The PPT season was announced March 1. Pappas is currently celebrating his tenth year as the company’s leader. He has not directed a musical there since Cabaret in 2007.
Pittsburgh Public will be one of the first regional theatres to offer Annie Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation, an ensemble play about participants in an acting class in Vermont, and Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts, which was the playwright's first play produced after August: Osage County became a Broadway hit. Circle Mirror was an extended hit for Playwrights Horizons Off-Broadway in the winter of 2009-10; Donuts premiered in Chicago in 2008 and then landed on Broadway in 2009.
The coming PPT season includes a six-play subscription series, running Sept. 30 through June 26, 2011, plus two bonus events.
Here's the PPT season at a glance:
Sept. 30–Oct. 31
The Royal Family
By George S. Kaufman & Edna Ferber
Directed by Ted Pappas
"The Cavendish clan lives in a lavish Manhattan apartment, befitting their status as the glamorous first family of 1920s Broadway (think Barrymores). While the outsized egos of these actors can lead to outrageous comedy, the play is also a valentine to the theater and the people who make the stage their home." Nov. 11, 2009–Dec. 12, 2010
Talley's Folly
by Lanford Wilson
"Announced for last season but delayed due to an upcoming Broadway revival, The Public is thrilled to finally present Lanford Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning romantic comedy. The story centers on Sally, a former cheerleader from a conservative family, and Matt, a Lithuanian Jew who escaped from war-torn Europe. When they meet in a Missouri boathouse on July 4, 1944, a lot separates this unlikely couple. But they discover one thing that just might be stronger than all their differences."
Jan. 20–Feb. 20, 2011
Camelot
Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Directed by Ted Pappas
"The legend, imitated but never equaled. Fall in love again with the chivalry of King Arthur, the beauty of Guenevere, and the wizardry of Merlyn. Experience the magic of this magnificent score, by Lerner and Loewe, and the alchemy of a musical staged by Ted Pappas, who has thrilled Pittsburgh audiences with his showmanship in productions of The Mikado, Man of La Mancha and Cabaret.
March 3–April 3, 2011
Circle Mirror Transformation
By Annie Baker
"A Vermont community center is the location of a Beginner's Drama Workshop. As the teacher leads her class of four through role-play exercises and acting games, unexpected truths, both hilarious and touching, are revealed."
April 14-May 15, 2011
Superior Donuts
By Tracy Letts
Directed by Rob Ruggiero
"Arthur is settled in his life as the owner of Superior Donuts, a coffee shop in a Chicago neighborhood full of eccentric characters. He remains laid-back even after the cops come to investigate a break-in. When lively young Franco Wicks shows up to make repairs, he decides to stick around and fix Arthur as well. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tracy Letts (August: Osage County) puts sweet icing on his career with this brand-new comedy directed by Rob Ruggiero (from last season's smash hit Ella)."
May 26-June 26, 2011
To Be Announced
"Choices for the perfect play to complete our 2010-11 season are currently being considered."
Bonus events include engagements of The Best of The Second City (Dec. 16-18) and Reduced Shakespeare Company's The Complete World of Sports (abridged) (Jan. 4-9, 2011).
Subscriptions are now available by calling the box office at (412) 316-1600. Pittsburgh Public Theater's home is the O'Reilly Theater in the heart of downtown Cultural District in Pittsburgh, PA. For more info visit www.ppt.org.
