From: Jami Kozemczak [mailto:jkozemczak@arizonatheatre.org]
Sent: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 4:40 PM
Subject: Press Release: ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES EXHILARATING NEW 2012-2013 SEASON
ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES EXHILARATING NEW 2012-2013 SEASON
Lavish new musical JANE AUSTEN'S EMMA highlights 46th Season along with the two most recent Pulitzer Prize winners, NEXT TO NORMAL and CLYBOURNE PARK, bringing hot new plays to the Southwest
Broadway hit LOMBARDI and off-Broadway sensation FREUD'S LAST SESSION make Arizona premieres; Neil Simon's timeless THE SUNSHINE BOYS brings a beloved comedy to the stage
Arizona Theatre Company announces its 46th Season as Arizona's leading professional theatre by producing six exhilarating plays in 2012-2013 in Tucson and Phoenix. Audiences will experience six mainstage productions full of lavish entertainment, hilarious comedy and provocative drama, in a season featuring some of the hottest recent plays in their Southwest premieres. The coming season, announced by Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein in his 21st season with ATC, promises electric moments of pure beauty, moving stories of friendship and family, and award-winning recent Broadway hits in brand-new ATC productions.
The new ATC season opens with the hugely anticipated Arizona premiere of the electric 2010 Pulitzer and Tony-winning Broadway musical NEXT TO NORMAL; followed by the insightful story of a legendary NFL coach in LOMBARDI, written by Academy Award-winner Eric Simonson. ATC's season continues with the Arizona premiere of a sumptuous new musical, JANE AUSTEN'S EMMA by Paul Gordon, the composer of last season's critically-acclaimed audience favorite Daddy Long Legs; and the gripping and intelligent FREUD'S LAST SESSION while it continues its hugely successful two-year off-Broadway run. The season continues with the affectionate, hilarious Neil Simon classic THE SUNSHINE BOYS; and it closes with the Arizona premiere of this year's wildly provocative and entertaining Pulitzer Prize-winning play CLYBOURNE PARK.
"In choosing our 2012-2013 season, we have created a series of plays that not only offer a diverse range of theatrical experiences from comic to dramatic, from new to classic, but a season that highlights very human characters in extraordinary circumstances," said Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein in announcing the season. "From Diana, a suburban mother in NEXT TO NORMAL struggling to find stability for herself and her family in the face of bipolar disorder, to Emma Woodhouse in JANE AUSTEN's EMMA, trying to manage with comic élan the romantic lives of everyone but herself; from Vince Lombardi challenging himself and those around him to excel all expectations whatever the cost, to an ailing Sigmund Freud coming to terms with God, the spirit and the mind on the verge of his death, next season promises inimitable characters in uniquely entertaining stories. I'm thrilled that ATC was able to secure the rights to produce so many hot new plays that promise provocative entertainment alongside classic stories well told."
The 2012-2013 Season:
Southwest Premiere
NEXT TO NORMAL
Book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey
Music by Tom Kitt
Directed by David Ira Goldstein
A Co-Production with San Jose Repertory Theatre
Tucson: September 15, 2012 - October 6, 2012
Phoenix: October 11, 2012 - October 28, 2012
This groundbreaking and award-winning musical explores how one suburban family copes with crisis. With a thrilling, tuneful contemporary pop-rock score, Next to Normal is an intense, emotional and ultimately hopeful powerhouse of a musical that aims right for the heart with its story of a family coming to terms with its past and bravely facing its future. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2010 and three Tony Awards including Best Musical Score, the New York Times called Next to Normal "the best new musical of the year" and Rolling Stone said it "pushes Broadway in new directions...it will pin you to your seat." ATC will mount the highly anticipated Southwest premiere following its long Broadway run. Contains mature themes and language.
Southwest Premiere
LOMBARDI
by Eric Simonson
Tucson: October 20, 2012 - November 10, 2012
Phoenix: November 15, 2012 - December 2, 2012
Football's NFL Super Bowl trophy is named for the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers. Few people, however, know the real story of Vince Lombardi the man - his inspirations, his passions and his ability to drive people to achieve more than they ever thought possible. Exploring his relationship with his wife, Marie, and three of his legendary players during a pivotal week in 1965, this hit Broadway play explores the stirring human tale behind the myth who stalked the sidelines. Academy Award-winning playwright Eric Simonson brought an icon to life when he wrote and directed Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright at ATC in 2002. Now he brings another endlessly fascinating American legend to vibrant life in Lombardi. "I know nothing about football but Lombardi held my attention from start to finish," wrote the Wall Street Journal, "An extremely well-crafted piece of intelligent theatre."
