2007 - 2008 Season

Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure
September 2007
By Steven Dietz / Directed by Tim Ocel
Based on the original play by William Gillette and Arthur Conan Doyle
Co-Produced with Cleveland PlayHouse

The Story: With his friend Dr. Watson by his side, Sherlock Holmes faces his most difficult case against his most worthy nemesis: Professor Moriarty. Holmes and Watson must race across the continent to track the elusive Moriarty, but not before coming to the rescue of a kidnapped diva – the only woman ever to capture Holmes’ heart. Then there’s the case of the King of Bohemia, whose upcoming marriage is threatened by scandal – a puzzle that only Holmes can unravel. When the great detective finally catches up with Moriarty in the mountains of Switzerland, there can be only one victor.

The Experience: A sleek and stylish mystery that races from foggy London to the Reichenbach Falls of the Swiss Alps. From the director of last year’s hit, Dial M for Murder.

The Buzz: A new adaptation that’s a theatrical tour de force.

“Pulse-quickening adventure where passion and intellect collide.” Daily Page.com
“ Intrigue and adventure – and even a touch of romance!” Backstage.com
“ Dietz’ script offers twists and turns.” Louisville Courier-Journal

The Fine Print: Recommended for middle-school and up.

Doubt
October 2007
By John Patrick Shanley / Directed by Skip Greer

                  The Story: Bronx, 1964. Fr. Flynn is friendly, likable – a favorite of the boys at St. Nicholas Catholic School. Sister Aloysius, the school principal, believes that they are there to teach and protect the students – not to befriend them. She suspects Fr. Flynn of an unspeakable breach of trust. In a clash of wills and generations, each vies for the moral high ground. Did he do it? Is she wrong? Whom will you believe?

The Experience: A riveting drama that you’ll be talking about for weeks after the show.

The Buzz: Winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play.

Doubt was voted “#1 Play of 2004” by Time, Entertainment Weekly,
Newsday, Timeout New York, the Associated Press and the Wall Street
Journal, among others. By the author of Moonstruck.
“ Tight, absorbing, complex.” New York Times
“ Gripping. Impressive! Doubt takes the stuff of headlines and turns it into
deeply moving drama.” New York Daily News
“ Doubt is a lean, potent drama...passionate, exquisite, important and
engrossing.” Newsday

The Fine Print: Adult subject matter.

A Christmas Carol
November 23 - December 23
By Charles Dickens / Adapted by Richard Hellesen
Music by David de Berry / Directed by Emma Griffin

                The Story: It’s a cold, bleak day in 19th century London, but the streets are bustling with people getting ready for Christmas. Bob Cratchit works at his desk, trying in vain to stay warm as he earns a modest living to support his wife and children – including Tiny Tim. Cratchit’s boss, Ebenezer Scrooge, likes
the cold and the dark, and has no use whatsoever for Christmas. But it wasn’t always so. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by four spirits who remind him who he was and what he might become. Scrooge learns the true spirit of the season and that it’s never too late to make a new start. The Experience: Come and experience – for the first time or the 10th – the classic tale of redemption in a magical production brimming with color, spectacle and song.

The Buzz: Rochester’s favorite holiday tradition returns! This is Geva’s critically acclaimed and well-loved production – featuring Robin Chadwick as Ebenezer Scrooge.

The Fine Print: Recommended for the whole family! (Please remember that children under five are not permitted in the theatre.)

Cabaret January
February 2008
By Kander & Ebb / Directed by Chris Coleman
A co-production with Portland Center Stage in Oregon

The Story: The year is 1929, as Hitler begins his march to power. Cliff, a young American novelist travels to Berlin in search of artistic inspiration – but what he finds is a world of desire and decadence, jealousy and betrayal in a time when the rules of survival are quickly shifting. He falls in love with Sally Bowles, the sexy chanteuse of the Kit Kat Klub, where Berlin misfits gather for a drink, a laugh, a song - as the storm clouds of war gather outside. Cliff wants to take Sally back to America where they can raise a family, but the cabaret is the only family Sally knows.

