Announcing Way Off Broadway's 2018 Mainstage Season

2018 will mark a year of change for The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, the area's only year-round producing theatre, which has become known for not only its presentations of classic musicals but its area and regional premiere's of hit Broadway shows as well.

Since the theatre first opened, Way Off Broadway seasons have run on a calendar year from January to December. Beginning in 2018, the theatre will be shifting its season to line up more closely with other theatre around the country, which run their seasons from September to August. To align with the new schedule, Way Off Broadway producers have announced a three show mega-mini season that will run from January until August. Then, in September, a new five show season will begin.

For the 2018 Mega-Mini Season, Way Off Broadway is excited to announce three blockbuster titles. Opening the season will be the fairytale-esque adventure Shrek - The Musical. For the spring, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will return to Way Off Broadway. Forum was the first show produced by the Kiska family after they purchased the theatre in 2002. Closing out the mega-mini season in the summer will be one of the most beloved musicals ever to appear on stage, Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

"We cannot wait for 2018," says Bill Kiska, Way Off Broadway's Executive Producer. "The three shows we have coming to Way Off Broadway are huge audience favorite and ones we have been talking about producing for some time."

Mainstage performances are every Friday and Saturday evening, with matinees on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of each month. For the evening performances, doors open for dinner at 6:00 p.m. with the show beginning at 8:00 p.m. For the Sunday matinees, doors open at 12:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 2:15 p.m. Season tickets for 2018 are now on sale and can be purchased by visiting the theatre or calling the Box Office at 301.662.6600.

WAY OFF BROADWAY'S 2018 MEGA-MINI SEASON SHREK - THE MUSICAL January 12 - March 10, 2018

Everyone's favorite ogre is back in the hilarious stage spectacle based on the Oscar-winning, hit film. "Once Upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek..." Thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there's one on hand...and his name is Shrek.

Music by Jeanine Tesori Book & Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire Based on the Dreamworks Animation Motion Picture by William Steig

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM March 23 - May 19, 2018

Stephen Sondheim's joyous, musical romp through Rome has desperate lovers, scheming neighbors, and secrets behind every toga. Broadway's greatest farce is light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written. Forum is a nonstop laughfest in which Pseudolus, a crafty slave, struggles to win the hand of a beautiful, but slow-witted, courtesan named Philia for his young master, Hero, in exchange for freedom. The plot twists and turns with cases of mistaken identity, slamming doors and a showgirl or two.

Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by Burt Shevelove & Larry Gelbart

DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST June 8 - August 18, 2018

Step into the enchanted world of Broadway's modern classic, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, an international sensation! The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Time Rice Book by Linda Woolverton Based on the 1991 Disney Animated Film

To learn more about The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre or any of its productions, visit www.wayoffbroadway.com.

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, under the direction of the Kiska family since 2002, will celebrate its 25th Silver Anniversary Season in 2019. Since it first opened in 1995, the theatre has been a leader in the area's theatre community, proudly bringing both classic musicals, as well as regional and area premieres to the Frederick stage. Productions have included Monty Python's Spamalot, Noises Off, The Addams Family, Les Misérable, Sunset Boulevard, Legally Blonde, Dolly Parton's 9 to 5: The Musical, The Music Man, Jekyll & Hyde, Hairspray, South Pacific, The Drowsy Chaperone, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, Mel Brooks' The Producers, CATS, The Wedding Singer, Evita, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, La Cage aux Folles, Guys & Dolls, Steel Magnolias, Annie, Bye Bye, Birdie, The King & I, ...Forum, Lend Me a Tenor, Joseph..., Blood Brothers, Mame, and 42nd Street.

Way Off Broadway is also the home of a one-of-a-kind children's lunch theatre, offering entertainment for the entire family, giving children a chance to see their favorite characters live on stage. In addition to its regular season, the theatre produces a number of special events throughout the year including an annual Breakfast with Santa (and Mrs. Claus) and an interactive mysteries series. www.wayoffbroadway.com