MARY POPPINS, FOLLIES & More Set for Warner Stage Company's 2016-17 Season

The Warner Theatre has announced its 2016-2017 Warner Stage Company season. The Main Stage season opens in November with Disney's BEAUTY & THE BEAST and follows with The Who's TOMMY, FOLLIES, and MARY POPPINS. The Nancy Marine Studio season opens in September with EVIL DEAD - THE MUSICAL and follows with the FIFTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRIGHT FESTIVAL, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, CALENDAR GIRLS and PETER AND THE STARCATCHER. Season Subscriptions are now available. Subscribers get the best seats in the house at the best prices! Tickets go on sale to the General Public in July. Call the Warner Box Office at (860) 489-7180.

ON THE MAIN STAGE:

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - November 5-13, 2016: Be Our Guest! The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

The Who's TOMMY - February 4-12, 2017: Based on the iconic 1969 rock concept album, The Who's TOMMY is an exhilarating story of hope, healing and the human spirit. The story of the pinball-playing, deaf, dumb and blind boy who triumphs over his adversities has inspired, amazed and puzzled audiences for more than 40 years. After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia, and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors. As an adolescent, he's discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks though his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar.

FOLLIES - May 6-14, 2017: A true theatrical event, this legendary masterpiece is considered by many to be the greatest musical ever created. In FOLLIES the time is 1971, and theatrical impresario Dimitri Weissmann hosts a reunion of ex-Follies performers in his crumbling theatre, setting the stage for a parade of brilliant pastiche numbers including, "Losing My Mind," "I'm Still Here," and "Broadway Baby." Amid the reminiscing, two middle-aged couples confront some unpleasant truths about their past and present, and come face to face with the future.

Disney & Cameron Mackintosh's MARY POPPINS - July 29-August 6, 2017: One of the most popular Disney movies of all time is capturing hearts in a whole new way: as a practically perfect musical! The jack-of-all trades, Bert, introduces us to England in 1910 and the troubled Banks family. Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorsteps. Using a combination of magic and common sense, she must teach the family how to value each other again. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones she has a profound effect upon. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises that, "Anything can happen if you let it!"

IN THE NANCY MARINE STUDIO THEATRE:

EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL - September 24-October 2, 2016: Back by popular demand! Based on Sam Raimi's 80's cult classic films, EVIL DEAD - THE MUSICAL tells the tale of five college kids who travel to a cabin in the woods and accidentally unleash an evil force. And although it may sounds like a horror, it's not! The songs are hilariously campy and the show is bursting with more farce than a Monty Python skit. As musical mayhem descends upon this sleepover in the woods, "camp" takes on a whole new meaning. Prepare to get bloody in our SPLATTER ZONE! Contains adult language and situations, viewer discretion is advised.

WARNER'S FIFTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRIGHT FESTIVAL - October 13-15, 2016: A three day event! The mission of the International Playwright Festival is to recognize the work of emerging and established playwrights and to build a link between playwrights, the theatre community and our audiences. The festival is a celebration of new works by playwrights from across the country and around the globe.

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS - December 10-18, 2016: Back by popular demand! Ever since it first appeared on television in 1965, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS has been a staple of the holiday season in America. It's funny how a simple premise can resonate through the generations, but it is and will remain symbolic of how the quest for the best gifts for prettiest tree often distracts us from the important things during the festive period.

CALENDAR GIRLS - March 11-19, 2017: When Annie's husband John dies of leukemia, she and best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade four fellow WI members to pose nude with them for an "alternative" calendar, with a little help from hospital porter and amateur photographer Lawrence. The news of the women's charitable venture spreads like wildfire, and hordes of press soon descend on the small village of Knapeley in the Yorkshire Dales. The calendar is a success, but Chris and Annie's friendship is put to the test under the strain of their new-found fame.

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER - June 17-25, 2017: Tony-Award winning PETER AND THE STARCATCHER upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (aka Peter Pan). From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, Peter and the Starcatcher playfully explores the depths of greed and despair and the bonds of friendship, duty and love.

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