We just received the season announcement of the 2011-2012 Colony Theatre Season, and I thought I would share it:
- Year Zero (Michael Golamco). [June 1-July 3, 2011]. Vuthy Vichea is sixteen years old, Cambodian American. He loves hip hop and Dungeons and Dragons. He has thick-ass glasses. He is a weird kid in a place where weirdness can be fatal: Long Beach, California. And since his best friend moved and his mother died, the only person he can talk to is a human skull he keeps hidden in a cookie jar. Year Zero is a comedic drama about young Cambodian Americans — about reincarnation, reinvention, and ultimately, redemption. [West Coast Premiere]
- On Golden Pond (Ernest Thompson) [July 27-August 28, 2011]. The plot focuses on aging couple Ethel and Norman Thayer, who spend each summer at their home on a lake called Golden Pond. During the year the story takes place, they are visited by daughter Chelsea with her fiancé and his son in tow. The play explores the often turbulent relationship the young woman shared with her father growing up, and the difficulties faced by a couple in the twilight years of a long marriage. Note: We saw this in 2010 at Reperatory East.
- Shooting Star (Steven Dietz) [September 14-October 16, 2011]. Snowed in overnight at a middle-America airport, college lovers Elena Carson and Reed McAllister have an unexpected and life-altering reunion. Elena has stayed true to her hippie-ish, counter-culture path, while Reed has gone predictably corporate and conservative. As the night gives way to laughter, banter, remembrance and alcohol, Elena and Reed revisit a past that holds more surprises than they imagined—and a present that neither of them could have predicted. Filled with laughter and ache, SHOOTING STAR is a bittersweet romantic comedy about the middle days of our lives, and how we got there. [West Coast Premiere]
- Travels with My Aunt (Graham Greene) [November 9-December 18, 2011]. Retired bank manager Henry Pulling, “a rather static character,” as he says of himself, is so bound to habit that the death and funeral of his mother offer an “agreeably exciting” break in routine. Enter Aunt Augusta, and Henry’s life turns completely topsy-turvy with murder, mayhem, round-the-world travel and – love. [Los Angeles Premiere]
- Old Wicked Songs (Jon Marans) [February 1-March 4, 2012]. Nominated for the 1996 Pulitzer Prize in drama, Old Wicked Songs tells the story of a prodigious young pianist suffering an artistic block and the aging musician who helps re-ignite his inspiration. A third “character” in the play is the music of Robert Schumann, whose song cycle the Dichterliebe (Poet’s Love) echoes throughout the work — its structure and themes mirrored in the events on stage. Old Wicked Songs is an emotional journey through joy and sadness, anger and redemption, out of which emerges healing, inspiration and music.
- Dames at Sea (Book/Lyrics: George Haimsohn/Robin Miller, Music: Jim Wise) [April 11-May 13, 2012]. A group of performers are preparing for their upcoming show, Dames At Sea. The cast includes the disgruntled manager, Hennesy; the new chorus girl, Ruby; and the diva, Mona. Right before the show opens, the theatre is sold and the actors need to find a new venue. Luckily, they are able to perform their show on a ship docked in the local port. After Mona gets sea-sick, Ruby earns her chance to become a star. The musical is a parody of large, flashy 1930s Busby Berkeley-style movie musicals in which an understudy steps into a role on Broadway and becomes a star. It originally played off off-Broadway in 1966 at the Caffe Cino, starring newcomer Bernadette Peters and then played off-Broadway beginning in 1968 for a successful run.
My Analysis: Looks like a good season, with only one show I’ve seen before. The pricing is also good: $180 per ticket, and we can pay in two or three chunks. This would be our second year at the Colony, which was chosen as a replacement for the Pasadena Playhouse subscription. As the Playhouse is coming back, the question is: Keep the Colony, or keep the Playhouse. Right now, our inclination is to keep the Colony subscription. There are a number reasons behind this: (1) it is more affordable—when the playhouse died, it was approximating $800 for the same six shows, vs. $360; (2) the Colony is warmer—the artistic director is out introducing each show, and the staff has rapidly become family… this is something the Pasadena Playhouse has lost; (3) Parking is less expensive—parking is free at the Colony, which is in the corner of a mall parking lot, whereas the Playhouse parking can run up to $9. Both produce excellent shows, and I think we’ll adopt a “wait and see” attitude regarding renewing the Pasadena Playhouse subscription—that will really come down to the shows, the pricing, and the payment options.
Upcoming Theatre: Our last show was in December, so it’s worth giving an update on the upcoming theatre as the calendar is filling rapidly. Here’s what the next three or so months will bring… Next Friday sees us out for my birthday, at a Tom Paxton concert at McCabes Guitar Shop. January 29 (pending ticketing) brings “Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein” at ICT Long Beach. February starts with two shows: “Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune” at Repertory East on February 4, and “Dangerous Beauty” at The Pasadena Playhouse on February 5. The next weekend also brings two shows: “The Marvelous Wonderettes at Cabrillo Music Theatre on February 12, and “Adding Machine: The Musical at The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble on February 13. The third weekend of February currently only has one show: “Rock of Ages at The Pantages Theatre on February 19… but I may be ticketing “33 Variations at the Ahmanson Theatre for February 20. February closes with “Moonlight and Magnolias” at The Colony Theatre on February 26. March is also starting to fill up. It begins with a Noel Paul Stookey concert at McCabes on March 4. March 12 is being held for “The Cradle Will Rock” at the Blank Theatre (pending ticketing). Lastly, March 26 brings “The Diary of Anne Frank” at Repertory East. April will bring the Renaissance Faire, “The Producers” at Cabrillo Music Theatre, “The All Night Strut” at the Colony Theatre, and (pending ticketing) Brian Stokes Mitchell at the new Valley Performing Arts Center.
