‘Jersey Boys,” SpongeBob, Carole King, Green Day in Erie Playhouse lineup – GoErie.com
A Tony Award-winning musical about a boy band, a 1936 Pulitzer Prize-winning screwball comedy plus Carole King and SpongeBob — the Erie Playhouse‘s recently announced 2023 season features variety and firsts for theatergoers.
Next year’s lineup also includes a drama examining themes including of Reagan-era politics, homosexuality and the AIDS epidemic; a musical about inspirational women who have overcome social, economic and racial barriers to make waves throughout U.S. history; and a concert event featuring the music of Green Day.
In an announcement livestreamed on the Playhouse’s Facebook page, Executive Director Kate Neubert-Lechner said it would be “a very exciting year on the Playhouse stage” and “almost an entire season of firsts.”
“Every musical or play on our slate except for one has never ever been performed on our stage before,” Neubert-Lechner said. That exception is “You Can’t Take It With You.”
Here is what else is ahead:
Mainstage shows
“Jersey Boys”
When: Jan. 20, 21, 27-29 and Feb. 2-5
“Jersey Boys,” which won a Tony for Best Musical, is the international phenomenon about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the iconic foursome from New Jersey, according to Playhouse information. Told in a documentary-style format, the musical features hits including “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll” and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night).”
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“You Can’t Take It With You”
When: March 17, 18, 24-26, 30, 31 and April 1, 2
When the only normal individual in an off-the-wall family announces she has fallen in love with the son of her boss, her zany relatives eagerly await his arrival to pick her up for a date. But she worries that his family of Wall Street types will never accept her family. The overriding message of the Pulitzer-winning show is to pursue what you love and not worry about money.
“The SpongeBob Musical”
When: Aug. 4, 5, 11-13, 17-20
Adapted from Nickelodeon’s animated TV series “SpongeBob Squarepants,” this upbeat musical with neon-colored sets has a multi-layered story for kids and adults, according to the Playhouse. The theater show also has original songs by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Plain White T’s and more.
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”
When: Sept. 15, 16, 22-24, 23-30 and Oct. 1
“Beautiful” tells the inspiring true story of King, from her early days as a Brooklyn teenager struggling to enter the record business to her years as a chart-topping music legend, according to the Playhouse. The jukebox musical features pop classics, including “You’ve Got a Friend,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “I Feel the Earth Move” and “The Locomotion.”
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“Angels In America Parts 1 & 2”
When: Oct. 20-22, 27-29 and Nov. 2-5
“Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes” is a Pulitzer-winning play in two parts by American playwright Tony Kushner with dialogue that offers a complex examination of themes, including Reagan-era politics, homosexuality, the spreading AIDS epidemic, and a rapidly changing social and political climate. The two parts — “Millennium Approaches” and “Perestroika” — will be presented in rep, playing on different days of the week, officials said.
Holiday show
Details, including dates, of what the Playhouse website calls “a show brand new to Erie” have yet to be revealed.
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Youtheatre shows
“She Persisted: The Musical”
When: Feb. 17-29, 24-26; school matinees, Feb. 22-24
“She Persisted” is based on the bestselling children’s book by Chelsea Clinton, “She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World.” The musical’s story centers around a fourth-grader whose field trip to a Women’s History Museum turns into a time-travel adventure in which she encounters inspirational women — including Harriet Tubman, Virginia Apgar, Ruby Bridges, Sally Ride, Florence Griffith Joyner, Sonia Sotomayor and Nellie Bly — who have overcome social, economic and racial barriers to make waves throughout U.S. history.
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Spring children’s musical
When: May 12-14, 19-21
Details of this show have yet to be announced.
“Fall Into the Classics”
When: Nov. 17-19; school matinees, Nov. 16-17
The Playhouse website describes this as a fun and educational exploration into the world of William Shakespeare, delving into the language and stories that set the stage for many contemporary stories told today to produce a student-led adaptation of one of his works.
Concert events
“Green Day’s American Idiot”
When: June 23-26
This concert version of “Green Day’s American Idiot” will feature all the high-octane energy of the full production, according to the Playhouse. The musical uses songs from the punk band’s Grammy Award-winning and groundbreaking concept album “American Idiot” to tell the story of three disgruntled men struggling to find meaning in a post-9/11 world.
Tickets for the Playhouse’s 2023 season weren’t on sale yet. For more information, call 814-454-2852 or visit erieplayhouse.org/2023-season-announcement.
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