Manatee Players announce new season

Here's what to look forward to at the Manatee Players for the 2009-2010 season:

The Main Stage Shows:

CRAZY FOR YOU – August 20-September 6, 2009
Billed as “The New Gershwin Musical Comedy”, it is largely based on the songwriting team’s 1930 production, Girl Crazy, but interpolates songs from several other productions as well.
In CRAZY FOR YOU, a stage-struck New York playboy, Bobby Child, is sent to a small, poor town in Nevada to close down the local theater. Soon Bobby falls in love with the theater owner’s daughter, Polly. In order to save the theatre, he dreams up the idea to put on a show to raise money for the theatre. In the end, the town is reinvigorated, the theatre is saved and Bobby finds love.


HELLO, DOLLY! – September 24-October 11, 2009
HELLO, DOLLY! is full of memorable songs including Put On Your Sunday Clothes, Ribbons Down My Back, Before the Parade Passes By, Elegance, Hello, Dolly!, It Only Takes a Moment and So Long, Dearie. And we are off on a whirlwind race around New York at the turn of the twentieth century, as we follow the adventures of America's most beloved matchmaker!


THE BOYS NEXT DOOR – October 29 – November 15, 2009
The place is a communal residence in a New England city, where four mentally handicapped men live under the supervision of an earnest, but increasingly "burned out" young social worker named Jack. Norman, who works in a doughnut shop and is unable to resist the lure of the sweet pastries, takes great pride in the huge bundle of keys that dangles from his waist; Lucien P. Smith has the mind of a five-year-old but imagines that he is able to read and comprehend the weighty books he lugs about; Arnold, the ringleader of the group, is a hyperactive, compulsive chatterer, who suffers from deep-seated insecurities and a persecution complex; while Barry, a brilliant schizophrenic who is devastated by the unfeeling rejection of his brutal father, fantasizes that he is a golf pro. Mingled with scenes from the daily lives of these four, where "little things" sometimes become momentous (and often very funny), are moments of great poignancy when, with touching effectiveness, we are reminded that the handicapped, like the rest of us, want only to love and laugh and find some meaning and purpose in the brief time that they, like their more fortunate brothers, are allotted on this earth.

ANNIE - December 3-20, 2009
Leapin' Lizards! The popular comic strip heroine takes center stage in one of the world's best-loved musicals.ANNIE is a spunky Depression-era orphan determined to find her parents, who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations, befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and finds a new family and home in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace Farrell and a lovable mutt named Sandy.A must for any theatre with a large family audience, ANNIE has proven a sure-fire crowd-pleaser, as its record-breaking Broadway run, star-studded motion picture version, hit 20th anniversary Broadway revival and national tour, and countless productions around the globe each year attest. With its upbeat ending, a bright tuneful score which has become a part of the nation's musical heritage, a cast of characters which includes many scene-stealing roles for children (including the coveted title role) and a classic villainess audiences love to hate, it's no wonder this heartwarming show has become an international sensation.

SUGAR BABIES - January 7-24, 2010
SUGAR BABIES is a riotously funny, nostalgic trip for those who remember burlesque and a happy discovery for those too young to recall this irreverent form of American entertainment. All of the classic vaudeville comedy sketches are here, along with such wonderful songs as "Exactly Like You", "I Can't Give You Anything But Love Baby" and "Don't Blame Me."

CURTAINS - February 18-March 7, 2010
A delightful return to old-fashioned musical comedy, CURTAINS unfolds backstage at Boston's Colonial Theatre in 1959 at a pre-Broadway tryout of a new musical. When the talent-free leading lady dies on opening night during her curtain call, Lieutenant Frank Cioffi arrives on the scene to conduct an investigation. But the lure of the theatre proves irresistible and after an unexpected romance blooms for the stage-struck detective, he finds himself just as drawn toward making the show a hit, as he is in solving the murder.As the bodies pile up, the ensemble dwindles and everyone is a suspect. Can Cioffi solve the murders and save the show before it reaches Broadway? Complete with rousing production numbers and a cast of colorful backstage characters, CURTAINS has audiences cheering long before the curtain comes down.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT– March 25-April 11, 2010
The Biblical saga of Joseph and his coat of many colors comes to vibrant life in this delightful musical parable. Joseph, his father's favorite son, is a boy blessed with prophetic dreams. When he is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and taken to Egypt, Joseph endures a series of adventures in which his spirit and humanity are continually challenged. He is purchased by Potiphar where thwarting advances from Potiphar's wife lands him in jail. When news of Joseph's gift to interpret dreams reaches the Pharaoh (wryly and riotously depicted as Elvis), Joseph is well on his way to becoming second in command. Eventually his brothers, having suffered greatly, unknowingly find themselves groveling at the feet of the brother they betrayed but no longer recognize. After testing their integrity, Joseph reveals himself leading to a heartfelt reconciliation of the sons of Israel. Set to an engaging cornucopia of musical styles, from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock 'n' roll, this Old Testament tale emerges both timely and timeless.

GYPSY – May 6-23, 2010
GYPSY, the musical fable suggested by the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, is written by three legendary theatrical giants. The book is by two-time Tony Award winning legend Arthur Laurents, with music by two-time Tony Award winner Jule Styne and lyrics by multiple Tony Award winner Stephen Sondheim. The 1959 blockbuster, originally directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, boasts a legendary score with such classic songs as "Everything's Coming Up Roses," "Rose's Turn" and "Some People."


This schedule is subject to change should the new theater opening date be determined!

Season subscriptions are now on sale for the upcoming season. For a limited time, Full season subscriptions are priced $10 lower than last season. Eight show Full Season subscriptions are $169 and five show Flex Season subscriptions are $109. Those subscriptions purchased by March 15 are guaranteed not to increase should we move to the new theater during the 2009-10 season. Current season subscribers will be receiving a letter in the mail detailing renewal instructions.

To be added to the mailing list or to order season subscriptions, call the box office at 941-748-5875 or e-mail your name, address and phone number to boxoffice@manateeplayers.com.