Center Theatre Group's New Season Will Launch in August 2021 with OKLAHOMA! and A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Other incoming productions include Hadestown, The Prom, 1776 and more!
By: Nicole Rosky Nov. 17, 2020
Artistic Director Michael Ritchie announced Center Theatre Group's 54th season at the Ahmanson Theatre will begin in August 24, 2021, four months later than it was formerly scheduled. The season features the previously announced "The Lehman Trilogy," "The Prom," "Hadestown" and "Dear Evan Hansen" plus "1776" which was previously announced for the 2019 - 2020 season. In addition, Center Theatre Group has added the Tony Award-winning Best Revival "Rogers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!" and the acclaimed Matthew Warchus- directed "A Christmas Carol." Productions of "Les Misérables," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Come From Away" and "Ain't Too Proud" are being rescheduled into future seasons. For a full schedule of the 2021 - 2022 season, please see the final pages of the release.
"We all hoped that we could finally return to the theatre this spring, but our first priority has to be the safety of our artists and audiences so it has become clear that presenting theatre in April is not going to be possible," said Center Theatre Group Artistic Director Michael Ritchie. "As you can imagine, planning for the future has been a fluid and challenging process but, as is so often the case, these challenges have also presented opportunities. While some productions needed to shift into future seasons due to touring schedules, we are able to add two exciting new productions of theatrical classics with Daniel Fish's bold reimagining of 'Oklahoma!' and the Matthew Warchus-directed production of 'A Christmas Carol' which dazzled audiences on Broadway and at London's Old Vic."
"They join Diane Paulus' interpretation of '1776' which not only promises to bring an exciting perspective to the musical, but also to a critical point in this country's history-when our Founding Fathers solidified America's independence. 'The Lehman Trilogy,' a stunningly beautiful epic directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes, gives us another glimpse of our own history as it follows nearly two centuries in the lives of an immigrant family and their namesake business that both defined and threatened to destroy the American dream."
Ritchie continued, "We are proud to present two Tony-winning Best Musicals with Anaïs Mitchell and Rachel Chavkin's truly original telling of ancient Greek myths in 'Hadestown,' as well as fan favorite 'Dear Evan Hansen,' which returns after a record-breaking, six-week engagement in 2018.
"Finally, we welcome back Bob Martin and Casey Nicholaw, who collaborated on 'The Drowsy Chaperone' when it made its U.S. premiere at the Ahmanson in 2005. Bob and Casey return with their newest production, a big-hearted Broadway musical, 'The Prom.'
"And, while we anxiously await the moment that we can return to the theatre to create that uniquely intimate community of artist and audience that only a live performance can provide, we have found another venue in Center Theatre Group's Digital Stage which allows us to partner with artists and arts organizations from around the world to create and curate streaming theatrical experiences. Many of these offerings are offered free to the public, with a larger catalogue of videos provided free of charge to Center Theatre Group season ticket subscribers and supporters while a selection of programs require an individual streaming fee for all audiences.
"We continue to work towards a time when we can bring the lights back up at the Ahmanson, Taper and the Douglas secure in the knowledge that we are keeping our audience and artists safe. We will announce seasons at the Mark Taper Forum and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in the coming months and count the days until we can come back together and celebrate the art form we have all been missing these months."
"Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!"
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein
Based on the play "Green Grow the Lilacs" by Lynn Riggs
Choreography by John Heginbotham, Original Choreography by Agnes De Mille
Directed by Daniel Fish
August 24 - October 3, 2021
The 2021-2022 season at the Ahmanson begins with "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!" beginning August 24 and continuing through October 3, 2021. Directed by Daniel Fish and hailed by The New York Times' Ben Brantley as a "wide-awake, jolting and altogether wonderful production of 'Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!'" which was previously scheduled to play at the Dolby Theatre as part of the Broadway in Hollywood Season, is being presented by Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson. Broadway in Hollywood ticketholders will receive tickets to the Ahmanson Theatre engagement. The opening performance will be announced at a later date.
"How is it that the coolest new show on Broadway is a 1943 musical?" asked Brantley. This is "Oklahoma!" as you've never seen or heard it before - reimagined for the 21st century, and now the Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Musical. Funny and sexy, dark and jolting, this acclaimed production of "Oklahoma!" "lets us experience Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatness anew," said Elisabeth Vincentelli in The New Yorker.
Stripped down to reveal the darker psychological truths at its core, Daniel Fish's production tells a story of a community circling its wagons against an outsider, and the frontier life that shaped America. Upending the sunny romance of a farmer and a cowpoke, this "Oklahoma!" allows the classic musical - and our country - to be seen in a whole new light.
"A Christmas Carol"
Adapted by Jack Thorne
Directed by Matthew Warchus
November 30, 2021 - January 2, 2022
"A Christmas Carol," the Dickens classic adapted by Jack Thorne and directed by Matthew Warchus, comes to the Ahmanson Theatre November 30, 2021 through January 2, 2022. The acclaimed production opened on Broadway in November of 2019 earning rave reviews and five Tony nominations following a run at The Old Vic, London. Opening date to be announced.
