Granite Theatre Announces 2020 Season

The Renaissance City Theatre, Inc. (RCTI) announces the exciting and new 20th Season of the Granite Theatre. Southern Rhode Island's only year-round theatre is within walking distance of some of the region's finest dining as well as a beautiful stretch of beaches and popular resorts. The Theatre is in a beautifully refurbished Greek Revival building located in the heart of historic downtown Westerly. Jude Pescatello will serve as interim Artistic Director.

DEATHTRAP by Ira Levin. - March 20 - April 5

Seemingly comfortably ensconced in his charming Connecticut home, Sidney Bruhl, a successful writer of Broadway thrillers, is struggling to overcome a "dry" spell which has resulted in a string of failures and a shortage of funds. A possible break in his fortunes occurs when he receives a script from a student in the seminar he has been conducting at a nearby college-a thriller which Sidney recognizes immediately as a potential Broadway hit. Suspense mounts steadily as the plot begins to twist and turn with devilish cleverness, and with such an abundance of thrills and laughter, that audiences will be held enthralled until the final, startling moments of the play.

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF by Tennessee Williams. - April 24 - May 10

In a plantation house, a family celebrates the sixty-fifth birthday of Big Daddy, the knowledge that Big Daddy is dying slowly makes the rounds. Maggie wants to give him the news that she's finally become pregnant by Big Daddy's favorite son, Brick, but Brick prefers to stay in a mild alcoholic haze the entire length of his visit. Swarming around Maggie and Brick are their intrusive, conniving relatives, all eager to see Maggie put in her place and Brick tumbled from his position of most-beloved son. Winner Pulitzer Prize in Drama. "One of the most successful plays of our time...a play of tremendous theatrical impact... enormous theatrical power." - New York Times.

ALMOST MAINE by John Cariari - May 29 - June 14.

Welcome to Almost, Maine, a place that's so far north, it's almost not in the United States. It's almost in Canada. And it's not quite a town, because its residents never got around to getting organized. So, it almost doesn't exist. One cold, clear, winter night, as the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, the residents of Almost, Maine, find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But The Bruises heal, and the hearts mend-almost-in this delightful midwinter night's dream. Mega-hit ALMOST, MAINE lands somewhere between Norman Rockwell and OUR TOWN - the show offers a sweetness and decency that's become rare at the theater. At this point, it's a welcome breath of fresh air." -New York Post.

CALIFORNIA SUITE by Neil Simon - June 26 - July 19

A humorous confection divided into four parts:

In Visitor from New York, Hannah, a magazine writer, is joined by her ex-husband, the question being with whom should their daughter spend the next six months? The banter flies fast and furious, but Hannah's well-wrought artifice crumbles as her fears take hold.

The Visitor from Philadelphia is a wife who arrives at the suite, catching her husband "en flagrante delicto" with a drunken hooker.

Visitors from London Academy Award nominee Diana returns from the ceremony empty-handed to her husband, Sidney, whose homosexuality will be no comfort tonight.

The Visitors from Chicago are two couples ending a disastrous vacation they should not have shared.

Neil Simon at his most humane, compassionate best.

LEADING LADIES by Ken Ludwig - August 7 - August 23

In this hilarious comedy by the author of LEND ME A TENOR, two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, find themselves so down on their luck that they're performing "Scenes from Shakespeare" on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. When they hear that an old lady in York, PA is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash. When they get to York, they find out that the relatives aren't nephews, but nieces! Romantic entanglements abound in this mad-cap, cross-dressing comedy especially when Leo falls head-over-petticoat in love with the old lady's vivacious niece, Meg, who's engaged to the local minister. Meg knows that there's a wide world out there, but it's not until she meets "Maxine and Stephanie" that she finally gets a taste of it.

OLIVER! Book, Music & Lyrics by Lionel Bart - September 11 - October 4

"Consider yourself at home" with this classic musical. The Tony Award-winning show is one of the few musicals to win an Academy Award for Best Motion Picture. The streets of Victorian England come to life as Oliver, a malnourished orphan in a workhouse, becomes the neglected apprentice of an undertaker. Oliver escapes to London and finds acceptance amongst a group of petty thieves and pickpockets led by the elderly Fagin. When Oliver is captured for a theft that he did not commit, the benevolent victim, Mr. Brownlow takes him in. Fearing the safety of his hideout, Fagin employs the sinister Bill Sikes and the sympathetic Nancy to kidnap him back, threatening Oliver's chances of discovering the true love of a family. OLIVER! is a musical theatre masterpiece!

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by F. Andrew Leslie, from the novel by Shirley Jackson - October 23 - November 8

A chilling and mystifying study in mounting terror in which a small group of "psychically receptive" people are brought together in Hill House, a brooding, mid-Victorian mansion known as a place of evil and "contained ill will." Led by the learned Dr. Montague, who is conducting research in supernatural phenomena, the visitors have come to probe the secrets of the old house and to draw forth the mysterious powers that it is alleged to possess-powers which have brought madness and death to those who have lived therein in the past.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens - November 27 - December 20

This is our traditional heartwarming Christmas classic! We bring to life London of the 1800's with Scrooge, Tiny Tim and all your favorite characters in this heartwarming Christmas celebration. Make it a tradition!

The theatre boasts oversized theatre seating, air conditioning and a charming, spacious lounge area where patrons may enjoy a selection of wines, beers and soft drinks from the theatre's cash bar and mingle with the performers after the show. Opening nights of each new production feature a special post-show party and mixer of patrons and performers.

Shows run Thursday through Saturday with 7:30 PM performances (Please note new start time!) and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 PM. Some shows will vary with additional performances. Tickets for comedies are $20, seniors 62+ $17, children 12 and under $12. Musicals are $25, seniors 62+ $22 and children 12 and under $15. Gift certificates are available year-round and season subscriptions are available thru April 5. For information or to reserve tickets call the Box Office at 401-596-2341 or pick your seats online at www.granitetheatre.com.

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