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2928 West 13th St. Ashtabula, Ohio 44004
phone: 440-964-3396 |
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G.B. Community Theatre Announces 2003-2004 Season:
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Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2003
It�s that time of year again - with the final Straw Hat Theatre show of the 2003 season closing August 30th, the theater department is gearing up for another spectacular season of indoor theater on the G.B. Community Theatre stage.
This season�s choices offer something for everyone, as two comedies, two musicals, one classic drama and one youth theater production will take the stage between September and May.
In addition, Theatre Coordinator Darrell Lowe has added a new feature to this year�s schedule, as two Theatre Musical Reviews will be performed in early spring.
The 2003-2004 G.B. Theatre season kicks off September 27, with the hilarious comedy �The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).�
If you think Shakespeare is boring, this show is for you! This new show takes all 37 of the author�s most famous plays - 17 comedies, 10 histories and 10 tragedies in all - and condenses them into approximately 90 minutes of fast-paced, rollicking comedy.
There�s a rap version of �Othello.� All of the histories are converted into a comedic football game. In order to have more time to poke fun at the tragedies (because everyone knows those are more fun to poke fun at anyway), all 17 comedies are condensed into one. There are no less than four versions of �Hamlet� - including a one minute version, a 30-second version, a nine-second version, and then the nine-second version backwards! In all, the play is a fast paced, roller coaster of a show meant for anyone who believes that life is short and the complete works of Shakespeare are way too long!
Show dates are Saturdays and Sundays, September 27-28, October 4-5, and 11-12. In addition, two Wednesday evening shows will be held, October 1 and 8. All performances are at 7:30 p.m.
Next up is the musical �Honk,� a humorous and touching musical which beat out �The Lion King� for the 2000 British Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
�Honk� is the story of Ugly, an ugly brown duckling born into a family of perfect yellow ducks. While his mother accepts him unconditionally, the rest of the duck population is not as welcoming, mocking him and ostracizing him from their society. Ugly becomes so distraught that he accepts an invitation to �lunch� from the devilish Cat - not knowing, of course, that Ugly is meant to be the main course!
Although Ugly does escape Cat�s villainous trick, the poor bird then finds himself lost in the forest and desperate to get back to his mother. Throughout his journey he meets several animal friends - including a domesticated housecat and hen, a bullfrog and his froglets, a gaggle of geese, and a beautiful swan. He and the audience alike also learn valuable lessons about being different, accepting others for who they are and the value of a mother�s unconditional love.
A show for all ages, �Honk� will run for three weekends, Oct. 31 - Nov. 2, Nov. 7-9 and 14-16. Both evening and matinee performances will be available.
After a break for the holidays, G.B. Theatre returns in January with the classic drama �To Kill A Mockingbird.� Adapted from the book by Harper Lee, the play is the story of Scout, a young girl growing up in a quiet southern town with her brother, Jem, and widowed father, Atticus. The year is 1935, and Atticus, a lawyer, has just taken on a case in which he must defend a young Negro wrongfully accused of a grave crime. In a time of prejudice and racial troubles, the small town is definitely talking about his actions, and young Scout has her share of questions about why people are acting strangely toward her and her family.
A classic drama full of poignant themes and a serious message, �To Kill A Mockingbird� is a meaningful work of art in any time period. It will run Jan. 16-18, 23-25, and 28-31.
February brings to the stage the legendary Broadway musical �Les Miserables,� in a new, specially adapted form to meet the needs of younger actors. This School Edition of the musical is to be performed exclusively by high school, junior high and elementary school students, none of whom are to be over the age of 19. This epic story recounts the struggle against adversity in 19th Century France. Imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread, petty thief Jean Valjean is released from his 19-year term and not only becomes an honest man, but the mayor of a prosperous town and loving adoptive father - violating his parole in the process. The relentless Inspector Javert, who makes a decent life for Valjean impossible, consequently pursues him. Only years later, after Valjean proves his mettle during a bloody student uprising and saves the life of a young man hopelessly in love with Valjean�s adoptive daughter, does the ex-convict finally feel fully redeemed.
�Les Miserables School Edition� will run Feb. 20-22, 27-29 and March 5-7.
By now we�re up to spring - a time for romance, wedding planning and downright chaos in the smash comedy �Father of the Bride.� From the moment of his daughter�s surprise engagement announcement until her actual walk down the aisle, Stanley Banks is caught in a whirlwind of unexpected problems and financial fiascos that keep him teetering on the edge of sanity. The guest list grows larger each day. The caterer, florist and dressmakers take over the house. His furniture is moved and rearranged. A great comedy for anyone who has ever witnessed the �joy� of marriage in its planning stages - and lived to tell about it!
�Father of the Bride� will run for two weekends, March 19-21 and 26-28.
G.B. Community Theatre will also celebrate the music of Broadway in 2004, with two Theatre Musical Reviews. These one weekend shows will feature popular songs from hit Broadway musicals, performed by area actors and actresses. �Spread a Little Sunshine,� set for February 6-8, will feature the music of Stephen Schwartz, including songs from the musicals �Working,� �Pippin,� �Children of Eden,� and �Godspell.� �Disney: From Stage to Screen,� set for April 2-4, will celebrate Disney songs past and present.
More detailed show and ticket information will be available closer to actual show dates.
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�Something Funny�s Going On!�:
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Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2003
Comedy "Lucky Stiff" finishes out Straw Hat season
 At the start of the musical mystery �Lucky Stiff,� on stage at Straw Hat Theatre through August 30, ten characters warn the audience of the numerous plot twists and turns they are about to experience with a song called �Something Funny�s Going On.�
And something funny definitely is going on, as this murder mystery musical farce is chock full of mistaken identities, changing characters, and hysterical situations even beyond the wildest imagination.
It all starts in the middle of the opening song, when one of the characters - a man wearing dark glasses - is shot and killed. We soon find this to be Anthony Hendon, the mysterious American uncle of British shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon. Harry receives a telegram informing him of his uncle�s untimely death, along with a strange request from the uncle he never met ... Harry is to take Uncle Anthony on one last, all-out vacation to Monte Carlo, complete with gambling, scuba diving, and skydiving. If Harry completes this mission, he will be granted his inheritance, a sum of six million dollars. But if he fails - or even forgets one part of his uncle�s final instructions - the money will go instead to Uncle Anthony�s favorite charity, the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn.
But this vacation is not all fun and games, as Harry soon learns he is being followed by his uncle�s jealous and legally blind mistress, her optometrist brother, and a prim, uptight woman representing the dog home ... just to name a few! While all of these characters have their eyes on Harry and Uncle Anthony for different reasons, their very presence makes it all the more difficult for Harry to continue the illusion that �Uncle� is more than just a stiff!
�Lucky Stiff� is directed by Douglas Eric Anderson, and features musical direction by Joy Leirer.
 Cast members include Adam Kapis as Harry Witherspoon; Kimberly Godfrey as dog home representative Annabel Glick; Jeannie Jyurovat as Uncle Anthony�s mistress, Rita; Chris Nappi as her optometrist brother, Vinnie; Tom Jessup as the flashy Italian Luigi Gaudi; Jordan Malin as nightclub singer Dominique Du Monaco, and Ralph Bacon as Uncle Anthony. Pat Bettely, Ron Cramer, Dan Henning, Fred Robsel, and Maureen Tanner round out the cast as various other characters encountered on this hysterical vacation.
�Lucky Stiff� is the final show of the 2003 Straw Hat Theatre season. Performances continue August 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, and 30. Curtain for all shows is 8:00 p.m.
As a special promotion, tickets for the Thursday, August 21, show have been discounted to $5 each.
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