LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE ANNOUNCES ITS 99th SEASON OF SHOWS!

LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE is thrilled to announce its 99th season of shows!  Executive Director Ellen Richard comments, “Construction continues apace to update our Moulton Theatre in time for our centennial anniversary in 2020.  Coupled with a spectacular season that includes three premieres, this will be a remarkable year for our theatre and community.”  This summer, the party begins with the infectious music of Abba in the electrifying smash-hit MAMMA MIA; followed by the hilarious new YOGA PLAY; the fall will bring James Goldman’s landmark play THE LION IN WINTER; January ushers in a world premiere musical adaptation of TO SIR, WITH LOVE; followed by the return of Academy Award-nominee Melanie Griffith starring in Neil Simon’s hilarious BAREFOOT IN THE PARK; audience favorite Hershey Felder returns and stars in the world premiere of ANNA AND SERGEI about famed composer Sergei Rachmaninoff; Emmy Award-winner Jayne Atkinson will star as Texas Governor Ann Richards in the Southern California premiere of the acclaimed play ANN. “Two world premieres, one Southern California premiere, Melanie Griffith, Hershey Felder and Jayne Atkinson! Our 99th year simply could not be more exciting and we are thrilled to bring so many exceptional theatrical experiences to our subscribers and audiences as we get ready to turn 100!” adds Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham.                                                                                                                                                                                    LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE - 2019/2020 Season

The 2019/2020 LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE Season:

HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE…
AS WE OPEN OUR 99TH SEASON WITH...

MAMMA MIA!

July 5 – July 28, 2019 (Press Opening July 7)

Music and Lyrics by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus 
and some songs with Stig Anderson 

Book by Catherine Johnson 
Originally conceived by Judy Craymer 

Get swept away by the infectious music, uplifting story, and dazzling dance numbers that have made Mamma Mia! a worldwide phenomenon. As wedding festivities commence on an idyllic Greek island, a young bride-to-be schemes to discover the identity of her father from among three men from her mother’s past. With so many of ABBA’s timeless hits, including “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance,” “Money, Money, Money,” and “SOS,” this story of love and friendship is an unforgettable musical experience that will leave you dancing in the aisles!
 

A NEW LAUGH-OUT LOUD COMEDY! 
YOGA PLAY

September 25 – October 13, 2019 (Press Opening September 29)
Written by Dipika Guha 

At the top of their game, yoga apparel giant Jojomon is hit with a terrible scandal that sends them into a freefall. Desperate to recover their earnings and reputation, newly hired CEO Joan stakes everything on an unlikely plan. This “comic nirvana!” (San Francisco Chronicle) asks what it takes to find your own authenticity in a world determined to sell enlightenment.  

“A work of intelligence, astringent wit, and much theatrical skill.” - NY Times

THE LION IN WINTER

November 6 – November 24, 2019 (Press Opening November 10)
Written by James Goldman
Directed by Sheldon Epps

Before Game of Thrones, there was THE LION IN WINTER. It's Christmas 1183, and King Henry II is planning to announce his successor to the throne. The jockeying for the crown, though, is complex. Henry has three sons and wants his boy, Prince John, to take over. Henry's wife, Queen Eleanor, has other ideas. She believes their son Prince Richard should be king. As the family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive king choose their option. The Lion in Winter has all the makings of this modern-day classic - sibling rivalry, adultery, and dungeons. Comedic in tone, dramatic in action – the play tells the story of the Plantagenet family, who are locked in a free-for-all of competing ambitions to inherit a kingdom.
 

A WORLD PREMIERE MUSICAL!
TO SIR, WITH LOVE

January 29 – February 23, 2020 (Press Opening Saturday, February 8) 
by E.R. Braithwaite
Adapted for the stage by Kris Lythgoe
Music by John Farrar, Kara DioGuardi, Don Black and Mark London
Musical Arrangements by Michael Orland
Directed by Sheldon Epps 

When Rick Braithwaite arrives to teach a totally undisciplined class at a rough East End London high school, he discovers he has more in common with these kids than originally thought. Movie by E.R. Braithwaite based on his novel, book by Kris Lythgoe (Lythgoe Family Panto), music by John Farrar (Grease), Kara DioGuardi (American Idol), Don Black and Mark London and directed by Sheldon Epps. 
 

