'BUDDY', MURDER FOR TWO, Ed Asner in FDR and More Set for Laguna Playhouse's 2014-15 Season

THE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE invites you to enjoy music, memories, midnight, mystery & murder in its 2014-2015 season of shows! The season starts out rockin' with BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY; followed by Linda Purl starring in Joan Didion's play about the triumph of the human spirit in THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING; then the holiday season will ring in the musical STRIKING TWELVE; followed by the songs of one the greatest musical writers of all time - HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN; plus enjoy the smash-hit, Off-Broadway musical whodunit MURDER FOR TWO; and a "To Be Announced" production; add in two bonus options for our audiences and subscribers including the MAGIC OF MOTOWN and Emmy Award-winner Ed Asner starring as FDR for a year of engaging music, memories and more!

The 2014/2015 LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE season:

BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY
July 7 - August 19, 2014 (Press Opening July 12)

Don your vintage Armistead eyeglasses and join us for BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY. Buddy Holly's short yet spectacular career is told through classic songs we all love including "That'll Be the Day," "Peggy Sue," "Not Fade Away," The Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace," Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba," and many more. Clive Barnes of the New York Postraves, "The audience is elevated to joyful chaos."

THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING
Written by Joan Didion
Directed by Jenny Sullivan
October 8 - November 2, 2014 (Press Opening October 11)

Based on Joan Didion's National Book Award winning memoir, THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING is a remarkable story of loss, journey, and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. This play is a tribute to an extraordinary marriage and a love letter to Didion's daughter. Starring stage and screen actor Linda Purl and directed by Jenny Sullivan.

This Holiday Season, you will be...
STRIKING TWELVE
December 3 - December 28, 2014 (Press Opening December 6)
Book, Music and Lyrics by GrooveLily

Ring in the Holiday Season with STRIKING 12. This Bay Area Theatre Critic's Choice concert- with-a-story is quickly becoming a holiday classic. A 21st century sensibility combines pop-rock, musical comedy with an old-fashioned uplift! STRIKING 12 weaves Hans Christian Andersen's classic fable "The Little Match Girl" with a modern-day New Year's Eve twist and is a holiday treat suitable for audiences of all ages.

There's No Business Like Show Business!
HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN
January 7 - February 8, 2015 (Press Opening January 10)

In January, we'll be "Puttin' on the Ritz" with HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN. Called "the greatest songwriter that has ever lived," by George Gershwin, Berlin is known for innumerable American classics such as "White Christmas," "God Bless America," "Anything You Can Do," and "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails." Jerome Kern said it all: "Irving Berlin... is American music."

THE ORANGE COUNTY PREMIERE OF THE HIT OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL SENSATION!
MURDER FOR TWO
April 22 - May 27, 2015 (Press Opening April 25)
Book and Music by Joe Kinosian
Book and Lyrics by Kellen Blair

One actor investigates the crime... one actor plays all the suspects... and they both play the piano! A zany blend of classic musical comedy and madcap mystery, MURDER FOR TWO is a 90-minute "hilarious musical whodunit"(NY Observer). Winner of Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Musical and named one of the "8 Best Off-Broadway Shows" by NewYork.com.

LAGUNA'S 2014/2015 BONUS OPTIONS:

MAGIC OF MOTOWN
August 13 - August 24, 2014

MAGIC OF MOTOWN features fabulous male harmonies, stunning female vocals and a supremely- talented 7-piece back-up band. This fast-moving production honors the Motown legends that brought the world to its dancing feet. With the music of the Four Tops, Supremes, Temptations, Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Isley Brothers, Mary Wells and many more.

Emmy Award-Winner ED ASNER stars as
FDR
November 19 - 23, 2014

Emmy Award-winner Ed Asner (Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Up) stars in FDR, his solo performance drama based on Dore Schary's Broadway hit Sunrise at Campobello.Asner explores the life of one of America's best-loved presidents and the events and decisions that shaped a nation. This powerful one-man play follows the iconic president as he reflects on his years in office, from the Inauguration to the trials of World War II.

Subscriptions to this extraordinary season are now available by calling the Box Office at 949-497-2787 (ARTS) or online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com. Season Tickets range from $206 - $356. Single Tickets will range from $36- $66. Group discounts are available by calling 949-497-2787 ext. 229. The box office is open Mondays - Sundays: Noon to 5 p.m. (open until 7:30pm on performance days). For more information on all shows and programming visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com. LAGUNAPLAYHOUSE is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.

Founded in 1920, The Laguna Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously-operating not-for-profit theatres on the West Coast and is noted for its artistic excellence, wide-ranging theatrical programming, award-winning youth education offerings and community partnerships. A member of the League of Resident Theatres, TheLaguna Playhouse is a valued part of the Laguna Beach arts community that serves all of Southern California with year-round, professional, high-quality productions in theatre, music and dance.

Because of its longstanding commitment to the arts, The Laguna Playhouse has been recognized for excellence by the LA Drama Critics Circle, NAACP, Backstage, ArtsOC, OC Weekly, Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce and more. Laguna Playhouse educational programming, which includes classes, productions by and for children and teens (Youth Theatre) and a school tour, has been honored by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, Arts Orange County and the Orange County Department of Education.

Serving more than 100,000 patrons each season, The Laguna Playhouse has brought many talented performers to Southern California, including Leslie Caron, Davis Gaines, Stephanie Zimbalist, Rita Rudner, Sally Struthers, Cloris Leachman, Julie Harris, Harrison Ford, Charles Durning, Marlo Thomas, Roddy McDowell and Bette Davis, who have performed in world, national and regional premieres, as well as national tours of The Belle of Amherst and Copenhagen.

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