Posted on: Saturday, July 19, 2008
'Bee' part of MVT's 40th slate
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
Manoa Valley Theatre, regarded as Hawai'i's off-Broadway theater, will present six Island premieres in its 40th anniversary season, capped by "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."
The lineup will include three musicals, two dramas and one comedy. The slate:
"Always ... Patsy Cline," Sept. 3-21 — A sweet 1997 off-Broadway musical by Ted Swindley about country singer Patsy Cline's friendship with a longstanding pen pal. The show incorporates 28 of Cline's best-known tunes.
"Frost/Nixon," Nov. 12-30 — A 2007 Tony Award-winning drama by Peter Morgan, recounting one of television's milestone interviews, in which famous British talk-show host David Frost elicits the post-Watergate apology that the world was anticipating from former U.S. president Richard Nixon.
"Gutenberg! The Musical," Jan. 14 through Feb. 1 — A 2007 musical by Anthony King and Scott Brown, in which a pair of aspiring playwrights stage a backers' audition for a splashy show about printing press inventor Johann Gutenberg.
"Tuesdays With Morrie," March 18 through April 5 — A 2003 drama by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom, about an ailing professor and a former student who reunite with weekly visits that constitute a final class, with life-affirming probes of the meaning of humanity.
"Duck Hunter Shoots Angel," May 13-31 — A 2004 comedy by Mitch Albom, about two Alabama brothers who think they shot an angel and are chased by a tabloid journalist and his reluctant photographer who doubt their claim.
"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," July 1-19 — A 2005 musical by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin, about six adolescents who s-p-e-l-l and spill out growing up pains.
Performances: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays.
Season subscription sales: five-admission flex pass, $150; full six-plays, $155. Details: 988-6131, www.manoavalleytheatre.com.
Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.
