ATC recently produced the world premiere of Hatcher's Ten Chimneys, based on the lives of stage luminaries Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt, and will open its next season with his new play based on Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective character Sherlock Holmes.
Artistic director David Ira Goldstein will direct Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club, which will run Sept. 17-Oct. 8 (Tucson) and Oct. 13-30 (Phoenix).
Here's how ATC bills the work: "In the heart of London, behind the impassive facade of a windowless house, some of Europe's most powerful men gather to play a game. The game is murder and this is The Suicide Club. But the Club has a new member: Sherlock Holmes. Brilliant, perceptive, the greatest detective in the English-speaking world and susceptible to the darkest moods. Holmes has joined the Club. Does he wish to die? Will he have to kill? Can his old friend Dr. Watson save him? Or doesn't Holmes want to be saved? And all the time, we are aware that dark forces deep within the Suicide Club may be manipulating the deaths of prominent men in a plot so far-reaching that the fate of Europe is at stake."
Rick Lombardo will stage Yasmina Reza's Tony-winning comedy God of Carnage, which will run Oct. 22-Nov. 12 (Tucson) and Nov. 17-Dec. 4 (Phoenix). The four-person play centers on two sets of parents who attempt to settle a playground dispute between their sons, only to throw their own manners out the window in the process.
The musical Daddy Long Legs, which has toured regionally over the past two seasons, will run Nov. 26-Dec. 17 (Tucson), and Dec. 29-Jan. 15, 2012 (Phoenix). John Caird (Les Miserables) directs and co-authored the book to the musical that has a score by Paul Gordon (Jane Eyre). Based on the book by Jean Webster, Daddy Long Legs "tells of a young girl's Cinderella journey into womanhood, as well as a confirmed bachelor's awakening into love. Told through a series of letters between Jerusha Abbott, the oldest orphan at the John Greer Home, and Jervis Pendleton, her mysterious benefactor, Daddy Long Legs is a testament to the power of the written word and its ability to touch our hearts."
The 39 Steps, based on Alfred Hitchcock's film of the same title, will be staged by Joel Sass Jan. 14-Feb. 4, 2012 (Tucson), and Feb. 9-26, 2012 (Phoenix). Four actors inhabit over 150 characters in the film-noir-tinged thriller.
Simon Levy's stage adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby will be directed by Stephen Wrentmore Feb. 25-March 17, 2012 (Tucson), and March 22-April 8, 2012 (Phoenix).
The Arizona premiere of John Logan's Red, which explores the life and art of abstract artist Mark Rothko during his commission to create large installations for the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York City, will be presented April 7-April 28, 2012 (Tucson), and May 3-20, 2012 (Phoenix).
Tucson performances take place at the Temple of Music and Art (330 S. Scott Avenue); call the box office at (520) 622-2823. Phoenix performances take place at the Herberger Theater Center (222 E. Monroe Street); call the box office at (602) 256-6995.
Visit www.arizonatheatre.org for more information.
