One of the upcoming shows of the 2017/2018 season: “Something Rotten” which comes to the Dr. Phillips Center next year. This photo from the St. James Theatre production features Josh Grisetti, Leslie Kritzer, Will Chase, Rob McClure, Brad Oscar, Catherine Brunell, Edward Hibbert, David Beach. Photo by Joan Marcus
By PAM HARBAUGH
It used to be you had to wait until the upcoming season was nearly upon you before you’d get info from area theaters about what to expect. Readers committees would take their merry time making those decisions…and we all know what rule by committee means.
Now, though, it’s mostly the domain of artistic directors. In making their decisions, these knowledgeable people keep their finger on the pulse of what’s out there by scouring reviews, reading stories and picking up scripts of new straight plays and musicals. So those decisions frequently start forming at the beginning of a current season, or even earlier. And, since it now is, mostly, an authoritarian decision made by someone in the know (an authority), those lists are announced earlier.
And earlier, and earlier. We were barely half way through the current season, it seems, when new seasons started to be announced.
Moreover, those announcements have become as much a theater event as an actual production. Steven Heron at Titusville will walk in front of a curtain, dolled up in his most sophisticated self, and announce it with all his expected “stand up” enthusiasm. This year, the Henegar’s Hank Rion took to the Facebook “airwaves” and did a live stream video announcement, bringing viewers behind the scenes where each show was announced by select company members; the whole shebang ended with some glorious music from the Henegar’s fantastic show, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
Of course, the big kahuna is Staci Hawkins Smith who has, for years, turned Cocoa Village Playhouse’s announcement into a marketing bonanza with her season round-up complete with sparkly dresses, dancing boys and girls and second-act bagpipers who pipe her in with all the fanfare expected of a major political party announcing its choice for a presidential nominee. She also makes ev-er-y-one wait until the summer to make the announcement. That’s probably in part due to wanting to have a season wrap-up and due to Staci being one heck of a saleswoman.
And then there are the “git ‘er done” theaters that simply state what’s coming up. I can’t help but think that both Melbourne Civic Theatre and Surfside Players feel a little bit of breath on their necks to get the info out there. We’ll be interested to see what these two theaters do in the future when it comes to season announcements. They certainly have the artistic heft to make them very clever indeed.
Here’s what’s coming up for the 2017/2018 theater seasons:
Community Theaters:
COCOA VILLAGE PLAYHOUSE
300 Brevard Avenue
Cocoa, FL
321-636-5050, CocoaVillagePlayhouse.com
BROADWAY ON BREVARD SERIES:
“Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” Sept. 23 – Oct. 8
“A Christmas Carol,” Nov. 18 – Dec. 3
“42nd Street,” Jan. 27 – Feb. 11
“The Secret Garden,” March 10 – March 25
“Monty Python’s Spamalot,” April 28 – May 13
STARS OF TOMORROW:
“A Charlie Brown Christmas and Holiday Showcase,” Dec. 11 & 12
“Magic Tree House: Pirates Past Noon KIDS,” May 25 – 27
“Dreamworks Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR.,” June 1 – 3
“Friday FUNday,” June 8
“Rock of Ages (High School Edition),” June 8 – 10
SATURDAY SING-ALONG MOVIES:
“Hairspray,” Feb. 24
“Grease,” June 16
SPOTLIGHT SERIES:
“Nutcracker,” Dec. 15 – 17
Michael Law “The Holidays Regifted,” Dec. 19
Silent Film Classic Screening, Buster Keaton “The General” & “Three Ages,” Jan. 5
Margaret Cross “America’s Saturday Nights: Your Hit Parade and Grand Ole Opry,” Jan. 6 & 7
Hot Pink “An Evening at the Playhouse: The Music of Queen!” Jan. 12 & 13
Florida Magician of the Year Contest, Jan. 14
LeRoy Darby “A Journey of Hope: Inspiring Negro Spirituals,” June 17
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” June 29 & 30
FALL FUNDRAISER EVENT:
“Under the Harvest Moon,” at Rockledge Gardens, Oct. 29, 2017
SPECIAL:
“It’s ShowTime! Celebrating 30 Years of The Golden Steppers,” April 8
HENEGAR CENTER
625 E. New Haven Ave.
Melbourne, FL
321-723-8698, Henegar.org
MAINSTAGE:
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Oct. 6 to 22
“Annie,” Dec. 1 – 17
“Sister Act,” Jan. 19 – Feb. 4, 2018
“Honeymoon in Vegas,” March 9 – 25, 2018
“The Bridges of Madison County,” May 4 – 20, 2018
UPSTAIRS STUDIO THEATRE:
“Dogfight,” Sept. 7 – 17
“The Santaland Diaries,” Dec. 7 – 10
“I and You,” Feb. 8 – 18, 2018
“Ugly Lies the Bone” April 6 – 15, 2018
MELBOURNE CIVIC THEATRE
817 E. Strawbridge Ave.
Melbourne, FL
321-723-6935, MyMCT.org
FLEX PASS SERIES:
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” Aug. 11 – Sept. 17.
“Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” Oct. 6 – Nov. 23
“Funny Money” Jan. 19 – Feb. 25, 2018
“The Comedy of Errors” March 23 – April 29, 2018
“Hay Fever” May 18 – June 24, 2018
HOLIDAY:
Alfie Silva’s Christmas with Dino, Nov. 24 – Dec. 24
SURFSIDE PLAYHOUSE
South Fifth Street and A1A
Cocoa Beach, FL
321-783-3127, SurfsidePlayers.com
“The 39 Steps,” Sept. 14 – 24
“Monty Python’s SPAMALOT,” Nov. 3 – 19
“On Golden Pond,” Jan. 12 – 28, 2018
“Evita,” March 9 – 25, 2018
“The Game’s Afoot,” April 27 – May 6, 2018
“The Wizard of Oz,” June 8 – 17
TITUSVILLE PLAYHOUSE
321 Julia St.
Titusville, FL
321-268-1125, TitusvillePlayhouse.com
MAINSTAGE
“Shrek: The Musical, Aug. 18 – Sept. 10
“The Addams Family,” Sept. 22 – Oct. 15
“The Music Man,” Nov. 10 – Dec. 3
“Mamma Mia!” Jan. 5 – 28, 2018
“Gypsy,” Feb. 23 – March 18, 2018
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” April 6 – 29, 2018
“Fun Home” May 11 – June 4, 2018
TPI 2nd STAGE:
“The Complete History of America Abridged” February 9—18, 2018
“Proof: March 23 – April 1, 2018
“Southern Sirens” May 4 – 13, 2018
SPECIAL EVENT
“The Rocky Horror Show” Oct. 20 – 29
“A Tuna Christmas” Dec. 8 – 17
Professional Theaters (more to be announced):
RIVERSIDE THEATRE
3250 Riverside Drive
Vero Beach, FL
772-231-6990, RiversideTheatre.com
MAINSTAGE:
“The Wonder Years: The Musical” Oct. 24 – Nov. 12
“Million Dollar Quartet,” Jan. 2 – 21, 2018
“Lombardi,” Jan. 30 – Feb. 18, 2018
“Gypsy,” March 6 – 25, 2018
“Mamma Mia!” April 10 – 29, 2018
SECOND STAGE:
“The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” Jan. 16 – Feb. 4, 2018
“Buyer & Cellar,” March 20 – April 8, 2018
DR. PHILLIPS CENTER
155 E. Anderson Street
Orlando, FL
800-448-6322, DrPhillipsCenter.org
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s :The King and I” September 12 – 17
“On Your Feet!” Oct. 17 – 22
“Love Never Dies: The Phantom Returns” Nov. 21 – 26
“The Book of Mormon” Dec. 12 – 17
“School of Rock” Dec. 26 – 31
“Disney’s The Lion King” Feb. 14 – March 11, 2018*
“Waitress” March 20 – 25, 2018
“Something Rotten!” April 24 – 29, 2018
“Rent” June 5 – 10, 2018
FYI: Current subscribers to Dr. Phillips will have first access to HAMILTON when they renew their subscription for the 2018 – 2019 season.