MELANIE GRIFFITH stars in
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK

March 11 – April 5, 2020 (Press Opening March 15)
Written by Neil Simon
Directed by Michael Matthews 

Melanie Griffith returns to the Playhouse in this Neil Simon classic!
Paul and Corie Bratter are newlyweds in every sense of the word. Fresh off a honeymoon at the Plaza Hotel, free-spirited Corie and her buttoned-down husband Paul find themselves struggling to adjust to married life in their too expensive, run-down New York walk-up. Throw in a loopy meddling mother, an eccentric Bohemian upstairs neighbor, and a double date that goes disastrously wrong, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for laughter. Director Michael Matthews (12 Angry Men, The Graduate) returns to Laguna with this hilarious new look at his “bubbling, rib-tickling comedy” (The New York Times).   

                                  
HERSHEY FELDER RETURNS IN A WORLD PREMIERE!
ANNA AND SERGEI

A New Play Featuring the Music of Sergei Rachmaninoff
April 15 – May 3, 2020 (Press Opening April 19)
Written by Hershey Felder
Directed by Trevor Hay 

In this World Premiere by Hershey Felder (George Gershwin Alone, Irving Berlin, Maestro Bernstein, Our Great Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Monsieur Chopin…), Hershey will take on a little-known story about the great Russian Pianist and Composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. Set at the Garden City Hotel in Long Island, New York, this is the story of the great composer crossing paths with someone he believed to be a descendent of Czar Nicholas II. Living in America and longing for his familiar Russian roots and home, Sergei Rachmaninoff allowed himself to be taken on a journey that few would ever believe. In this new play with music, Hershey Felder will play musical characters, but in a way he has never done before.  Join us for a trip back in time to 1928 New York, for something shockingly different and new as we explore the worlds of Anna and Sergei. 
 
 “…fiery, salty and brash!” – NY Times

JAYNE ATKINSON will star in the Southern California Premiere of
ANN

May 13 – June 7, 2020 (Press Opening May 17)
Written by Holland Taylor
Directed by Kristen Van Ginhoven 

Written by award-winning actress and writer Holland Taylor (“Two and a Half Men”), Ann is an intimate, no-holds-barred portrait of Ann Richards, the legendary late Governor of Texas. This inspiring and hilarious play brings us face to face with a complex, colorful, and captivating character bigger than the state from which she hailed.   Performed by Emmy Award-winner Jayne Atkinson (TV’s “House of Cards”, “Madam Secretary”), Ann takes a revealing look at the impassioned woman who enriched the lives of her followers, friends, and family. Originally produced at WAM Theatre and at the Dorset Theatre Festival.
 

BONUS OPTION!  OUR YOUTH THEATRE PRODUCTION OF: 

I Never Saw
Another Butterfly

October 18 - 27, 2019
Written by Celest Raspanti
Directed by Donna Inglima 

Based upon a true story, the play follows Raja Englanderova and her experience as a young girl living in Terezin during the Holocaust. Of the more than 15,000 children who passed through Terezin, only 141 are known to have survived. But the many drawings, poems, and other works of art that Raja and her friends smuggled out of Terezin have been shared with the world, and through them, these 15,000 children live on. 
 

ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING 

Subscriptions to our 2019-2020 - 99th season are now available.

7-Play Season Tickets range from $261 - $534 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787). Group discounts are available by calling 949-497-2787 ext. 229.  

The box office is open Mondays – Saturdays: 11a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays: 11a.m. – 4p.m. (open until showtime on performance days). 

For more information on all shows and programming visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com.  LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.                                     

To schedule press interviews, photos or for additional information, please contact David Elzer/DEMAND PR at 818/508-1754 or by e-mail at davidelzer@me.com. 

Founded in 1920, the historic Laguna Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously-operating not-for-profit theatres on the West Coast and is proud to be an active participant in the celebrated Laguna Beach arts community. From classic plays and musical comedies to the current off-Broadway smash, cutting edge and traditional music exhibitions, dance festivals and stand-up comedy performances, Laguna Playhouse brings the magical experience of the performing arts direct to over 100,000 patrons each season. 

Laguna Playhouse educational programming includes year-round classes, productions by and for children and teens (Youth Theatre) and is one of the few companies in the region that offer a curriculum-based professional theatre-touring program, TheatreReach, which aligns with the California State Standards for literature, history and performing arts curriculum. 

Laguna Playhouse has been recognized in 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 as one of Orange County Register’s “Best of OC” in the category of Live Theatre. The Laguna Playhouse has featured many talented performers on stage, including Ed Asner, Leslie Caron, Hershey Felder, Melanie Griffith, Val Kilmer, Gregory Harrison, Dan Lauria, Hal Linden, Wendie Malick, Rita Rudner, Charles Shaughnessy, French Stewart, Loretta Swit, and Bette Davis.

 

Learn What’s Going On at www.lagunaplayhouse.com.