AMERICAN STAGE
THEATRE COMPANY
727-823-PLAY
211 3rd St. S.
St. Petersburg, FL
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American Stage Announces 2007-08 Season
We are staying in our building this season!
After recently announcing the building of a brand new, state-of-the-art theatre (the first of its kind in St. Petersburg) and also announcing that we are staying in our long-time home into 2008 (rather than moving for one season to the Palladium Theatre), American Stage brings to you its slate of new plays for the 2007-08 season.
American Stage will open with August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean, followed by the classic whodunit Sleuth, and a special holiday extra of last season's hit comedy-musical The Big Bang! Winter will bring the Tampa Bay-area premiere of the comedy about how the screenplay to "Gone With the Wind" was really written, Moonlight and Magnolias,
Shakespeare's greatest tragedy Hamlet, and a special Gulf Coast flavored Pirates of Penzance in the Park. The season will conclude with American Stage's first-ever play by Harold Pinter, Betrayal, and the Tampa Bay-area premiere of the musical-comedy, Souvenir.
Our first production of August Wilson!
GEM OF THE OCEAN
A story about duty and redemption
Previews Sept 5 and 6, opening Sept 7
running thru Sept 30, 2007
All performances at American Stage
211 3rd St. South, St. Petersburg
"Move over Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire and Long Day's Journey Into Night. Room must be made for Gem of the Ocean, which three years into its life has emerged as a transcendent contribution to serious American culture."
- Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal
Gem of the Ocean is the ninth play in Wilson's ten-play cycle chronicling the African-American experience through each decade of the 1900s. The story, set in 1904, begins on the eve of the 285th birthday of Aunt Ester. Citizen Barlow, a man who is in spiritual turmoil, arrives at Aunt Ester's house and is soon sent off on a spiritual journey, leading him to startling discoveries and setting him on a course of duty and redemption.
The greatest whodunit in theatre history!
SLEUTH
A must-see for every fan of great mysteries
Previews Oct 31 and Nov 1, opening Nov 2
running thru Dec 2, 2007
All performances at American Stage
211 3rd St. South, St. Petersburg
"Clever . . . intricate. . . . It is good, neat, clean and bloody fun, and I most cordially recommend it."
-NY Times
"Ingenious skulduggery . . . replete with skillful suspense and inventive tricks."
-NY Post
In a cozy English country house owned by a famous mystery writer, a friendly meeting over a convivial round of scotch and dialogue turns into the ultimate game of cat and mouse after the host says, “I understand you want to marry my wife.” From that moment, the two are locked in a mortal encounter.
Shaffer’s classic whodunit will keep you guessing until the final twist is revealed.
The Big Bang is a Holiday Extra!
THE BIG BANG!
By Jed Feuer Boyd Graham
Previews Dec 6 and 7, opening Dec 8
running thru Dec 23, 2007
All performances at American Stage
211 3rd St. South, St. Petersburg
"Get thyself to the American Stage production of The Big Bang for an hour and a half of inspired hilarity."
-Sarasota Herald-Tribune
"If you've been looking for a laugh…you won't want to miss The Big Bang…it leaves the audience in stitches."
-Tampa Tribune
"The opening-night audience for the American Stage production roared with laughter."
-St. Petersburg Times
The hilarious hit musical returns for a limited holiday engagement. Get your tickets now to find out why both audiences and critics love this play!
The comedy that exposes the insanity behind the movie "Gone With the Wind"!
MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS
By Ron Hutchinson
Previews Jan 16 and 17, opening Jan 18
running thru Feb 10, 2008
All performances at American Stage
211 3rd St. South, St. Petersburg
"A Hollywood dream-factory farce…At once a hyperventilating slapstick comedy, an impassioned love song, and a blazing critique of Hollywood."
-NY Times
A hilarious homage to the men behind an American movie classic, Hutchinson’s comedy follows Hollywood legend David O. Selznick
and the “real” story behind the
making of “Gone With the Wind.” Find out what went into writing the script for the most loved film of all time.
