Posted on: Tuesday, March 22, 2005
MVT announces 37th season
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
Manoa Valley Theatre is putting its best "Footloose" forward when it launches its 37th season in September.
"Footloose," which features music by former Islander Dean Pitchford, is one of three musicals on MVT's calendar. Two ribald comedies and one drama comprise the slate of shows, drawn from the riches of Broadway and off-Broadway.
"We've planned a season that is tuneful, diverse, and, in three out of the six selections, hysterically funny," said Dwight Martin, MVT's producing director. "Audiences of all ages, as well as performers of all ages, should find delight in the dancing, singing, physical comedy, and dramatic study embodied by these six terrific shows."
Performance dates will be announced later; all shows will be staged at MVT's quaint facility on East Manoa Road.
THE SEASON • "Footloose," September — A musical by Dean Pitchford, Walter Bobbie and Tom Snow. The play, based on the film, explores morality in a small farming town, where dancing has been banned by a preacher determined to control the behavior of the town's youths. Meanwhile, relationships at his home flounder. The play celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people and guiding them with an open mind. • "Flaming Idiots," November — A farce by Tom Rooney. Two former postal workers decide that the ladder to success is missing a few rungs, so they try their inexperienced hands at opening a gourmet health-food restaurant. Across town, a restaurant racks up business since a mobster was shot there, and the operators ponder the notoriety. • "M. Butterfly," January — A drama by David Henry Hwang. A theatrical tour de force, drawn from real-life events, about a French diplomat in Beijing who falls for Song Liling, a male Chinese opera star disguised as a woman, and a 20-year relationship in which the diplomat never learns what's under the ornate gowns. Winner of the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award as Best Play. • "A Little Night Music," March 2006 — A musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler. A sophisticated tribute to the foibles of love, "Night Music" blends memorable tunes with a witty script. It explores the universal vagaries of love, as mismatched European lovers sort out complexities with a wealth of charm and warmth and delectable waltzes. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. • "The Foreigner," May 2006 — A comedy by Larry Shue. A group of devious characters deal with a stranger who doesn't speak English. Or does he? This is a comedy of communication, revelations, confessions and complications. Winner of two Obie Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best New American Play and Best Off-Broadway Production. • "Pageant," July 2006 — A musical spoof by Robert Longbottom, Bill Russell, Frank Kelly and Albert Evans. Six beauty queens compete in the compleat pageant — glam gowns, bathing suits, song competition — to win the Miss Glamouresse title. A parody of beauty queen competitions, with comic twists galore. Season tickets will be available May 1, with single sales starting Aug. 1. Details: 988-6131 or www.manoavalleytheatre.com. Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.
