Artistic director Christopher Ashley officially announced five of the eight shows to be featured in his inaugural season for the California stage. One subscription production and two works, to be part of "The Edge" series, are yet to be announced.
The 2008 lineup (subject to change) will play as follows:
Written and directed by Moisés Kaufman
"The story of Ludwig van Beethoven's fascination with a trivial waltz written in 1819 and the modern-day musicologist who sets out to discover the root of his obsession."
Written and performed by Charlayne Woodard
In this Page To Stage workshop production, "Charlayne serves as 'Auntie' to 30 nieces and nephews who struggle with the many challenges facing teenagers today." The one-woman show is expected to "change nightly based on the audience reaction."
Written by and starring Charles Busch
The Playhouse commissioned this world premiere comedy which "follows a 1940s out-of-work screenwriter and her son, who collaborate with her on a new screenplay involving a mobster, a mad scientist and a witch from a Russian fairytale."
Jack Kirkland's adaptation of Erskine Caldwell's 1932 novel
The "longest-running play in Broadway history... has seldom been produced and audiences have rarely had the opportunity to see it — until now." The Playhouse will revive the American classic that "interweaves humor and horror as Georgia sharecroppers teeter on the brink of self-destruction during the Great Depression, barely surviving without fuel, seed money or credit." David Schweizer will direct in his Playhouse debut.
Book by Douglas Carter Beane with the movie's original music and lyrics by John Farrar and Jeff Lynne
Playhouse artistic director Christopher Ashley brings his Broadway "tongue-in-cheek, roller-skating extravaganza" to his new home. "Xanadu follows a Greek goddess in 1980 who comes to life to inspire a struggling artist to pursue his dreams and establish…a roller disco." Subscriptions packages to the season at La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive (on the corner Torrey Pines Road) in La Jolla, CA, are currently available calling (858) 550-1010. (Single tickets will go on sale March 9.) For more information about the company visit lajollaplayhouse.org.
