LES MIS, CARRIE THE MUSICAL, & More Featured in Balgan Theatre's 2013-2014 Season

Balagan Theatre's next mainstage season will increase from four to five productions, featuring performances by Broadway actors Louis Hobson and Steven Taylor, and including two shows co-produced in partnership with Seattle Theatre Group at the historic Moore Theatre.

The new season includes the world's longest-running musical, LES MISERABLES, produced in the intimate setting of the Erickson Theatre on Capitol Hill; Carrie: The Musical, directed by Balagan's new Artistic Director, Louis Hobson, and co-produced with Seattle Theatre Group at The Moore Theatre; A Very Merry (Unauthorized) Children's Scientology Pageant, a satirical, holiday-themed reenactment of L. Ron Hubbard's life story (also at the Erickson); Jerry Springer: The Opera, an award-winning, smash-hit British comedy musical co-produced with Seattle Theatre Group at The Moore Theatre; and a fifth mainstage show, to be announced at the Season Preview Party on Monday, June 3.

Season tickets are on sale now at www.balagantheatre.org.

LES MISERABLES
SEPTEMBER 6-28, 2013 | at the ERICKSON THEATRE

By Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg | Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer

Be at the barricade as Balagan creates an intensely intimate production of this global musical phenomenon, starring Broadway actors (and Seattle natives) Louis Hobson and Steven Taylor. Jean Valjean (Hobson) is a convict on the run, relentlessly hunted by Inspector Javert (Taylor). As Valjean fights to leave his past behind and fulfill his promise to protect young orphan Cosette, a nation explodes in passionate, heartbreaking revolution. Spend an evening on the streets of Paris with some of Seattle's brightest up-and-coming talent, and experience Les Mis like never before.

Carrie: The Musical
OCTOBER 11-26, 2013 | at THE MOORE THEATRE

Music by Michael Gore | Lyrics by Dean Pitchford | Book by Lawrence D. Cohen | Based on the novel by Stephen King

In her small New England coastal town, Carrie White is a misfit. At school, she's bullied by the popular crowd. At home, she's at the mercy of her loving yet cruelly over-protective mother. But Carrie has just discovered she's got a special power - the power to move things with her mind. And when a cruel prank at the prom pushes Carrie over the edge, she harnesses that power to exact a ruinous revenge.

Based on Stephen King's bestselling novel, Carrie: The Musical features a book by Lawrence D. Cohen (screenwriter of the classic film), music by Academy Award winner Michael Gore (Fame, Terms of Endearment), and lyrics by Academy Award winner Dean Pitchford (Fame, Footloose).

A Very Merry (Unauthorized) Scientology Pageant
NOVEMBER 22 - DECEMBER 21, 2013 | at the ERICKSON THEATRE

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Kyle Jarrow | from a concept by Alex Timbers

In a humble manger, surrounded by parents, barnyard animals, and angels, precious baby L. Ron Hubbard is born. Wait, WHAT?!? A Very Merry (Unauthorized) Scientology Pageant takes the jubilant, candy-colored scene of a traditional Christmas pageant and gleefully turns it upside down for a satirical dissection of the actual teachings of The Church of Scientology. A cadre of Seattle's funniest actors play a cast of children who reenact the story of the evil alien prince, Xenu; portray starry Scientologists like John Travolta and Tom Cruise; and use stick puppets to explain the e-meter, used to monitor the human psyche.

Winner of the 2004 Obie Award, Pageant is an "equal parts adorable and creepy, hilarious and unsettling" (Variety), "ingenious musical account of L. Ron Hubbard's life and times" (New York Sun).

Jerry Springer: The Opera
JANUARY 10-26, 2014 | at THE MOORE THEATRE

Music by Richard Thomas | Book and Lyrics by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas

When notorious talk show host Jerry Springer is accidentally shot on the set of his infamous, eponymous TV show, he descends into Hell, where Satan forces Jerry to do a special show featuring suspiciously familiar guests ... until God intervenes and demands that Jerry come to Heaven and help God judge humanity.

Jerry Springer: The Opera channels all the mayhem and excitement of the lurid TV talk show that held worldwide television audiences in utter rapture - the perfect fodder for opera. Featuring songs like "Bigger Than Oprah Winfrey" and "Jerry Eleison" - plus a troupe of tap-dancing Ku Klux Klan members - it's no wonder Jerry Springer: The Opera is called a "shocking, irresistibly funny masterpiece" (London's The Sunday Times).

Fifth Mainstage Show (TBA)

MARCH-APRIL 2014

Our fifth mainstage show must remain a mystery for now. The details are complex, and we can't yet announce what will be a perfect closer for our new season. We can tell you that what we're working on is truly exciting, and we think you're going to love it! It will be the kind of thought-provoking, well-crafted theatre you've come to expect from Balagan. And you won't have to wait too long: We had so much fun announcing a mainstage show at last year's season preview party, we're doing it again at our party on June 3!

Balagan Theatre raises up the next generation of theatre artists and audiences (while challenging the traditional theatre-goer) by producing thought-provoking, well-crafted theatre at an accessible price. Since the first production six years ago, Balagan has grown from another upstArt Theatre into one of the more exciting and successful theatre companies in Seattle. From Footlight-award winning shows like Spring Awakening and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog to "Best of the Year" productions like Avenue Q, Balagan is known for creating high-quality professional productions in a welcoming personal environment.

For more information, please visit www.balagantheatre.org.

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