luther Henderson
Directed by Matthew Gardiner
New Work at Signature is sponsored by The Reva & David Logan Foundation
Sponsored by Shugoll Research

World Premiere
The Gulf
September 13 - November 6, 2016
ARK Theatre

Dive into a funny and fierce world premiere comedy that transforms the ARK Theatre into a steamy southern waterway.

Betty and Kendra waste away a languid summer day fishing on the Alabama Delta. Suddenly, their lazy afternoon turns to chaos when the motor breaks, stranding the two, and their tumultuous relationship, in the Gulf.

Director of New Works Joe Calarco (The Flick) helms this provocative contemporary comedy starring Rachel Zampelli and Maria Rizzo by the exciting DC playwright Audrey Cefaly (Maytag Virgin).

By Audrey Cefaly
Directed by Joe Calarco
New Work at Signature is sponsored by The Reva & David Logan Foundation

World Premiere
Freaky Friday
October 4 - November 20, 2016
MAX Theatre

A delightfully freaky musical comedy from the magical world of Disney.

There's nothing worse than turning into your mother. Except, perhaps, turning into your teenage daughter. When Ellie and her mother, Katherine, switch bodies they must literally walk in each other's shoes as they stumble through the pratfalls and pitfalls of high-school drama and grown-up farce.

With a score by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composers of Next to Normal and If/Then and a book by Parenthood's Bridget Carpenter, Freaky Friday is a deliciously entertaining world premiere musical for anyone with a perfectly imperfect family.

Book by Bridget Carpenter
Music by Tom Kitt
Lyrics by Brian Yorkey
Based on the novel Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers & the Walt Disney Motion Pictures
Directed by Christopher Ashley
New Work at Signature is sponsored by The Reva & David Logan Foundation

World Premiere
Silver Belles
November 22 - December 24, 2016
ARK Theatre

DC's finest leading ladies-Donna Migliaccio, Nova Y. Payton, Ilona Dulaski, Naomi Jacobson and Sandy Bainum star in this hilarious world premiere musical for the holiday season.

When Oralene, the longtime director of small town Sylva Ridge's Christmas Pageant suddenly passes away, the Silver Belles must come to the rescue! With the spirit of Oralene looking on, the sterling-hued vixens band together, discover their talents and pull out all the stops to keep the beloved pageant alive.

It's Golden Girls meets Designing Women with a heaping helping of well-known Christmas tunes and clever new ditties. Christmas without the Silver Belles...just wouldn't be Christmas!

Book by Allyson Currin
Music by Matt Conner
Lyrics by Matt Conner & Stephen Gregory Smith
Based on an idea by Sandra Johnson & Cathy Alter
Directed by Eric Schaeffer
New Work at Signature is sponsored by The Reva & David Logan Foundation

Titanic
December 13, 2016 - January 29, 2017
MAX Theatre

Come aboard the ship of dreams in this Tony Award-winning Best Musical-a heart-stopping and riveting ride through the final moments of Titanic's fateful journey.

In this stunning, 360-degree production, Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer plunges you into the middle of the glamour, chaos, heroism and, ultimately, the spirit of the most infamous ship of all time. With a lush, unforgettable score and a cast, orchestra and crew of more than 50 artists, Titanic will be the theatrical event of the season!

Story and Book by Peter Stone
Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston
Directed by Eric Schaeffer

World Premiere
Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing
February 28 - March 26, 2017
MAX Theatre

Pulitzer Prize winner James Lapine's (Sunday in the Park with George) new comedy stars Emmy and Tony Award winner Debra Monk (Mozart in the Jungle, Grey's Anatomy) as Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller can't sing-but don't tell her that. Based on the real life story of Elva Miller, this touching and funny portrait offers Monk the role of a lifetime as the devoted, warbling songstress whose operatic, off-key singing became an unlikely pop phenomenon in the 1960s. Take a delectable romp through hits like "Downtown," "Monday Monday," "A Hard Day's Night" and more. Simply irresistible, when

Mrs. Miller does her thing, it's so bad - it's good.

A Play with Music
By James Lapine
Conceived by Mark Oliver Everett & James Lapine
Directed by James Lapine
New Work at Signature is sponsored by The Reva & David Logan Foundation

World Premiere
Midwestern Gothic
March 14 - April 30, 2017
ARK Theatre

A wildly original world premiere musical from the award-winning composer of Adding Machine that will provoke-even shock-and thoroughly entertain.

Set in a frozen little town in the middle of continental nowhere, Midwestern Gothic paints a vivid portrait of a young woman, Stina, who is desperate to escape her everyday surroundings. Stina's wild and twisted imagination drives her to create more and more bizarre diversions that suddenly take a perverse turn toward a surprising end.

With a gorgeous contemporary score that weaves together rock, country and pure fantasy, this innovative musical thriller will leave you breathless.

Book by Royce Vavrek
Music by Josh Schmidt
Lyrics by Royce Vavrek and Josh Schmidt
Directed by Matthew Gardiner
New Work at Signature is sponsored by The Reva & David Logan Foundation
The American Musical Voices Project is made possible by Ted & Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund

Jesus Christ Superstar
May 9 - July 2, 2017
MAX Theatre

The icon. His traitor. The most famous story ever told. Experience Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's stunning Tony Award-winning rock opera in a sleek, modern environmental production.

With the legendary songs "What's the Buzz," "I Don't Know How to Love Him," "Everything's Alright" and the title song, Joe Calarco (Gypsy) directs this dazzling and fiery epic of celebrity, passion, guilt and salvation.

Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Directed by Joe Calarco

Special Events

Signature's Open House
Sunday, July 23, 2016
Noon-8:30PM

Kick off the 26th Season with Signature's Annual Open House. Starting at noon, come enjoy free performances every fifteen minutes, special ticket offers and a grand finale concert.

FREE

Signature Cabarets
Sizzlin' Summer Nights Series
July 5 - 22, 2016
ARK Theatre

Signature opens our air-conditioned doors once more for the annual Sizzlin' Summer Nights Series. With a different concert act each night, there's always something to keep you entertained. This season's acts include Shayna Blass (The Mystery of Love and Sex), Will Gartshore, Erin Driscoll, Bob McDonald, and many more.

Cabaret Series - 4 show series
Woodstock
October 11 - 15, 2016

Three days of peace, love and music packed into a 70-minute original musical tribute. Signature's favorite groovy singers and musicians reinterpret hits from Janis Joplin to Jefferson Airplane, Sha Na Na, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who and more as we relive the event that changed rock and roll forever.

Nicholas Rodriguez
January 31 - February 4, 2017

One Life to Live and Broadway star Nicholas Rodriguez fuses his love of The Great White Way with the music of jazz, blu