LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE is thrilled to announce its historic centennial season, celebrating 100 years of creating exceptional theatre in one of Southern California’s most beautiful & vibrant communities! Comments Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham and Executive Director Ellen Richard, “100 never looked so spectacular!
Few artistic homes survive fifty years, let alone one hundred, and we will celebrate this historic milestone in style with an extraordinary season of shows that provide the type of diverse experiences that our audiences have expected from the Playhouse over the course of the last century.”
Our 100th birthday begins with Elle Woods and Bruiser in the joyful and hilarious, LEGALLY BLONDE, THE MUSICAL; followed by the heart-warming Korean family comedy KIM’S CONVENIENCE; then we close 2020 with the bittersweet Tony award-winning play, THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO; the new year brings the funny and intoxicating, THE EXPLORER’S CLUB; then, you will be the jury in the gripping courtroom drama, THE CAINE MUTINY COURT-MARTIAL; it will be “The Best of Times” as we present Jerry Herman’s bedazzling LA CAGE AUX FOLLES; and we complete our momentous season with the hopeful story about a Jewish family finding their way back to each other in A SHAYNA MAIDEL; plus special bonus productions; the holidays will shine emerald green with Lythgoe Family Panto’s THE WONDERFUL WINTER OF OZ & Hershey Felder stars as GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE!
Could there be a better way to celebrate 100?
THE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE CENTENNIAL SEASON:
WE OPEN OUR 100th ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH
LEGALLY BLONDE,
THE MUSICAL!
July 22 – August 16, 2020 (Press Opening July 25)
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin
Book by Heather Hach
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the MGM motion picture
Gather your law books, get your nails done, and prepare to bend-and-snap because Harvard’s beloved blonde is tackling sexism, snobbery and scandal in this award-winning Broadway musical. Sorority girl Elle Woods appears to have it all. All she needs is her boyfriend Warner to cement it with a proposal. But her dream life turns into a nightmare when Warner decides to unexpectedly break it off. Heartbroken and in despair, Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.
U.S. PREMIERE!
KIM’S CONVENIENCE
September 23 – October 11, 2020 (Press Opening September 26)
Written by Ins Choi
“Gut-bustingly funny with a huge heart” – Vancouver Sun
Enter Kim’s Convenience store and meet the Kims in this hilarious and heartwarming story that reminds us that family isn’t always convenient, but it might be the best deal out there. The most successful new Canadian play of the last decade, Kim’s Convenience – set in a family-run Korean variety store – is a hilarious and heartwarming ode to generations of immigrants. Mr. Kim, a Korean shopkeeper, grapples with both a changing neighborhood landscape and the chasm between him and his second-generation offspring. Inspired by the hit Netflix TV show of the same name, Ins Choi’s touching journey of a fractured but loving family is about forgiving the past and confronting the future
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“A work of intelligence, astringent wit, and much theatrical skill.” – NY Times
THE LAST NIGHT
OF BALLYHOO
November 4 – November 22, 2020 (Press Opening November 7)
Written by Alfred Uhry
Winner of the 1997 Tony Award for Best Play, and written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Driving Miss Daisy, The Last Night of Ballyhoo is a charming and bittersweet comedy set in Atlanta on the eve of World War II. It’s Christmas, 1939 and Atlanta’s close-knit Jewish community is preparing for Ballyhoo, the social event of the year. The Freitag family hopes that the party will be a chance for their daughters to meet their future husbands–but when their uncle brings home his new employee, a handsome Eastern European bachelor from Brooklyn, everyone must confront their own prejudices, desires and beliefs.
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“Brace for laughter! This hijinks-happy cocktail is big fun!” – Daily News
THE EXPLORERS CLUB
January 20 – February 7, 2021 (Press Opening January 23)
Written by Nell Benjamin
“Nell Benjamin’s 19th century British farce adds her to the ranks of today’s outstanding female playwrights.” – TheaterMania
It’s 1879, in London. The prestigious Explorers Club is in crisis: their acting president wants to admit a woman, and their bartender is legendary as the worst in town. Phyllida, the female candidate in question, is brilliant, beautiful, and has discovered a legendary Lost City, but letting a woman into the Club could shake the very foundation of the British Empire. And how do you make such a decision without a decent drink? Get ready for this mad cap explorers’ world of guinea pig science, deadly cobras, irate Irishmen, and the occasional airship.
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YOU ARE THE JURY…
THE CAINE MUTINY
COURT-MARTIAL
February 24 – March 14, 2021 (Press Opening February 27)
Written by Herman Wouk
Herman Wouk’s boldly dramatic, brilliantly entertaining novel of life—and mutiny—on a Navy warship in the Pacific was immediately embraced, upon its original publication in 1951, as one of the first serious works of American fiction to grapple with the moral complexities and the human consequences of World War II. Based on his Pulitzer Prize novel of the same name, this thought-provoking, acclaimed psychological courtroom drama portrays a mutiny of naval officers aboard the fictional U.S.S. Caine. Like jurors at a trial, the play covers only the court-martial itself and the audience knows only what various witnesses tell of the events on the Caine.