The Experience: “Willkommen. Bienvenue. Welcome.” So sings the Emcee as he welcomes you to this sexy and sleek production of one of the classics of American musical theatre, featuring tunes like “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” “Maybe This Time,” “Don’t Tell Mama” and, of course, “Cabaret.” The world might end
tomorrow, why not leave your troubles outside and come in for escape tonight?

The Buzz: This fantastic musical first captured audiences when it hit Broadway in 1966 winning 8 Tony Awards and even more nominations. In 1998 the show was revived by the Roundabout Theatre Company, captured four more Tony Awards and became one of the longest running revivals in Broadway history.

“THE BEST MUSICAL ON BROADWAY” – Clive Barnes, NY Post
“ BRILLIANT! A spellbinding production” – Fintan O’Toole, Daily News

The Fine Print: Recommended for high school and up.

Bad Dates
February - March 2008
By Theresa Rebeck / Directed by Mark Cuddy

The Story: Haley is a single mom who hasn’t had a date in a long time. A really long time. It’s been over 10 years, but now her daughter is 13, the restaurant she manages is the hip new hot spot, her life is really pretty good...It’s time to plunge back into the dating pool. Armed with a killer wit and a fabulous collection of designer shoes, Haley goes looking for love in the 21st century.

The Experience: Few things are as funny as hearing about someone else’s bad dates! A fast-paced comedy by one of the hottest new voices in the American theatre.

The Buzz: The comedy hit that’s played to sold-out audiences across the country in New York, Atlanta, Boston, Sacramento, Denver, Houston, Austin and beyond, finally comes to Rochester.

“So much fun, we don’t want it to stop.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“ A guilty pleasure. Vivid and engaging.” Austin Chronicle
“ Funny and lighthearted...the perfect date fare” Curtain Up
“ A fun and charming gem of a show.” Talkinbroadway.com

The Fine Print: Strong language and adult content.

The Piano Lesson
April 2008
By August Wilson / Directed by Seret Scott

The Story: Boy Willie, a Southern sharecropper, wants to sell his family’s ancestral piano to buy land. His sister Berniece refuses to let it go. Carved into the piano are the faces of their great-grandfather’s wife and daughter who were sold in exchange for the piano during the days of slavery. Their arguments over the piano open the wounds of the past; it haunts them just as surely as the ghost in Berniece’s house. Where is the boundary between remembering where you’ve come from and not being able to let go? How do you build the future without forgetting the past?

The Experience: Set in 1930s Pittsburgh, this richly textured family drama represents the third decade in August Wilson’s 10-play chronicle of African America in the 20th century.

The Buzz: 1990 Pulitzer Prize-winner from one of the American theatre’s great storytellers.

“A magical, spiritual and emotional story.” Talkin’ Broadway
“ Wilson’s dialogue is masterly and his characters are people to care about... a stunner of a show.” Curtain Up

The Fine Print: Recommended for high school and up.

Pride & Prejudice
May - June 2008
Based on the novel by Jane Austen
Adapted by Marge Betley and Mark Cuddy

The Story: Mrs. Bennet has five daughters and her chief aim in life is to see them well-married: “A single man with a good fortune must be looking for a wife.” Mr. Bennet’s favorite daughter, Lizzie, has her own ideas about romance and marriage – and a fiery wit to match. Is it possible for a smart young woman in 1810 England, with little money and ho-hum prospects, to find true love? Only the dark and handsome Mr. Darcy knows...and he’s too prideful to show it.

The Experience: A lush production – rich in humor, music and elegance – of one of the world’s most popular love stories. Adapted from the literary classic, a romantic comedy full of the style and satiric wit of Jane Austen.

The Buzz: A fresh new look at an old favorite.

“ The wit of Jane Austen has for partner the perfection of her taste.” – Virginia Woolf (referring to the novel Pride and Prejudice)

The Fine Print: Recommended for middle school and up.