Download press release - Sierra Repertory Theatre

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Harmony Wheeler, Marketing Director
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (209) 532-0502 Ext 114
Sierra Rep 2017 Season to include Sister Act, Man of La Mancha
Sierra Repertory Theatre announces its 2017 season, opening with a February 18 Gala
performance of the new musical comedy from Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, Sister Act, based on
the Whoopi Goldberg film. Other highlights in the “Season of Dreams” include new productions of
Noises Off, The Fantasticks, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Man of La Mancha,
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas – relocated to the Fallon House Theatre – and The Glass Menagerie
– not performed since Sierra Rep’s inaugural 1980 season. SRT will also present two lesser-known
musicals, The Great American Trailer Park Musical and Another Night Before Christmas.
Season Tickets go on sale September 1, with group and general admission tickets on sale
October 1. Visit www.sierrarep.org or call 209-532-3120 for tickets and information. For more
information on Gala reservations, contact Development Director Beverly Handelman at 209-532-0502
ext 111 or at [email protected].
The 38th season opens with Sister Act, playing February 18 through April 9 at the East Sonora
Theatre. The uplifting musical was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. When
disco diva, Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder, she is put in protective custody in the one place
the cops are sure she won’t be found: a convent! Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with
both the rigid lifestyle and the uptight Mother Superior. But using her unique disco moves and singing
talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community. Filled with
powerful gospel music, fabulous dancing and a truly moving story, Sister Act is a sparkling tribute to
the universal power of friendship.
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Sierra Rep opens its Fallon House lineup with the comedy by which all other comedies are
measured, Noises Off, playing April 14 through May 14. A riotous whirlwind of theatrical
catastrophe, Noises Off presents a pitiful acting troupe stumbling through rehearsal and performance
of a ludicrous farce. Bedlam reigns on stage and off, from missing contact lenses and misplaced props
to philandering lovers and a lethally swinging ax in three acts of non-stop hilarity.
The longest-running musical in the world, The Fantasticks plays May 12 – June 11 at the East
Sonora Theatre. At the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity
and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers. The narrator, El Gallo, asks the audience to use their
imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic where a boy and a 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.”
“Any dream will do” next summer when Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
visit Columbia’s Fallon House Theatre, June 16 – July 30. The international family musical sensation
comes from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice and is a fun and very hip adaptation of the wellknown biblical tale. Joseph, a young man who has prophetic dreams incurs the jealousy of his
brothers when he is given a magnificent coat by his doting father. Featuring a melodious, eclectic
contemporary score that is a tongue-in-cheek blend of calypso, 50s rock and roll, country-western,
and vaudeville, Joseph is a winning, rollicking show that is ideal family entertainment.
Audiences will trek on over to the other side of the tracks with The Great American Trailer
Park Musical, July 21 – August 20 at the East Sonora Theatre. Talkin’ Broadway wrote, “This wheelspinning, mud-splattering good time of a show is the theatrical equivalent of a bag of Doritos. You
can’t get enough.” South Park meets Desperate Housewives in this big-hearted new musical comedy
with a cheeky script and an infectious score. There’s a new tenant at Armadillo Acres – and she’s
wreaking havoc all over Florida’s most exclusive trailer park. When Pippi, a stripper on the run,
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comes between the Dr. Phil-loving, agoraphobic Jeannie and her tollbooth collector husband – the
storm begins to brew.
Up next at the Fallon House, Man of La Mancha plays August 25 – October 1. The Tony
Award-winning musical is based on Miguel de Cervantes’ novel, “Don Quixote,” and is set within the
prison walls of the Spanish Inquisition. The character of Cervantes, awaiting his sentence,
impersonates the man Don Quixote, who dreams impossible dreams, fights windmills with his faithful
Sancho Panza at his side and woos the fiery Aldonza.
The autobiographical play that made Tennessee Williams famous opens next at the East
Sonora Theatre, playing October 6 – 29. The Glass Menagerie is a drama of great tenderness, charm
and beauty which looks at the Wingfield family: frustrated writer Tom, his nagging mother, Amanda
– who is often lost in memories of her Southern-belle past – and his painfully shy sister, Laura. A visit
from a “gentleman caller” sets off emotions and revelations that change their lives forever.
Back by popular demand, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas plays the Fallon House Theatre
November 3 – December 17. This musical favorite is based on the Bing Crosby film and features a
merry and bright experience for the whole family. Two showbiz buddies put on a show to save a
rustic Vermont inn and find their perfect mates in the bargain. Full of dancing and laughter, the show
includes great Berlin songs like “Blue Skies,” “I Love a Piano,” “How Deep is the Ocean”
The 2017 season closes with the charming new musical, Another Night Before Christmas,
playing December 1 – 23 at the East Sonora Theatre. Karol, a disillusioned social worker, is trudging
home one cold December night when she encounters an old man sitting on a park bench. Mistaking
him for homeless, Karol offers the stranger some food – a seemingly innocent gesture, until he turns
up in her apartment claiming to be Santa Claus. Thanks to a malfunctioning security system, Karol
finds herself trapped with “Mr. Claus” and forced to confront her feelings about Christmas once and
for all in this touching musical battle between cynicism and belief.
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For more information on the 2017 season or group and individual tickets, call the Box Office
at 209-532-3120 or visit www.sierrarep.org. Season Tickets go on sale September 1, and the general
public can purchase individual tickets starting October 1.
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