Bellevue Society for the Arts proudly announces the 2018–19 theatre and Holiday Innkeeper Cabaret season. BSA is celebrating 24 years of bringing live theatre and events to the community.
All titles pending availability, licensing, rights, royalties, etc. Dates, times, and titles are subject to change.
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM (Season Premiere)
Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Based on the plays of Plautus
Directed by Laura Horn
Sponsored by Mel & Jeanie Miller & Family
Open Auditions: July 9 & 10, 2018
Performances: September 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 & 16, 2018
Broadway’s greatest farce is light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written. A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from time-tested, 2000-year-old comedies of Roman playwright, Plautus, with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM is a non-stop laugh-fest in which Pseudolus, a crafty slave, struggles to win the hand of a beautiful, but slow-witted, courtesan named Philia for his young master, Hero, in exchange for freedom. The plot twists and turns with cases of mistaken identity, slamming doors and a showgirl or two. This unforgettable, hysterical musical has “something for everyone, a comedy tonight!” (Cast: 8m, 2f, ensemble) Produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
Special Halloween Event! EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL returns for 2018!
Book and Lyrics by George Reinblatt
Music by Christopher Bond, Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris, George Reinblatt
Directed by Lori & Steve Damschroder
Sponsored by Spookhouse Ventures, LLC
Performances: October 12, 13, 19 & 20, 2018
Based on Sam Raimi’s 80s cult classic films, EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL tells the tale of five college kids who travel to a cabin in the woods and accidentally unleash an evil force. And although it may sound like a horror, it’s not! The songs are hilariously campy and the show is bursting with more farce than a Monty Python skit. EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL unearths the old familiar story: boy and friends take a weekend getaway at abandoned cabin, boy expects to get lucky, boy unleashes ancient evil spirit, friends turn into Candarian Demons, boy fights until dawn to survive. As musical mayhem descends upon this sleepover in the woods, ‘camp’ takes on a whole new meaning with uproarious numbers like, “All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons,” “Look Who’s Evil Now” and “Do the Necronomicon.” Produced by special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing, Inc.
MAKING GOD LAUGH
by Sean Grennan
Open Auditions: October 1 & 2, 2018
Performances: November 30, December 1, 2, 7 & 8, 2018
MAKING GOD LAUGH is a family comedy that takes place in four scenes, each 10 years apart, set at various holidays. Starting in 1980, the newly-launched kids — a priest, an aspiring actress, and a former star football player — all return home, where we learn of their plans and dreams as they embark on their adult lives. The empty nest parents contend with their own changes too, as old family rituals and dubious recipes are trotted out and ancient tensions flare up. Over the course of 30 years’ worth of celebrations — Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Easter — we see how, despite what we may have in mind, we often arrive at unexpected destinations. As Woody Allen once said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” (Cast: 3m, 2f) Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.
The Holiday Innkeeeper Cabaret Troupe open their 2018–19 season with “No Place Like BSA For the Holidays!” December 21 at 7 p.m.
We’ll be celebrating the New Year January 11 at 7 p.m. with some of the Innkeepers’ favorite Broadway standards.
LITTLE WOMEN
by Peter Clapham, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott
Directed by Cheryl Hansen Showalter
Sponsored by The Bellevue Hospital
Open Auditions: November 13 & 15, 2018
Performances: January 18, 19, 20, 25 & 26, 2019
This production follows the timeless and enduring classic about the March sisters and the beginning of their journey into womanhood. Audiences of all generations will enjoy acquainting — or reacquainting — themselves with the sisters: Meg, the eldest; Jo, the high-spirited tomboy; Amy, the self-centered beauty; and gentle Beth, as well as their beloved Marmee and Father. Together the March family learns to endure both good times and bad as they share the joys and pains of growing up. (Cast: 5m, 7f) Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day February 15 with The Holiday Innkeepers and a “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” at 7 p.m.
Tween Theatre presents Roald Dahl’s JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH JR.
