Gem & Century Theatres Announce 20th Celebratory Season

The Gem & Century Theatres celebrate 20 seasons with a sparkling series of shows this fall. The intimate Century Theatre will kick off the season by hosting the Michigan debut of Freud's Last Session Sept. 7-Nov. 20. The Gem Theatre will premiere the new musical Daddy Long Legs Sept. 14-Nov. 20, followed by The All Night Strut Holiday Show Nov. 23-Dec. 31, and Sister's Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi's Gold will simultaneously play the Century Theatre from Nov. 23-Dec. 31. A limited number of preview tickets ($10 off) for opening week of each show are now available by calling the Gem Theatre box office at 313-963-9800.

Century Theatre
Freud's Last Session - Michigan premiere!
New play by Mark St. Germain (suggested by The Question of God by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr.)
Sept. 7-Nov. 20, 2011

Freud's Last Session is a clever two-man play that centers on legendary psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud, who invites a young, little-known professor, C.S. Lewis, to his home in London. Lewis, expecting to be called on the carpet for satirizing Freud in a recent book, soon realizes Freud has a much more significant agenda. On the day England enters World War II, Freud and Lewis clash on the existence of God, love, sex and the meaning of life - only two weeks before Freud chooses to take his own.

Humorous and well written, Freud's Last Session, a beautifully presented and provocative play, will have audiences thinking. Freud's Last Session will thrill audiences at Detroit's Century Theatre Sept. 7-Nov. 20. Performances run Wednesday-Sunday at 7:30 p.m. with matinee shows at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $39.50-$44.50.

GEM THEATRE
Daddy Long Legs - World premiere musical!
Musical from the Tony and Olivier Award-winning director of Les Misérables and Nicholas Nickleby, John Caird
Sept. 14-Nov. 20, 2011

Tony and Olivier Award-winning director John Caird has turned Jane Webster's forgotten classic into a musical called Daddy Long Legs, which opens the Gem Theatre's 20th season Sept. 14. Caird, who co-directed the original London and Broadway productions of Les Misérables and Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby, will be personally involved with the Gem's production.

Set at the turn of the last century, Daddy Long Legs is a coming-of-age story about Jerusha Abbott, an orphan who is given an opportunity to develop her mind and spirit by an anonymous benefactor. A trustee of the John Grier Hall reads an essay by the young Jerusha and offers to send her to college. His only requirements are that Jerusha never know his identity, and that she write him monthly (though he will not respond).

With pen and paper in hand, Jerusha sends letters to "Daddy Long Legs" - a nickname she has given her mysterious and generous benefactor who she has seen only once in shadows. Enclosed is her gratitude, as well as, stories of her life and studies. As Jerusha's education continues, she has yet to discover one startling fact that will change her life forever.

Daddy Long Legs has music and lyrics by Paul Gordon (Jane Eyre). Performances run Sept. 14-Nov. 20 Wednesday-Sunday at 8:00 p.m. with matinee shows at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, and 3:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $39.50-$44.50.

GEM THEATRE
The All Night Strut Holiday Show!
Conceived and originally directed and choreographed by Fran Charnas who penned this holiday version just for the Gem.
Nov. 23-Dec. 31, 2011

Just in time for the holidays, The All Night Strut Holiday Show! takes the stage at Detroit's sparkling Gem Theatre. Folks young and old are rediscovering the Lindy Hop, the Shag and the Tango as dance shows have become the it thing, and nowhere more than in the classy, sassy musical celebration of the 1930s and 1940s. With a new holiday twist, The All Night Strut Holiday Show! is a dazzling musical that struts its stuff in a two-act bonanza that carries its audience through the Depression, World War ll and the post war boom.

From the funky jive of Harlem to the sophisticated elegance of El Morocco and the romance of the Stage Door Canteen, this is an evening filled with jazz, blues, bebop and classic song standards that thrill the heart, tickle the funny bone and raise the rafters. Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Loesser, and Duke Ellington are just a few of the legendary songwriters featured. From the creators of the international hit, The All Night Strut! this holiday version has sublime music and unbeatable energy. See The All Night Strut Holiday Show! Nov. 23-Dec. 31 Wednesday-Sunday at 8:00 p.m. with matinee performances at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, and 3:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $39.50-$44.50.

Century Theatre
Sister's Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi's Gold
From Maripat Donovan, the original Sister and author of the hilarious Late Nite Catechism series
Nov. 23-Dec. 31, 2011

The Century Theatre presents Sister's Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi's Gold, one of the latest additions to the Late Nite Catechism series. In this witty, interactive play, Sister employs techniques from her favorite TV show, CSI to discover the whereabouts of the Magi's Gold.

With forensic tools in hand, Sister creates a living nativity using audience members dressed as the Holy Family, Magi, shepherds, sheep, cattle and, of course, an ass.

Sister's Christmas Catechism, with hysterical audience interaction, musical highlights, gifts galore prizes, non-stop laughs and the irrepressible, irresistible Sister, is bound to become an annual holiday classic in Detroit. Beloved actress, Mary Zentmyer, reprises the role of Sister. Performances run Wednesday-Sunday at 7:30 p.m. with matinee shows at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $34.50-$39.50.

Tickets ($34.50-$44.50) are available at Ticketmaster.com and at the Gem Theatre box office. Save $10 on preview tickets - opening week only - which are only available at the Gem Theatre box office by calling 313-963-9800. Preview ticket pricing may not be combined with any other offer.

Groups (15+) save $5 per ticket. Group discounts may not be combined with any other offer. Contact Sara Schrems, group sales manager, at 313-463-4216 to reserve tickets for groups of 15 or more and to make dining reservations while key dates are still available for this spectacular season! Dining packages start at $11.

The Gem & Century Theatres are located at 333 Madison, Detroit, MI 48226. For more information, call 313-963-9800 or visit www.gemtheatre.com

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