Bickford Theatre's 2014-2015 Season to Include SOPHIE TUCKER, SOCIAL SECURITY, and More

Eric Hafen, Producing Artistic Director of the Morris Museum's Bickford Theatre, located at 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown, NJ, just announced the Bickford Theatre's 2014-2015 Season, four plays for the Main Stage Series and the "A La Carte Series" of three concerts and variety performances.

"This is a season celebrating courage and love. Courage to explore new roads from the 1920's through the 1940's and into the 1980's, overcoming obstacles, and love in all of its most challenging circumstances," states Eric Hafen.

The season opens with Sophie Tucker: Last of the Red Hot Mamas by Richard Hopkins, Jack Fournier and Kathy Halenda (running October 2 through October 19, 2014)
Spend some intimate time with America's Queen of the double entendre. Naughty? Yes, in a fun-loving way with a wink or two, that's never graphic nor obscene. Take delight in the woman who inspired generations of comedians, including Bette Midler, and celebrate the musical hits from the 1920's, including "Real Women Have Curves," "Living Alone and I Like It," "After You've Gone," "Fifty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong," "My Yiddishe Mamee," "Life Begins at 40," and her uplifting signature song, "Some of These Days." (NJ Premiere)

The season continues with Social Security by Andrew Bergman (running November 20 through December 7, 2014)
This Broadway comedy is about Barbara and David Kahn, couple of Upper East Side art dealers, Trudy and Martin Heyman, Barbara's goody-goody nerd of a sister and her uptight CPA husband, and their archetypical Jewish mother, Sophie. Trudy and Martin stop by the Kahn's apartment to drop off Sophie while they travel to Buffalo and try to save their college student daughter from the horrors of living only for sex. The comic sparks really begin to fly when the mother hits it off with the elderly minimalist artist who is David & Barbara's best client!

You'll get chills up and down your spine with Wait Until Dark by Frederick Knott Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher (running January 29 through February 15, 2015)
Sinister con men trace the location of a mysterious doll, in which they have much interest, to the Greenwich Village apartment of Sam and Suzy Hendrix, a photographer and his recently blinded wife. Unbeknownst to them, the doll is stuffed with heroin. The criminals concoct an elaborate hoax to persuade the wife to give them the doll. With the help of a teen-age neighbor, Suzy stalls their plans as she tries to figure out what's happening that she cannot see. When the hoax fails, the criminals turn deadly. Lies, murder and deception build to a shattering climax when the playing field is leveled as all are plunged into darkness. (East Coast Premiere)

Main Stage Series conclude with Talley's Folly by Lanford Wilson
(running April 9 through April 26, 2015)
Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, this funny, sweet and heart-warming play is about finding love when you've nearly given up looking. At the end of World War II, Matt comes calling on Sally at her rural Missouri home. Her bigoted family has told Matt that since he is a Jew he is not welcome and family members hint at some dark secret in Sally's past. A moonlit night of arguing, joking, and wooing in a dilapidated Victorian boathouse bring Matt and Sally to reveal their secrets and consider their future in this charming and tender waltz of a love story.

Main Stage Series performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m, with select Thursday Matinees at 2 p.m.

In addition, Bickford Theatre subscribers have their choice of one of the following three "A La Carte Series" of concerts and variety performances, which are included with a four-play subscription.

The popular series begins Sunday, March 8 One Singular Night: The Music of George Gershwin and Marvin Hamlisch with the national and international young piano virtuoso, Thomas Pandolfi; followed by Blood Type: Ragu on Sunday, March 15, the Off-Broadway award winning comedy, a hilarious and poignant exploration of the Sicilian immigrant experience based on the life of writer and performer Frank Ingrasciotta; and concludes with the unforgettable performance of Sinatra and All That Jazz on Sunday, March 22, as Rob Zappulla, backed by his five piece band, performs the timeless hits of Frank Sinatra, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ole Blue Eyes. All "A La Carte Series" performances begin at 2 p.m.

Subscriptions are now on sale and range from $140 to $165. Individual tickets go on sale September 2, 2014.

To purchase a Main Stage subscription or for further information, please contact the Box Office at 973.971.3706.

About the Bickford Theatre

The Bickford Theatre is a professional theater that produces and presents year-round entertainment, including a Main Stage Series, two Children's Theatre series, a Jazz Showcase and many other special concerts and performances. Artistic Director Eric Hafen celebrates his fourteenth anniversary this season.

The theatre is an Equity Member Theatre of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, a not-for-profit organization of 30 professional theatres throughout the state, and works in conjunction with Actors' Equity Association (AEA) and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). From its beginnings in 1994 to the present, tens of thousands of theater-goers from across the tri-state area have enjoyed the Bickford Theatre's many entertaining and diversified offerings in theatre, music and dance. The Bickford Theatre is conveniently located within the Morris Museum and offers free parking and full accessibility. Box Office hours for phone sales are Monday through Friday, 10:00am to 5:00pm. Walk-up hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11:00am to 5:00pm.

About the Morris Museum

Celebrating 100 years, the Morris Museum is an award-winning, community-based arts and cultural institution which serves the public through high caliber exhibitions in the arts, sciences and humanities. The Museum also offers educational programs, family events, and is home to the Bickford Theatre and its wide range of performing arts offerings. Continuously serving the public since 1913, the Morris Museum has been designated a Major Arts Institution and has received the New Jersey State Council on the Arts' Citation of Excellence, among other awards. The first museum in New Jersey to be accredited, the Morris Museum was re-accredited in 2013 by the American Alliance of Museums.

The Morris Museum is a Blue Star Museum, offering free admission to active duty military personnel and their families, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

The Museum is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road (at the corner of Columbia Turnpike) in Morristown, NJ, and is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11:00am to 5:00pm and Sunday, 12:00 to 5:00pm. In addition, the Museum is open evenings from 5:00 to 8:00pm on the second and third Thursday of the month. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults and $7 for children, students and senior citizens. Admission is always free for Museum members. Every second and third Thursday of the month between 4:00 and 8:00pm, the Museum offers visitors the opportunity to Pay What You Wish. For more information, call (973) 971-3700, or visit www.morrismuseum.org.

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