Arizona Premiere
JANE AUSTEN'S EMMA
Music, Lyrics and Book by Paul Gordon
Directed by Jeff Calhoun
Tucson: December 1, 2012 - December 22, 2012
Phoenix: December 31, 2012 - January 20, 2013
One of Jane Austen's most enchanting heroines comes to life in this lavish new musical. Emma firmly believes herself to be a most talented matchmaker, so she chooses her hapless friend Harriet as her next endeavor. Yet despite Emma's obsession with romance, she remains clueless to the true desires of her own heart. Her meddling leads to a whirlwind of comic complications and, of course, true love. This sumptuous new romantic musical comedy, from Tony Award-nominated composer Paul Gordon (Daddy Long Legs) is directed by Tony Award nominee Jeff Calhoun (Big River), and brings Jane Austen's masterpiece to thrilling musical life. "A musical that's a total pleasure" - San Diego Union Tribune "Sparklingly tuneful, witty, and romantic as all get-out, Jane Austen's Emma is a musical dream come true." - StageScene LA
Southwest Premiere
FREUD'S LAST SESSION
by Mark St. Germain
Directed by Stephen Wrentmore
A Co-Production with San Jose Repertory Theatre
Tucson: January 19, 2013 - February 9, 2013
Phoenix: February 14, 2013 - March 3, 2013
Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud pioneered the Id, the Ego and the Superego. Writer C.S. Lewis created The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Two men, both brilliant, yet vastly different: Freud the atheist, Lewis the believer. In this new play, which has been drawing record-breaking crowds for two years in New York, they meet in 1939 as England goes to war against the Nazis. Their evening of electrifying conversation, sometimes shocking, often very funny, but always thought-provoking, ranges from the nature of God, free will, science, myths, joy, pain, family, and of course, sex, to ultimately reflecting on the very meaning of life. This is a profound and deeply touching play about two men who boldly addressed the greatest questions of all time and will spark spirited debate long after the show is over.
"Delightful! A brainy fencing match of Olympic caliber!" - John Simon, Bloomberg News
THE SUNSHINE BOYS
by Neil Simon
Directed by David Ira Goldstein
Tucson: March 2, 2013 - March 23, 2013
Phoenix: March 28, 2013 - April 14, 2013
Lewis and Clark were the kings of comedy - it's a shame they can't stand each other! Al Lewis and Willie Clark kept audiences in stitches for decades, but now estranged for eleven years, they agree to reunite for one last TV performance. But they can hardly stand to be in the same room, let alone share a stage together in front of millions. Can they get through their most famous sketch on last time without killing one another? Reconciliation and friendship battle grudges and resentment in Neil Simon's comic masterpiece about growing old. "...an affectionate, convulsingly funny, touching comedy; one of the best plays of Neil Simon's phenomenal career." - Variety
Southwest Premiere
CLYBOURNE PARK
by Bruce Norris
Tucson: April 6, 2013 - April 27, 2013
Phoenix: May 2, 2013 - May 19, 2013
Home is where the heart - and history - is. Jokes fly and hidden agendas unfold as two vastly different generations of characters tip-toe the delicate dance of social politics. Pitting race against real estate, two seminal events - 50 years apart - are at the crux of the conflict in the same north Chicago house. This rich and lightning-quick comedy is every bit as provocative as it is entertaining as it cleverly spins the events of A Raisin in the Sun into an unforgettable new story about race and real estate in America. Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and Olivier Award (London), Clybourne Park is one of the most highly regarded plays of the decade and one of the most eagerly anticipated cultural events of the year in Arizona. "Brilliant ... dangerous and provocative, but pulverizingly funny to boot" - Variety. Contains mature language.
Season packages for the 2012-2013 Season are on sale now.
For more information about Arizona Theatre Company and the 2012-2013 Season, call the ATC box office in Tucson or Phoenix. All Tucson performances take place at the Temple of Music and Art in downtown Tucson (330 S. Scott Avenue); call (520) 622-2823. All Phoenix performances take place at the Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix (222 E. Monroe Street); call (602) 256-6995, or visit www.arizonatheatre.org.
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