Riverside Theatre Announces 45th Anniversary Season

Riverside Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director/CEO Allen D. Cornell and Managing Director/COO Jon R. Moses, is delighted to announce its 45th Anniversary Season for 2018-2019. Building on the success and support the theatre has attained over the last few years, Riverside is proud to present a magnificent season of music, comedy, and drama.

"It's always exciting announcing a new season," says Mr. Cornell. "After months of deliberation and negotiations, we codify a long wish-list into the final package of titles that will find life on our stages. Our 2018-2019 Season represents a broad spectrum of theatrical choices from the recent to the golden age of the Broadway musical.

"Nothing touches the heart, educates the mind and lifts the spirit like a live performance. That is why next season offers seven Dynamic Productions that will fill our stages - productions that will amaze and delight everyone who experiences Riverside Theatre."

The season begins in October with a musical journey through the Leiber and Stoller songbook with Smokey Joe's Café followed in January by Andrew Lloyd Webber's first mega-hit, Evita. The Last Romance, Joe DiPietro's engaging comedy about finding love near the end of life's rainbow takes the stage in February followed by two Broadway musical hits, the classic My Fair Lady and the energetic Legally Blonde. Two distinctive theatre pieces play the Waxlax Stage - the award-winning musical Next To Normal in January and Ghostwriter in March.

Season ticket packages are now available for 3 or more productions on the Stark and Waxlax Stages. For more information on prices and subscription options, call the Box Office at 772-231-6990 or online at www.riversidetheatre.com.

The Season

Stark Stage Shows

Smokey Joe's Café

Music & Lyrics by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

October 23 - November 11, 2018

One of Broadway's longest-running hits, Smokey Joe's Café is the rockin' revue that will have your hands clappin' and your toes tappin' listening to the classics "Jailhouse Rock," Stand By Me," Yakety Yak," "Hound Dog," "On Broadway," "Spanish Harlem" and many, many more. A celebration of legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Smokey Joe's Café is a fun-filled night of Rock n' Roll that will have you singing and dancing all the way home.

Evita

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics by Tim Rice

January 8-27, 2019

Winner of 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Evita is the passionate, exhilarating story of Eva Peron who used her charisma and charms to rise from her penniless origins to political power as the first lady of Argentina at the age of 27. Acclaimed and adored as a champion of the poor, her glamour, power and greed ended with her heart-breaking death at an early age. With an electrifying score of pop, jazz and Latin influences, Evita is filled with unforgettable Broadway numbers including its grand anthem, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina."

The Last Romance

By Joe DiPietro

February 5 - 24, 2019

Love can make anyone feel young again, even an elderly widower. On an ordinary day in a routine life, Ralph decides to take a different path on his daily walk. Instantly smitten by an elegant, mature woman, Carol, he turns on the charm hoping for a second chance at love. Defying Carol's reticence, Ralph embarks on a journey to regain the happiness that seemed all but lost. The Last Romance is a heart-warming comedy about finding love at any age.

My Fair Lady

Music by Frederick Loewe, Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, Book by Alan Jay Lerner

Based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion

March 12-31, 2019

One of the most successful and award-winning musicals in Broadway history, My Fair Lady is an endearing tale that charms audiences with its warmth and vivid characters. Professor Henry Higgins loves language and Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle desires to speak like a lady. Embarking on a social experiment, sparks fly in the most unexpected places in this clash of cultures. With witty dialogue and jubilant songs including "I Could Have Danced All Night," "On the Street Where You Live," "The Rain in Spain," and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," My Fair Lady is frequently called, "the perfect musical."

Legally Blonde, The Musical

Music & Lyrics by Nell Benjamin & Laurence O'Keefe, Book by Heather Hach

Based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown

A Co-Production with the Walnut Street Theatre

April 16 - May 5, 2019

Fabulously fun and filled with flashy song-and-dance numbers, Legally Blonde follows the exploits of effervescent sorority girl Elle Woods and her plans to follow her Ivy League ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School. Determined to get him back, she charms her way into the prestigious law school. While there, she ends up teaching the intellectual elite a thing or two by winning a difficult case with her unique expertise and cheery outlook. Along the way, Elle quickly realizes her potential and finds true love. This award-winning comedy is based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the subsequent hit film starring Reese Witherspoon.

Waxlax Stage Shows

Next To Normal

Music by Tom Kitt, Book & Lyrics by Brian Yorkey

January 10 - February 10, 2019

Winner of three Tony Awards and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this contemporary musical tells the story of a seemingly normal suburban household - Dad's an architect, Mom's a diligent housewife, and the kids are bright, wise-cracking teens. Yet, their lives are anything but normal due to Mom's mental illness. An emotionally powerful production, Next to Normal takes audiences into the hearts and minds of each character and presents one family's story with love, sympathy and compassion.

Ghost Writer

By Michael Hollinger

March 26 - April 14, 2019

Novelist Franklin Woolsey dies mid-sentence, but his secretary Myra continues to take dictation. Attacked by skeptics, the press and Woolsey's jealous widow, Myra sets out to prove she is more than an artful forger. Is she trying to steal Wooley's legacy now that she cannot have his love, or might she truly possess a gift the world cannot understand?

Riverside Theatre is located at 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach. Riverside Theatre programs are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Riverside Theatre is a member of the Florida Professional Theatres Association, the Cultural Council of Indian River County, the Indian River Chamber of Commerce, and the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce.

To post a comment, you must register and login.