Playhouse Celebrates 80th Season

The Westport Country Playhouse is celebrating its 80th season this year with musicals, a comic drama and classic productions.

The anniversary season is not reserved solely for faithful Playhouse patrons, but is open to anyone interested in the Playhouse and/or its latest lineup, including the musical comedy, "She Loves Me," the Pulitzer Prize-winning comic drama, "Dinner with Friends," "Happy Days," the musical "I Do! I Do!" and the classic and final play "The Diary of Anne Frank."

Single ticket sales to any of the five productions of the 80th season, playing from April through October, go on public sale at noon today. Single tickets will be available at the Playhouse's box office, located at 25 Powers Court in Westport; by phone at 203-227-4177; and online at www.westportplayhouse.org. To date, only subscriptions for the 2010 season have been on sale.

"We are celebrating the 80th season this year and want everyone to be a part of this remarkable milestone," said Michael Ross, Playhouse managing director. 

In addition to its on-stage performances, the Playhouse intends on hosting local events and fundraisers to attract a larger community and engage old and new subscribers. 

The Playhouse is a nonprofit theater with a history that dates to 1931, when New York theatre producer Lawrence Langner created a Broadway-quality stage within an 1830s tannery. The Playhouse quickly became an established stop on the New England "straw hat circuit" of summer stock theatres.

Eight decades since its start, the Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway, most recently the world premiere of "Thurgood" and a revival of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" with Paul Newman. In earlier years, such productions included "Come Back, Little Sheba" with Shirley Booth, "The Trip to Bountiful" with Lillian Gish, and "Butterflies Are Free" with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner.

The Playhouse's 2010 lineup will open April 20 through May 8 with the musical comedy, "She Loves Me," with book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and directed by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director.

Up next is "Dinner with Friends," a Pulitzer Prize-winning comic drama written by Donald Margulies and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director. It will run from June 1 to June 19. 

"Happy Days," a play written by Samuel Beckett and directed by Lamos, will run July 6 through July 24. 

"I Do! I Do!," the joyful musical written by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, will be staged Aug. 10 - 28. 

Gerald Freedman will direct the fifth and final play of the season, "The Diary of Anne Frank," a timeless and powerful classic by Francis Goodrich and Albert Hackett, adapted by Wendy Kesselman, playing Sept. 28 to Oct. 16. 

"Gerald Freedman brings a lifetime of accomplishment to his directorial leadership of our production of 'The Diary of Anne Frank,'" said Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director.  "It will be a great opportunity to have Gerald at the Playhouse and at the helm of this important production."

Lamos noted that Freedman's work with leading writers of the last 50 years, as well as Shakespeare, has been acclaimed on and off-Broadway and in regional theater. Freedman was a seminal part of Joe Papp's legendary Public Theater, where he directed a wide variety of groundbreaking productions, including a legendary "Titus Andronicus" in Central Park as well as the original production of "Hair." His Broadway directing credits include the 1964 and 1980 revivals of "West Side Story," Arthur Miller's "The Creation of the World and Other Business" (1972), the 1975 and 1976 productions of "The Robber Bridegroom," both of which garnered him Drama Desk Award nominations as Outstanding Director of a Musical, "The Grand Tour" (1979) with Joel Grey, and "The School for Scandal (1995) with Tony Randall.  At present, Freedman is Dean of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

The 2010 performance schedule is Tuesday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.  Special series feature A Taste of Tuesdays, Previews, Opening Nights, Thursday TalkBack, Sunday Symposium and Backstage Pass.

Single tickets range from $35 to $55; opening night tickets, including post-performance reception, are $65. Subscriptions to all five plays are available for preferred seating and pricing.  Students and educators are eligible for 50 percent discounts.  Groups of 10 or more save up to 30 percent.  For group sales information call 203-227-5137 ext. 120. 

About the Playhouse

For its artistic excellence, the Playhouse received a 2005 Governor's Arts Award and a 2000 "Connecticut Treasure" recognition. It was also designated as an Official Project of Save America's Treasures by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is entered on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places. Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse transformed into a year-round, state-of-the-art producing theater, which has preserved its original charm and character.

In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, the Playhouse serves as a community resource, presenting educational programming and workshops; a children's theater series; symposiums; music; films; and readings.

For more information or ticket purchases, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport.  Tickets may be purchased online at www.westportplayhouse.org.

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