Alley Theatre to Present Agatha Christie's SPIDER'S WEB, 7/12-8/14

Kicking off the summer at the Alley is Agatha Christie's comic whodunit SPIDER'S WEB, during its popular ExxonMobil Summer Chills Series July 12 - August 14.

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SPIDER'S WEB which features Alley artists Jeffrey Bean, John Tyson and Todd Waite. The cast also includes Alley veteran Josie de Guzman, who has played many of Christie's extraordinary heroines in The Hollow, Black Coffee and And Then There Were None.This marks the 25th Agatha Christie production at the Alley Theatre, including past productions of Death on the Nile, Witness for the Prosecution, The Mousetrap, and Towards Zero.

In addition, the Alley is launching a new Summer Thrills Series inviting audiences to the concert musical - A Night With Janis Joplin - the first rock & roll theatre piece on the new Hubbard stage, August 19 - September 18, 2016. Tickets will go on sale June 1 and will be available online (alleytheatre.org) or by phone (713.220.5700).

"Our audiences have enthusiastically embraced the Christie plays we have mounted; one of the chief pleasures of the summer season is to watch audience members - young and old - lean forward in their seats as they match wits with a writer who takes her amusing entertainments seriously," says Artistic Director Gregory Boyd

In Spider's Web, Clarissa, the second wife of Henry Hailsham Brown, is adept at spinning tales of adventure for her bored diplomatic circle. When a murder takes place in her drawing room, she finds real life much harder to cope with. Clarissa's fast talking places her in hair-raising situations, as she comes to learn that the facts are much more exciting than fiction. The London Guardian describes the play as "So closely woven with thrills and comedy that shocks and laughs are about fifty-fifty."

And following in August, audiences can escape the Texas heat with the musical A Night With Janis Joplin. The play is a musical experience celebrating Janis and her biggest musical influences-icons like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith, who inspired one of rock & roll's greatest legends. Like a comet that burns far too brightly to last, Janis Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967 and, almost overnight, became the queen of rock & roll. The unmistakable voice, filled with raw emotion and tinged with Southern Comfort, made her a must-see headliner from Monterey to Woodstock.

"Janis lived as a hard-wired Texan from her foot-stomping power to her deep-in-the-heart emotion. Her seemingly over-night success hid the years of hard work, like the 4th generation Texan she was," says Laura Joplin, sister of Janis Joplin.

A Night With Janis Joplin is written and directed by Randy Johnson and is fueled by such unforgettable songs as "Me and Bobby McGee," "Piece of My Heart," "Mercedes Benz," "Cry Baby" and "Summertime." The New York Times raved that A Night With Janis Joplin "rocks the house" and Variety called it "electrifying."

SUMMER CHILLS AND THRILLS SERIES

TICKETS: Single tickets for Agatha Christie's Spider's Web and A Night With Janis Joplin go on sale June 1, 2016 either online (alleytheatre.org) or by phone (713.220.5700). Discounted tickets are available for any student, regardless of age, with a valid student ID for $16 for designated performances in designated sections. Tickets start at $26.

Agatha Christie's Spider's Web begins previews July 12, opens July 14 and runs through August 14 in the Hubbard Theatre. Spider's Web is suitable for general audiences.

Running time: 2 hours and 40 minutes with two intermissions.

A Night With Janis Joplin, written and directed by Randy Johnson, begins previews August 19, opens August 21 and continues through September 18. A Night with Janis Joplin contains explicit language and adult content.

Running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission.

Step out of the Texas sun inside the doors of the Alley Theatre this summer. In celebration of our Summer Chills Series, we are offering special pricing on select entertainment and dining - the coolest Houston has to offer! The Summer Chill-Out package includes discounts on Alley Theatre's ExxonMobil Summer Chills production of Agatha Christie's Spider's Web, accommodations at The Lancaster Hotel , dinner at Birraporetti's, passes to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and passes for the Houston METRORail. For more information and to purchase a Summer Chill-Out Package visit alleytheatre.org/chillout

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