Segerstrom Stage
PUTTING IT TOGETHER words and music by Stephen Sondheim devised by Stephen Sondheim and Julia McKenzie directed by Nick DeGruccio September 11 - October 11, 2009 Here’s to Stephen Sondheim! We’re having a party to celebrate the legendary musical genius. It’s an elegant evening, filled with his most memorable songs—from tender to passionate, from bittersweet to melancholy—and you’re invited. In a posh Manhattan condo, a glamorous couple looks back on what went wrong, to taunt, tease and maybe gloat a little. Their young guests are more starry-eyed but still wary, even as they begin to fall in love. Nearby, an astute observer adds his insightful songs to the mix. And what songs! They’re all Sondheim, which means all sophisticated and smart and drop-dead droll.
SATURN RETURNS West Coast Premiere by Noah Haidle October 23 - November 22, 2009 SCR audiences have been amazed—and amused—by the characters conjured up from the fertile imagination of Noah Haidle, a writer heralded as one of the brightest new voices in American theatre. Now there’s 88-year-old Gustin, endearingly crabby and, according to his caregiver, perfectly healthy and in no need of care. But there are echoes in his home, echoes of the women he loved—and thought he couldn’t live without. Gustin steps into those echoes and takes the audience with him through three stages of his life, on an inventive journey that bends time and offers surprises at every turn.
FENCES by August Wilson directed by Seret Scott January 22 - February 21, 2010 One of the most powerful forces in theatre, August Wilson brilliantly chronicled the black experience in 20th Century America. In this Pulitzer Prize-winning play, a hardworking family man in the 1950s meets life head-on with dignity, humor and eloquence, and not without frequent stumbles. Through it all, he asks his family to stand by him. Often, their devotion is tested, and with reason, but in the end this is a strong and honest family. We, the audience, recognize that and embrace them. The New York Times led the praise with this simple accolade: “Gripping.”
CRIMES OF THE HEART by Beth Henley May 7 - June 6, 2010 Babe shot her husband because he looked funny, Meg just hit town from Hollywood and a nervous breakdown, Lenny’s fast becoming an old maid and today her pet horse got hit by lightning. They’re the Magrath sisters of Hazelhurst, Mississippi, and they’re the invention of SCR favorite Beth Henley, who won the Pulitzer Prize for this play. She may heap tragedy after tragedy upon her heroines but does so with love, compassion and a prodigious sense of humor—and then brings out the chocolate cake and lemonade to get them through it all. You’ll want to sit right down at the kitchen table and share their laughter.
A Special Selection to be announced March 26 - April 25, 2010 We’re saving a place for an exciting new work from one of America’s top playwrights—or the latest hit from New York or London—plays like Christopher d’Amboise’s The Studio and Richard Greenberg’s A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, that have lit up the Segerstrom Stage in seasons past.
Julianne Argyros Stage
THE HAPPY ONES World Premiere by Julie Marie Myatt directed by Martin Benson September 27 - October 18, 2009 Orange County, California, 1975. For Walter Wells, it’s the happiest place on earth. He has a beautiful wife. Two great kids. A house with a pool. Contentment. Until fate strikes a devastating blow, leaving Walter with no reason to put the pieces of his life back together. He resists attempts to help, specially the unexpected — and unwanted — offer from a Vietnamese refugee named Bao Ngo, who bears his own deep sadness. Then, across a cultural divide, Walter and Bao find a game to share, a song, a meal and then a way back in this uplifting—and surprisingly funny—new play by a rising star in American theatre.
ORDINARY DAYS West Coast Premiere music and lyrics by Adam Gwon January 3 - 24, 2010 A promising star plucked from the new breed of composers in America, Adam Gwon is the latest winner of the Fred Ebb Award for Excellence in Musical Theater Songwriting. With Ordinary Days he hit the boards running in the USA and the UK, causing critics to sit up and take notice of its spare, fast-paced and lyrical form. From the bustling streets to the quiet rooftops, four young New Yorkers trying to find their way become intricately connected through a series of funny and fortuitous events that prove ordinary days can be simply extraordinary.
IN A GARDEN World Premiere by Howard Korder March 7 - 28, 2010 A summer house will adorn the garden of the Culture Minister of Aqaat, designed by American architect Andrew Hackett. If he should live so long. The Culture Minister takes a while to make up his mind and likes nothing better than to skirmish over the renderings—and his favorite Hollywood movies. Will the house be built before the two men, like their countries, change loyalties and find themselves caught up in history? In this cat and mouse game set against a global background, cultures clash and world views are turned upside down.
An Exciting New Work to be announced April 11 - May 2, 2010 There’s great new theatre happening—from New York to London—and hot new writers working on special SCR commisions, plays like Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel and Donald Marguilies’ Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, that have brought Argyros Stage audiences to their feet in seasons past.
Theatre for Young Audiences
JUNIE B. JONES AND LITTLE MONKEY BUSINESS Book, Lyrics and Music by Joan Cushing Based on the books by Barbara Park November 6 - 22, 2009 The Washington Post called it “tuneful, funny and bouncy—a treat in Crayola colors!” Audiences of all ages will agree as they enjoy this musical delight narrated by the star of the show, the world’s funniest kindergartner—Junie herself. A straight talking (some might say loudmouth) five-year-old who’s not at all interested in frilly clothes—though she does envy the new pink high tops of her friend, “That Grace.” Junie will steal your heart as she frets over a double whammy problem: having a baby brother on they way and trying to come up with a great idea for show-and-tell. Her solution will knock your socks off!
A WRINKLE IN TIME Adapted by John Glore from the book by Madeleine L’Engle February 5 - 21, 2010 A beloved 20th-Century children’s classic comes to life in a new adaptation by SCR’s own John Glore. In the tradition of Narnia and Harry Potter, this fantasy adventure sends Meg Murray and her little brother, Charles Wallace, on a quest across space and time to rescue their father from the evil, all-powerful IT. Meg and Charles have the magical help of three eccentric sisters named Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Whatsit, but in the end they must rely on their own resources to accomplish their task. This highly theatrical adaptation will offer a celebration of the art of story-telling and the power of imagination.
BEN AND THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH World Premiere by Bathsheba Doran May 21 - June 6, 2010 An enchanting story from olden times comes to life as a modern-day fairy tale—through the magic of theatre! Megan and Ben are two kids alone in the world. She earns pennies as a human statue—painted silver—while her little brother draws marvelous portraits with only a stubby pencil. One fateful day, his artwork catches the eye of the malicious Mrs. Crawly, who has a scheme to make millions with a magic paintbrush. When she captures Ben and puts him to work, it’s up to Megan to save the day. You’ll cheer the way she comes through!
Holiday Production
A CHRISTMAS CAROL 30th Annual Production by Charles Dickens adapted by Jerry Patch directed by John-David Keller November 28 - December 26, 2009 Celebrate the holidays and recapture the spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas with the annual staging of this timeless Dickens classic with Hal Landon Jr as the country’s longest running Scrooge. Once again, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit and, of course, Ebenezer Scrooge himself bring 19th-century London to life in Orange County's favorite Christmas tradition.
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