Book by Timothy Allen McDonald
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Based on the book by Roald Dahl
Directed by Cheryl Hansen Showalter
Sponsored by Cornerstone Counseling
Open Auditions: January 2 & 3, 2019
Performances: March 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 & 10, 2019
When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that results in a tremendous peach… and launches a journey of enormous proportions. Suddenly, James finds himself in the center of the gigantic peach, among human-sized insects with equally oversized personalities, but after it falls from the tree and rolls into the ocean, the group faces hunger, sharks and plenty of disagreements. Thanks to James’ quick wit and creative thinking, the residents learn to live and work together as a family. The dangerous voyage is a success, but the adventure takes a whole new twist once they land on the Empire State Building. BSA’s Tween Theatre is open to all children, ages 10–15, in any school system. Must be 10 years-of-age by January 2, 2019, and no older than 15 years-of-age by March 10, 2019. Produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
Get “In the Mood” with the Innkeepers as they perform numbers from the Big Band/Swing era, March 15 at 7 p.m.
The Holiday Innkeepers sing a bit of everything for the “As Heard On TV” April 12 at 7 p.m. Expect songs from films, and TV jingles and theme songs, as well as some surprises.
THE FANTASTICKS
Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Directed by Steve Koenig
Performances: May 3, 4, 5, 10 & 11, 2019
THE FANTASTICKS is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and their two parents who try to keep them apart. The narrator, El Gallo, asks the audience to use their imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic. The boy and the girl fall in love, grow apart and finally find their way back to each other after realizing the truth in El Gallo’s words that, “without a hurt, the heart is hollow.” Presented by special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI)
“Mom & Pop Doo-Wop Too” returns May 17 at 7 p.m.
The 2019 Young Performer Cabaret takes place June 14 at 7 p.m.
The Holiday Innkeepers celebrate America’s Independence “From Sea to Shining Sea,” July 5 at 7 p.m., their season finale.
Teen Theatre presents THE WEDDING SINGER
Music by Matthew Sklar
Book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy
Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Based on the New Line Cinema film written by Tim Herlihy
Directed by Leslie Childers
Open Auditions: May 6 & 7, 2019
Performances: July 12, 13, 14, 19 & 20, 2019
It’s 1985, and rock star wannabe, Robbie Hart, is New Jersey’s favorite wedding singer. He’s the life of the party until his own fiancée leaves him at the altar. Shot through the heart, Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own. Enter Julia, a winsome waitress who wins his affection. As luck would have it, Julia is about to be married to a Wall Street shark, and, unless Robbie can pull off the performance of a decade, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever. Bellevue Society for the Arts’ Teen Theatre is open all teens, ages 13–19, in any school system. Must be 13 years-of-age by May 6, 2019, and no older than 19 years-of-age by July 20, 2019. (Cast: 4m, 4f, ensemble) Produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
Children’s Theatre presents THE MUSICAL ADVENTURES OF FLAT STANLEY JR. (Season Finale)
Lyrics by Timothy Allen McDonald and Jonathan K. Waller
Music by Timothy Allen McDonald, Jonathan K. Waller, David Weinstein, and Stephen Gabriel
Book by Timothy Allen McDonald
Based on the book, Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
Directed by Juliet Russell
Sponsored by Kiwanis Club of Bellevue
Open Auditions: June 10 & 11, 2019
Performances: August 16, 17 & 18, 2019
Stanley Lambchop is your ordinary, everyday 10-year-old until the bulletin board on the wall above his bed comes loose and falls right on top of him. The next morning, Stanley wakes up flat. In a whirlwind musical travelogue, Stanley — the ultimate exchange student — scours the globe for a solution to his unusual problem. He’s stamped, posted and cancelled from Hollywood and France to Honolulu and beyond, all in an effort to become a three-dimensional boy once more. Bellevue Society for the Arts’ Children’s Theatre is open to all children, ages 7–12, in any school system. Must be 7 years-of-age by June 10, 2019, and no older than 12 years-of-age by August 18, 2019. Produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI)
Reservations for theatre performances may be made by calling 419-484-2787 beginning two weeks prior to opening night. New ticket prices for the 2018–19 season will be $15 for adults 18+ and $10 for adults 60+/children/students through grade 12. Reservations are required for cabaret performances and may be made beginning the day after the previous cabaret. Seating is limited. Cabarets are $25, paid at the door, and include dinner and the performance. Cabarets begin at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday evening theatre performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Matinee theatre performances will begin at 2 p.m. for the 2018–19 season.
