Commissioned by the Cleveland venue, Lee Blessing (Two Rooms, A Walk in the Woods) has adapted the tale of the Don Quixote-esque traveling textbook salesman George Marvin Brus.h Artistic director Michael Bloom will helm the production.
Running, April 24-May 17, 2009, Heaven's My Destination follows Brush, who is "a fervent religious convert determined to lead 'a good life.' A startlingly relevant tale of religion and tolerance with poignant and sometimes hilarious consequences, George's travels take him through smoking cars, bawdy houses, banks and campgrounds from Texas to Illinois—and into the soul of America."
Heaven's My Destination was presented last May as part of Cleveland Playhouse's FusionFest '08.
The Cleveland Play House season will officially get underway Sept. 12 with Tennessee Williams' poignant memory play, The Glass Menagerie. Michael Bloom will direct the production that runs through Oct. 5.
Michael Frayn's farce Noises Off will follow, playing Oct. 3-26 under the direction of David Bell. Lou Bellamy will direct Lorraine Hansberry's classic A Raisin in the Sun, which runs Nov. 7-30. For the holidays, the stage adaptation of the beloved film A Christmas Story will play Nov. 28-Dec. 21, under the direction of Play House associate artistic director Seth Gordon.
The new year begins with Mark Brown's adaptation of Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days, running Jan. 9-Feb. 1, 2009. Kent Gash directs the playhouse's only musical offering of the season, Mahalia: A Gospel Musical, which plays Jan. 30-Feb. 22, 2009.
Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment comes to life Feb. 27-March 22, 2009, in an adaptation by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus. The Lady with All the Answers, David Rambo's play based on the life and letters of Ann Landers, will run March 27-April 19, 2009.
Single ticket sales begin Aug. 4. Subscriptions are currently available by visiting clevelandplayhouse.com.
Founded in 1915, the Cleveland Play House has presented the world premieres of Randal Myler's It Ain't Nothin' but the Blues, Michele Lowe's The Smell of the Kill, Eric Coble's Bright Ideas and Seth Greenland's Jerusalem.
