Geva Theatre Center

 

Rochester Theatre Fest

Tea at Five
by Matthew Lombardo
Blackfriars Theatre
September 13–23, 2007
Tea at Five captures the fiery spirit of Katherine Hepburn in a one-woman show that recounts and reflects on thedizzying heights and emotional lows of one of America’s most beloved icons of the stage and screen. Featuring Jill Rittinger as Ms. Hepburn and directed by John Haldoupis.
“Marvelous! Well-written.” -NY Times
“Skillfully written and sheer fun!” -NY Daily News


I Am My Own Wife
by Doug Wright
JCC CenterStage
October 5-14, 2007
Actor David Jason Kyle plays 40 roles telling the fascinating tale of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a real-life German transvestite who survived Nazi and East German Communist regimes through a combination of cunning, intelligence, primal instinct and amazingly good fortune. A riveting and inspirational story packed with mystery and humor.
BEST PLAY! 2004 Tony Award, Pulitzer
Prize, Drama Desk and Outer Critics
Circle Awards!
Mature themes and language. This play may not be suitable for all audiences.



Smokey Joe’s Café
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
RAPA
November 2-11, 2007
The longest running Broadway Revue in history! This electrifying entertainment had critics raving and audiences stampeding the box office during its record-breaking Broadway run. As much as anyone, Leiber and Stroller invented rock ‘n’ roll. Smokey Joe’s Café transforms pop classics into compelling musical theatre that celebrates a golden age of American culture. The musical features nearly 40 of the greatest songs ever recorded including such hits as “Hound Dog,” “On Broadway,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Stand By Me” and “I’m a Woman.”


Plaid Tidings
Holiday Edition of Forever Plaid
by Stuart Ross
Original Forever Plaid vocal and musical arrangments by James Raitt
Vocal and musical arrangements by James Raitt, Brad Ellis,
Raymond Berg and David Snyder
Downstairs Cabaret Theatre
November 29 – December 23, 2007
Downstairs Cabaret presents the sequel to its signature world premiere, Forever Plaid! Thanks to a phone call from Rosemary Clooney, Sparky, Smudge, Jinx and Frankie return to earth with holiday favorites, their three-minute version of “The Ed Sullivan Christmas Spectacular” (featuring the Rockettes, Chipmunks and Vienna Boys Choir), and a Plaid Caribbean Christmas that puts the “Day-O” in Excelsis!



All My Sons
by Arthur Miller
Rochester Community Players
January 18-27, 2008
All My Sons, the first successful play from the pen of Arthur Miller, is a distinctly American work. Written in 1947, Miller’s play deals with profiteering during World War II. In this compelling drama, the Keller family is made to wrestle with the corrupting influence of money, the conflict between public and private responsibility and the power of guilt – themes that maintain relevancy in today’s world!



Talking Heads
by Alan Bennett
Bristol Valley Theater
February 1-3, 2008
Three Women. Three Stories. Three hilarious glimpses of seemingly ordinary lives sparked with extraordinary human foibles. Bristol Valley Theater, the Finger Lakes’ premiere professional summer theatre, brings you three razor sharp comic portraits, expertly captured by award-winning British playwright Alan Bennett (The History Boys).



PUSH Physical Theatre
by Darren and Heather Stevenson
PUSH Physical Theatre
February 8-17, 2008
Gravity-defying PUSH Physical Theatre has been called a cross between fine art sculpture and the hit movie The Matrix. You have never seen anything like this before; it’s cool, it’s athletic, it’s entertaining, it’s impossible to resist. Once you’ve experienced PUSH, you will know the strength of the human soul expressed by the power of the human body.



Frozen
by Bryony Lavery
Shipping Dock Theatre
February 22 - March 9, 2008
In a fugue of voices from the mother of an abducted child, the child’s killer and the psychiatrist who explores “the Arctic frozen sea that is the criminal brain,” playwright Bryony Lavery weaves a tale of grief, suffering and forgiveness in scenes that are poetic and not without moments of humor in this Barclay Award winning Best New Play of 1998.



The Fantasticks
Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Webster Theatre Guild
March 14, 15 and 16th, 2008
The Fantasticks, a musical play that tells an enchanting allegorical tale about life through the witty book and lyrics of Tom Jones and the catchy melodies and harmonies of Harvey Schmidt. You will follow this Boy-Meets- Girl story from the fantastical “moonlight” of romance into the harsh “sunlight” of reality with memorable characters, two fathers, a rakish villain and some old actors, along for the ride.



Rapunzel
Book and Lyrics by David Crane and Marta Kaufman
Music by Michael Skloff
TYKEs (Theatre Young Kids Enjoy)
March 28 - April 6, 2008
The famous story of Rapunzel and her golden hair was originally written by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. TYKEs’ witty, unique version of this classic tale is written by the creators of the hit TV show “Friends”! This hilarious, tongue-incheek musical is guaranteed to dazzle children AND their parents with its blend of clever humor, endearing characters and incredible songs!



Very Truly Yours, Gilbert & Sullivan
by Gayden Wren
Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert
Music by Sir Arthur Sullivan
Off-Monroe Players
April 11-20, 2008
Told through their own letters to each other (always signed “Very Truly Yours”), including excerpts from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore and more, this is the story of how, despite their very different outlooks, Gilbert and Sullivan worked together, producing the world’s most popular body of musical theatre and second only to Shakespeare in the history of the English language.



Side Show
Book and Lyrics by Bill Russell
Music by Henry Krieger
Irondequoit Theatre Guild
April 26 – May 4, 2008
This heart-warming musical touches on the universal need for acceptance and the strength of the human spirit. Conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton were born to an unmarried teenager and sold to Mary Hilton. Trained to sing, dance and play instruments, they became popular in Europe and the United States. Side Show begins at a carnival where the girls are the main attraction, telling the story of two remarkable women.


The Acting Irish International Theatre Festival 2008
Presented by the Irish Players of Rochester
(A program of the Rochester Community Players)

May 13 – May 17, 2008
The 15th annual Acting Irish International Theater Festival in 2008 will be hosted by RCP's Irish Players in Rochester at the Nextstage at the Geva Theatre Center May 13-17, 2008. Our production of The Hostage, by Brian Behan, will open the festival. Nine other full-length productions are expected to be staged by groups from Florida, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Winnipeg, Calgary, Toronto and Ireland. The Toronto Irish Players, winners of the Best Production Award at the 2007 festival in Milwaukee, will stage the final production on Saturday night, May 17.



MAY GOD STRIKE ME DEAD...
If I’m Telling a Lie!
by Adele Fico
Music and Lyrics by Corinne Aquilina
BelleAdele Productions
May 30 - June 8, 2008
A long-awaited wedding brings together an Italian Nonna, an Irish widow, a New Orleans cab driver and a host of other hilarious characters in this one-woman show centering around family, faith and friends. Thought-provoking, poignant, and very funny, it looks at life and all its delicious simplicities and maddening complexities. It promises an outrageous evening filled with laughter, love and surprises.



Dames at Sea
Book and Lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller
Music by Jim Wise
Pittsford Musicals
June 13-29, 2008
Ruby, a would-be chorus girl, arrives in New York with only a pair of tap shoes in her suitcase and dreams of stardom in her heart. Calamity strikes during rehearsals but the show must go on and it does—on the deck of a battleship. Dames at Sea is an all-singing, all-dancing musical comedy tribute, in style and sound, to the musicals of the 1930s.