From the first black actor to play Othello on the London stage to an icon of fantasy inspired by a family friend of the author who wouldn’t grow up, our 2016/2017 season is peopled by history makers. Some you already know, some you think you know, and a few you’ve probably never met. A few happened upon notoriety by chance, others fought unbelievable odds to leave their mark on the world, and some committed unspeakable acts to be remembered. Take a seat, and experience everything on offer at Tampa Bay’s most award-winning professional theatre.
ASSASSINS
October 8 – November 6, 2016
Music and Lyrics Stephen Sondheim
Book by John Weidman
Based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr.
Perhaps the most controversial piece of musical theatre ever written, Assassins is a fantasia on the darker recesses of “The American Dream.” In moments both true and imagined, this riveting musical looks at the four successful and five would-be assassins of Presidents Of The United States. Together, John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim have crafted and evening of provocative, intelligent, and surprising theatre that turns on a dime between shocking pathos and biting humor. This groundbreaking work sheds a blinding light on exactly the lengths to which some are willing to go in pursuit of their slice of happiness.
December 10, 2016 – January 29, 2017
In what can only be described as an epic theatrical event, freeFall’s record-breaking production of Peter and The Starcatcher returns, playing in rep with J.M. Barrie’s classic original, Peter Pan. See them in either order during their extended engagement, or on Saturdays see both plays – one at 2pm the other at 8pm.
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
By Rick Elice
Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Music by Wayne Barker
After a sold-out run during the 2015 holiday season this audience favorite returns. A secret society must protect the powerful Starstuff lest it fall into the hands of the evil king Zarboff. When two identical trunks are switched, the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of Molly, an apprentice Starcatcher. Filled with magic and mayhem, this origin story of Peter Pan comes to life through old-fashioned stagecraft and the imagination of the child in us all.
PETER PAN
By J.M. Barrie
The classic that spawned countless adaptations and derivative works comes to our stage in a production that will enchant anyone who has ever dreamt of taking flight and never growing up. When a mysterious boy appears at the nursery window of the Darling household, Wendy and her brothers are swept away to a magical land…but treachery awaits in the person of the infamous Captain Hook and his band of devilishly hilarious pirates.
RED VELVET
February 25 – March 26, 2017
By Lolita Chakrabarti
Among the pantheon of legendary Victorian actors, you may have heard of Irving, Kean, or Tree, but chances are you’ve never heard of Ira Aldridge, the American actor of African descent who became the first black actor to play the title role in Othello on the London stage. Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation has collapsed onstage whilst playing Othello. A young black American actor has been asked to take over the role. But as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre? This award-winning new play, which premiered at London’s Tricycle Theatre in 2012, is an important work, which paints a vivid picture of an early chapter in the ongoing struggle to bring diversity to the stage.
END OF THE RAINBOW
By Peter Quilter
April 29 – May 28, 2017
A play with music about the final years in the life of Judy Garland, End of the Rainbow triumphed in London’s West End in 2010/2011 and on Broadway in 2012. It’s Christmas 1968, and Judy Garland is booked for six weeks of “comeback concerts” at London’s Talk Of The Town. The failed marriages, the suicide attempts, and the addictions are all behind her. At forty-six and with new flame Mickey Deens at her side, she seems determined to carry it off and recapture her magic. But stormy skies are on the horizon as old patterns resurface, and the drama backstage chip away at the onstage brilliance of one of the greatest singers of all time. Shifting back and forth between moments of onstage triumph and backstage tribulation, this speculation on a pivotal chapter in the life of a legend is at once wildly entertaining, irreverently funny, and deeply moving.
MARIE ANTOINETTE
By David Adjmi
July 15 – August 13, 2017
The pulsating contemporary look at one of history’s most enigmatic pariahs puts Marie Antoinette under the microscope of our own society’s obsession with celebrity. While Marie distracts herself with fanciful and decadent diversions in Versailles, the “have-nots” grow increasingly intolerant of the excesses of the “haves.” David Adjmi’s driving script lets loose a barrage of energy, wit, pageantry and humor as the players are catapulted toward the title character’s inevitable end. Perhaps we too raise our celebrities to great heights in order to watch them fall.
For more information and to purchase subscriptions visit www.freefalltheatre.com or call (727) 498-5205.