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Winner! Tony for Best Musical 1984;
Tony for Best Musical Revival 2004 and 2010!
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
March 24 – April 18, 2021 (Press Opening March 27)
Book by Harvey Fierstein
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
With an iconic score by Jerry Herman (Hello, Dolly!, Mame) featuring “I Am What I Am” and “The Best of Times” and hilarious book by Harvey Fierstein (Newsies, Kinky Boots), this charming and incredibly funny musical teaches us that families come in all forms, and that it is all right to be as you are! Georges, a club-owner, and Albin, the head drag performer, have their self-worth challenged after twenty years of un-wedded bliss when Georges’ son announces his impending marriage to the daughter of an ultra-conservative politician. Georges reluctantly agrees to play it “straight” to meet the family of the bride-to-be. However, when Georges mother fails to appear, Albin threatens to upend the entire dinner with hilarious results.
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“A tribute to the sustaining power of family.” – The New York Times
A SHAYNA MAIDEL
May 26 – June 13, 2021 (Press Opening May 29, 2021)
Written by Barbara Lebow
A beautiful story about two sisters separated since childhood and reunited twenty years later, in the aftermath of the Holocaust. After surviving World War II, Lusia is reunited with her father and sister in America. Through a series of memories and fantasies, Lusia explores the joys and sorrows of her life before the war. A Shayna Maidel, Yiddish for “a pretty girl” explores family, faith, and forgiveness in the pursuit of a better future.
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SPECIAL BONUS PRODUCTION!
LYTHGOE FAMILY PANTO returns with
THE WONDERFUL
WINTER OF OZ
December 3 – December 27, 2020 (Press Opening December 5)
Written by Kris Lythgoe
Lythgoe Family Panto is back for their six year with The Wonderful Winter of Oz! This holiday version of America’s favorite fairy tale is presented in the style of a traditional British Family Panto. On Christmas Eve, Dorothy gets swept away by a ‘freak’ Kansas blizzard and lands in a world of munchkins and witches. With songs from “Imagine Dragons” to “Earth, Wind and Fire,” this interactive family show is filled with big laughs, magic, dance, and music that will have you singing along with the cast to well-known contemporary songs, rooting for Dorothy and her friends, and booing the Wicked Witch!
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SPECIAL BONUS PERFORMANCE!
HERSHEY FELDER RETURNS AS THE LEGENDARY…
GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE
April 21 – May 2, 2021
Written by Hershey Felder
George Gershwin Alone tells the story of America’s great composer, who is widely regarded as bringing jazz into the concert hall, changing the musical landscape forever. The show incorporates Gershwin’s best-known songs from “The Man I Love” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” through the hits of An American In Paris and Porgy and Bess, to a complete performance of “Rhapsody in Blue.” Mr. Felder brings to life the spirit and talent of the legendary composer and pianist for the first time in history, leading the audience through the fascinating rhythms of Gershwin’s legendary songbook and his tragically short life.
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ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING
Subscriptions to our historic 100th ANNIVERSARY SEASON are now available. 7-Play Season Tickets range from $268 – $408 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787).
The box office is open Mondays – Saturdays: 11a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays: 11a.m. – 4p.m. (open until showtime on performance days).
For more information on all shows and programming visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com. LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.
Founded in 1920, the historic Laguna Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously-operating not-for-profit theatres on the West Coast and is proud to be an active participant in the celebrated Laguna Beach arts community. From classic plays and musical comedies to the current off-Broadway smash, cutting edge and traditional music exhibitions, dance festivals and stand-up comedy performances, Laguna Playhouse brings the magical experience of the performing arts direct to over 80,000 patrons each season.
Laguna Playhouse educational programming includes year-round classes, productions by and for children and teens (Youth Theatre) and is one of the few companies in the region that offer a curriculum-based professional theatre-touring program, TheatreReach, which aligns with the California State Standards for literature, history and performing arts curriculum.
Laguna Playhouse has been recognized in for the past five years as one of Orange County Register’s “Best of OC” in the category of Live Theatre. The Laguna Playhouse has featured many talented performers on stage, including Ed Asner, Leslie Caron, Hershey Felder, Harrison Ford, Melanie Griffith, Val Kilmer, Gregory Harrison, Dan Lauria, Hal Linden, Wendie Malick, Rita Rudner, Charles Shaughnessy, French Stewart, Loretta Swit, and Bette Davis.
Learn What’s Going On at www.lagunaplayhouse.com.
