PHILADELPHIA, PA - In the coming year, the Walnut Street Theatre, America's oldest theatre and the State Theatre of Pennsylvania will celebrate its landmark 202nd season of live entertainment and its 28th season as a not-for-profit producing theatre company. Boasting over 56,000 subscribers, The Walnut is not only the most popular theatre company in Philadelphia, but also the most subscribed theatre company in the world!
Bernard Havard, Producing Artistic Director, is proud to announce the 2010-2011 Mainstage season. The upcoming season will include three explosively entertaining musicals - get ready for CURTAINS, Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS and MISS SAIGON. In addition, you'll experience Peter Shaffer's Tony Award-winning masterpiece, AMADEUS, as well as the fast paced comedy of Alfred Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS.
THE SEASON
Our season begins with Kander and Ebb's CURTAINS (September 7 - October 24). It's 1959 and there's a new musical coming to town. It looks like Robbin' Hood of the Old West could be a Broadway smash, if it weren't for the supremely untalented leading lady. Recasting is immediately necessary however, when the leading lady is murdered during her opening night curtain call. Can a police detective who moonlights as a musical theater fan save the show, solve the case, and maybe even find love before the show reopens? From the creators of Chicago and Cabaret, comes this hilarious new musical comedy filled with romance, mystery, laughter and song and dance.
Celebrate the holiday season with an all-new production of the Broadway musical, Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS (November 9 - January 9). See what happens when a couple of song-and-dance men with romance in mind follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by the boys' former army commander. The dazzling score features some of the best songs ever written, including "Blue Skies," "I Love a Piano," "How Deep is the Ocean?" and of course the unforgettable title song. It's merry. It's bright. And it will snow inside the Walnut with Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS!
Winner of a Tony Award for Best Play, the Academy Award for Best Film, and triumphant in recent revivals in London and on Broadway, AMADEUS (January 18 - March 6) weaves a confrontation between mediocrity and genius into a tale of breathtaking dramatic power. In the court of the Austrian Emperor Josef, Antonio Salieri is the established composer. Enter the greatest musical genius of all time: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salieri has given himself to God so that he might realize his sole ambition to be a great composer. Mozart is a foul-mouthed, graceless oaf who has that which is beyond Salieri's envious grasp: Genius. This theatrical masterpiece filled with some of the greatest music ever composed will be a thrilling start to the New Year!
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of merry mayhem and you have THE 39 STEPS (March 15 - May 1), a fast-paced mystery for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! A man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she's a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on the man's trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale! This Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 characters, an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance! A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, THE 39 STEPS amounts to an unforgettable evening of theatre.
Last but not least, a classic love story is brought up-to-date in one of the most stunning theatrical spectacles of all time. In MISS SAIGON (May 17 - July 17), the creators of Les Misérables bring Puccini's Madame Butterfly to the modern world in a moving testament to the human spirit. In the turmoil of the Vietnam War, an American soldier and a Vietnamese girl fall in love, only to be separated during the fall of Saigon. Their struggles to find each other over the ensuing years ends in tragedy for her and a fighting chance for the child he never knew he had. An international sensation, MISS SAIGON is an epic musical masterpiece with a thrilling score. Miss Saigon promises to be a truly spectacular finale to the Walnut's 202nd season!
SUBSCRIPTIONS
The only way to guarantee the best seats is to subscribe! Renewals for the 20 season are already exceeding last year's numbers, so call today. For information on season subscriptions, call the Walnut at 215-574-3550 ext. 6 (10AM - 10PM) our visit our website at www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org. Subscriptions are available for as little as $85 a season - up to a 67% savings off regular ticket prices! All show titles, dates and subscription prices are subject to change.