Shakespeare's Greatest Tragedy
HAMLET, Prince of Denmark
Previews March 5 and 6, opening March 7
running thru March 30, 2008
All performances at American Stage
211 3rd St. South, St. Petersburg
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
-Act I
Considered by many to be the greatest play ever written, Hamlet has captivated audiences for 400 years with its explorations of life, love, duty and revenge. Commanded by his murdered father's ghost to right a grievous wrong, Hamlet struggles with the human and spiritual costs of pursuing justice. Featuring some of the most beautiful language ever written, Hamlet marks a turning point in Shakespeare's career toward more complex depictions of good and evil, and of heroes and villains. Tampa Bay's first professional production of Hamlet in memory, American Stage's production will prove a season highpoint and a must-see for every serious theatergoer.
23rd Annual American Stage in the Park
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
A Swashbuckling Musical for the Whole Family!
Previews April 9 and 10, opening April 11,
running 3 weeks until Sun, May 4, 2008
Performances at Demen's Landing
in downtown St. Petersburg
"Sullivan's melodies are glorious, by turns lilting, parodist, and thunderous. Gilbert's lyrics dazzle us with their verbal pyrotechnics and sly wit."
-NY Times
Come again to see great musical theatre under the stars…but beware. Pirates are ready to
invade Demen's Landing! Gilbert & Sullivan struck musical-comedy gold with their band of wild, chest-pounding, but otherwise relatively nice band of pirates who make it a rule never to hurt orphans (as they are all orphans themselves). Presented in all of its swashbuckling glory, this musical favorite is perfect for the entire family. The story revolves around young Frederick, who seeks to leave this band of pirates on his rapidly approaching 21st birthday…but what was that detail about being born on February 29? Featuring a glorious score, including the most famous patter song ever written ("I am the very model of a modern Major General") come see why one critic declared, "Never have such musical riches been lavished upon such inspired silliness!"
Harold Pinter at American Stage for the first time!
BETRAYAL
A season high point
Previews May 28 and 29, opening May 30
running thru June 22, 2008
All performances at American Stage
211 3rd St. South, St. Petersburg
"Betrayal is an exquisite play, brilliantly simple in form and courageous in its search for a poetry that turns banality into melancholy beauty"
-Newsweek
A critical and popular success, Betrayal deals with the "eternal triangle"—wife, husband and the wife's lover. Pinter, with his customary inventiveness and subtlety, brings new insights to this timeless theme. Two former lovers meet two years after their affair has ended. In a series of contiguous scenes, the play then moves backward in time, throwing into relief the little lies and oblique remarks that reveal more than direct statements or overt actions ever could.
The hilarious musical-comedy with heart!
SOUVENIR: A FANTASIA ON THE LIFE OF FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS
For everyone who ever wanted to transend their own limitations
Previews July 16 and 17, opening July18
running thru Aug 10, 2008
All performances at American Stage
211 3rd St. South, St. Petersburg
"A beguiling comic jewel with a heart." -Variety
For the half century before "American Idol", the name Florence Foster Jenkins was guaranteed to produce explosions of derisive laughter by people who knew her as "the greatest bad singer ever". Not unreasonably so, as this wealthy society eccentric suffered under the delusion that she was a great coloratura soprano when she was in fact incapable of producing two consecutive notes in tune. Nevertheless, her annual recitals in the ballroom of the Ritz Carlton hotel, where she resided, brought her extraordinary fame. As news of her terrible singing spread, so did her celebrity. Her growing mob of fans packed her recitals, stuffing handkerchiefs in their mouths to stifle their laughter; which Mrs. Jenkins blissfully mistook for cheers. The climax of her career was a single concert at Carnegie Hall in 1944. Famously, it sold out in two hours. Souvenir, by turn hilarious and poignant, tells her story through the eyes of her accompanist, Cosme McMoon. A talented musician, he regards her at first as little more than an easy way to pay the rent. But, as they get to know each other, his initial contempt gives way to reluctant admiration, then friendship and affection.
American Stage is a not-for-profit professional theatre founded in 1977. The company's mission is to create the most satisfying live theatre in the Tampa Bay area, accessible to all. American Stage presents six plays during its mainstage season. The very popular American Stage in the Park celebrates its 23rd Anniversary year. The theatre's other programming includes: School Tour, and classes and camps for children. The Hough Family Foundation and Bank of America are the Season Sponsors and Raymond James is the Mainstage Sponsor.
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