The last show of the Arvada Center’s current season, “Sunday in the Park with George,” is set to premiere in a couple weeks but the theater is already giving its audience a chance to get ready for the upcoming season.
The Arvada Center debuted the lineup for 2018-2019 Monday and the seven show season features two hit Broadway musicals, two regional premieres and one brand new play making its world debut in the center’s Black Box Theatre.
“The Black Box is launching many firsts this season, including a three-play spring repertory season, which features plays by women and a world-premiere by local writer and actress Jessica Austgen,” said Lynne Collins, artistic director of plays, in a press release on the new season lineup. “We will continue to hire the area’s finest actors to tell stories that will move, delight and surprise our audiences.”
Black Box Theatre’s 2018-2019 lineup (descriptions from Arvada Center)
“Educating Rita” Oct. 5 – Nov. 11
Rita is a working-class hairdresser who wants to learn. Frank is a failed poet and professor who wants a drink. When they are thrown together, they embark on a journey that neither expected. The story is loosely based on the Pygmalion myth, the same myth at the heart of “My Fair Lady” and the film “Pretty Woman.” This funny and touching play reveals the unlikely connections that can surprise and change us.
“The Diary of Anne Frank” Feb. 1 – May 17, 2019
Thirteen-year-old Anne Frank wrote to understand herself and the horrors of being Jewish in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. In doing so she created one of the most powerful stories of the 20th century. Her diary was the one place for privacy in her attic hiding place. It holds her fears, her hopes, her laughter, her grief. Her belief that “in spite of everything, people are truly good at heart” has moved readers for more than seventy years. In Wendy Kesselman’s adaptation we meet the full Anne; imperfect, funny, longing to become a woman and hopeful for a future she will never see.
Regional Premiere of “The Moors” Feb. 22 – May 18, 2019
Two sisters and a depressed Mastiff dog live out their lives on the bleak English moors. The women spend their days dreaming of love and power until the arrival of a hapless governess and a moor-hen set all three on a strange and hilarious path. With the passion of a Bronte sisters’ novel, Jen Silverman puts a modern spin on this dark comedy about love and desperation paired with a sharp sense of the absurd.
World Premiere of “Sin Street Social Club March 15 – May 19, 2019
This flirty, fun, feminist comedy is a bold new take on Aphra Behn’s restoration classic, The Rover adapted by Denver playwright Jessica Austgen. Helen, a novice nun, and Florie Mae, her nightclub singing sister, have taken to the streets of 1916 New Orleans in a last-ditch effort to save their departed daddy’s dance club. The going may be rough, but the St. Claire sisters won’t let a host of dingy Storyville denizens—an overly-protective older brother, a rakish rover, and a disgruntled gangster’s moll—stand in their way as they discover their destinies and ultimately find love.
The Arvada Center’s Mainstage lineup
“Mamma Mia!” Sept.7 – Sept. 30
“Mamma Mia! is the ultimate feel-good experience that has audiences coming back again and again to relive the excitement. This smash-hit musical combines ABBA’s greatest hits, including “Dancing Queen” and “Take A Chance on Me,” with an enchanting tale of love, laughter, and friendship. The magic of ABBA’s timeless songs and a delightful story of romance propel this charming musical to a paradise adventure you won’t want to miss.
“ELF – The Musical” Nov. 20 – Dec. 23
One of the most beloved holiday movies in recent years is live on stage! ELF – The Musical is the uproarious tale of Buddy, who as a child, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole where he is raised among elves. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to question where he came from. With Santa’s blessing, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. By spreading his unfailing holiday cheer, Buddy helps people discover the true meaning of Christmas, and finds the human family he never knew he had. This modern day Christmas classic is sure to make audiences of all ages embrace their inner Elf!
Regional Premire of “Trav’lin – The 1930s Harlem Musical” April 9 – April 28, 2019
Travel back to the Harlem Renaissance – music was swinging, bands were big, and the jazz scene continued to rise. Women embraced their independence yet still desired the convention of marriage. Men enjoyed financial success and seized new opportunities as they came their way. What happens when the two sexes try to navigate romance in this new world? A funny and heartfelt look at love, Trav’lin rediscovers the music of Harlem Renaissance songwriter J.C. Johnson. His songs were recorded by legendary artists such as Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Louie Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Trav’lin is an energetic evening of 1930s jazz combined with an engaging story that will captivate audiences of all ages.
For more information on the Arvada Center’s lineup and tickets, arvadacenter.org/subscribe/