Weston Playhouse Presents AVENUE Q, 7/15-31

The Weston Playhouse of Weston, Vermont presents its summer 2010 season. The season includes four mainstage productions--THE 39 STEPS, AVENUE Q, DAMN YANKEES, and DEATH OF A SALESMAN-- as well as other productions.

The season opened on June 29 with the Vermont premiere of THE 39 STEPS, which ran until July 10.  The comedy thriller, based on Alfred Hitchcock's classic film, recently had a long Broadway run. Winner of London's prestigious Olivier Award, it's a murder mystery, manhunt and hilarious jaunt all rolled into one inspired night of theatre. Four actors--Jason Collins, Liam Craig, Kathleen McElfresh and Matthew Schmidt-- will play hundreds of roles in a production that includes a train chase, a plane crash and an ill-fated romance. The production will be directed by Joe Grifasi.

From July 15 to July 31, AVENUE Q will play the Weston Playhouse. It is the story of a bright-eyed college grad named Princeton and his new neighborhood friends as they all strive to make their place in the world. A modern-day, R-rated Sesame Street, AVENUE Q became a Broadway hit and won the Tony Award® for Best Musical with its lifesize puppets and catchy and irreverent songs.  The production will feature David Benoit, Steven Booth, Lexy Fridell, Zonya Love Johnson, Sharon Wheatley, Randy Blair, and Christine Toy Johnson.  Tim Fort will direct.

DAMN YANKEES will run August 5 through 21. Middle-aged baseball fan Joe Boyd sells himself to the Devil - and to the machinations of a temptress named Lola - in order to see his favorite team win the pennant. A home run as far as shows go, this perennial favorite includes stellar songs that helped define Broadway's Golden Age like "Heart," "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO" and "Whatever Lola Wants." The production will feature Marcus Neville, David Bonanno, Mathew deGuzman, Thursday Farrar, Patty Goble, Munson Hicks, Allen Kendall, Brian Massey, Dorothy Stanley, Theis Weckesser and Brandy Zarle and will be directed by Malcolm Ewen.

In late summer, Hollywood star Christopher Lloyd (Taxi, Back to the Future) will head back to The Playhouse stage in the leading role in Arthur Miller's timeless classic DEATH OF A SALESMAN, beginning August 26. This Tony® and Pulitzer winner is the story of Willy Loman, a travelling salesman who fights changing times and the acceptance of his own failings in order to claim his family's right to the American DreaM. Weston's production will play to both general and school audiences through September 10.  The cast will include Jeremy Bobb, Matt Harrington, Munson Hicks, Beth Hylton, Philip Kerr, Liz Morton, Markus Potter, John Leonard Thompson, Amy Van Nostrand and Brandy Zarle, and Steve Stettler will direct.

The Playhouse will also present several shows in its OtherStages series.  Weston is proud to present its first World Premiere, THE OATH, from July 8 to 25 on its 90-seat Second Stage. Based on a true story by Khassan Baiev with Ruth & Nicholas Daniloff and adapted by Gavin Broady, this one-man show is the unforgettable wartime tale of a brave Chechen doctor whose belief in the Hippocratic Oath places both his own life and his family's fortunes in jeopardy. Ian Barford (Broadway's AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY) will star, and Malcolm Ewen will direct.

From August 12 to 29, the Off-Broadway smash THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES will grace the WPTC OtherStage. This delightful, cotton-candy-colored musical takes a trip down Memory Lane with hits from the 50s and 60s like "Lollipop," "Lipstick on Your Collar" and "It's My Party." Enjoy the comic hijinks and 4-part harmonies of a group of girlfriends who decide to entertain on the eve of their senior prom and again at their 10th high school reunion. THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES is a feel good show not to be missed and will star Suzanna Neeley Bridges, Amy Fitts, Piper Goodeve and Jennifer Zappola; Tim Fort will direct.

The Weston Playhouse Young Company will perform another classic show for young audiences in Weston and on tour through local communities from June 24 to July 11. Theatregoers of all ages can enjoy SEUSSICAL, a one-hour version of the Broadway musical based on the books of Dr. Seuss and performed by Weston's talented Young Company of undergraduate musical theatre majors. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's enchanting musical brings beloved characters like the Cat in the Hat, Horton and Yertle the Turtle to life in a heart-warming story with memorable songs. The show is suitable for audiences of all ages, and performance times and prices are specially designed to accommodate families with children ages five and up.

Weston's  Act IV Cabaret will cap off the evening for the first three MainStage productions with an ever-changing music and comedy revue. Pre-theatre dinner will be served in the Cafe at the Falls restaurant, under the continued management of the Inn at Weston.

Call the Box Office at 802-824-5288 to order a subscription and secure seats to the WPTC 2010 season. The theatre's website, westonplayhouse.org, now has information on the 2010 season and the theatre's popular Stage Door enrichment series, held throughout the winter and spring in area libraries, bookstores, and restaurants. Single tickets are available online.

The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company is a non-profit organization supported in part by funds from the Vermont Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever growing family of individuals who believe in the impact that the performing arts can have on its community.

Photo Credit: Michael Romanos

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