This timeless and timely tale of isolation and redemption welcomes theatergoers of all ages into an immersive experience that's brimming with Christmas spirit. The production features dazzling staging, moving storytelling and 12 of the most cherished Christmas carols, including "Joy to the World," "Silent Night" and "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear."
"A Christmas Carol" features scenic and costume design by Tony Award-winner Rob Howell, lighting design by Tony Award-winner Hugh Vanstone, sound design by Tony Award nominee Simon Baker, compositions, orchestrations and arrangements by Tony Award nominee Christopher Nightingale, music direction by Michael Gacetta, casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA and Jillian Cimini, CSA, movement by Lizzi Gee and associate direction by Thomas Caruso and Jamie Manton.
"1776"
Book by Peter Stone
Based on a concept by Sherman Edwards
Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards
Choreography Jeffrey L. Page
Directed by Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus
January 11 - February 13, 2022
The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University and Roundabout Theatre Company production of "1776" will be the third production in Center Theatre Group's 2020 - 2021 season at the Ahmanson Theatre. Directed by Jeffrey L. Page and Tony Award winner Diane Paulus and featuring a book by Peter Stone with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards, "1776" will have a pre-Broadway engagement at the Ahmanson from January 11 to February 13, 2022. The opening date will be announced at a later date.
They knew they would make history, but not what history would make of them. Fed up with living under the tyranny of British rule, John Adams attempts to persuade his fellow members of the Continental Congress to vote in favor of American Independence and sign the Declaration. But how much is he willing to compromise in the pursuit of freedom? And who does that freedom belong to? Jeffrey L. Page and Tony Award winner Diane Paulus direct a new production of this Tony Award-winning musical, reexamining this pivotal moment in American history.
"The Lehman Trilogy" Written by Stefano Massini
Adapted by Ben Power
Directed by Sam Mendes
March 1 - April 10, 2022
The story of a family and a company that changed the world, told in three parts on a single evening, The National Theatre and Neal Street Productions' critically acclaimed "The Lehman Trilogy" will come to the Ahmanson Theatre March 1 through April 10, 2022 after sold-out runs at The National Theatre, in London's West End and at the Park Avenue Armory. "The Lehman Trilogy" is written by Stefano Massini, adapted by Olivier Award-nominated Ben Power and directed by multiple Olivier Award, Tony Award and Oscar winner Sam Mendes ("The Ferryman," "Skyfall," "1917"). Opening date to be announced.
"The Lehman Trilogy" weaves through nearly two centuries of Lehman lineage. On a cold September morning in 1844 a young man from Bavaria stands on a New York dockside. Dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is joined by his two brothers and an American epic begins. One hundred and sixty three years later, the firm they establish-Lehman Brothers- spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy and triggers the largest financial crisis in history.
"Hadestown"
Music, Lyrics and Book by Anaïs Mitchell
Developed with and Directed by Rachel Chavkin
April 26 - May 29, 2022
"Hadestown," the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy Award for "Best Musical Theater Album," comes to Los Angeles April 26 through May 29, 2022. Opening date to be announced.
Hailed by the Los Angeles Times' Charles McNulty as, "Quite simply one of the most exquisite works of musical storytelling I've seen in my more than 25 years as a theater critic," "Hadestown" is the most honored show of the 2018 - 2019 Broadway season. In addition to the show's Grammy Award and eight Tony Awards, it has been honored with four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding New Broadway Musical and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.
"Dear Evan Hansen"
Book by Steven Levenson
Score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Direction by Michael Greif
June 28 - July 31, 2022
After a record-breaking, six-week engagement in the 2018-2019 season, the six-time Tony Award-winning Best Musical "Dear Evan Hansen" returns to the Ahmanson Theatre June 28 through July 31, 2022. Opening date to be announced.
"Dear Evan Hansen" features a book by Tony Award-winner Steven Levenson, a score by Grammy, Tony and Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ("La La Land," "The Greatest Showman") and direction by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif ("Rent," "Next to Normal").
Declared "one of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history" by the Washington Post's Peter Marks, "Dear Evan Hansen" opened at the Music Box Theatre to rave reviews on December 4, 2016. There, it has broken all box office records and struck a chord with audiences and critics alike, including New York Times critic Jesse Green, who, in his May 2019 re-review of the show, declared it "more and more ingenious with each viewing."
"The Prom"
Book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin Music by Matthew Sklar
Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw
August 9 - September 11, 2022
Broadway's hit musical comedy "The Prom" comes to the Ahmanson Theatre August 9 through September 11, 2022. The opening to be announced.
"The Prom" features direction and choreography by Tony Award winner and 2019 Tony Award nominee Casey Nicholaw ("Mean Girls," "The Book of Mormon"); a book by Tony Award winner and 2019 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominee Bob Martin ("The Drowsy Chaperone") and 2019 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominee Chad Beguelin ("Aladdin"); music by 2019 Tony and Outer Critics Circle Award nominee Matthew Sklar ("Elf"); and lyrics by 2019 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award Chad Beguelin.
"The Prom" is the joyous Broadway hit that New York Magazine called "smart and big- hearted" and The New York Times declares a Critic's Pick. It's a new musical comedy about big Broadway stars on a mission to change the world and the love they discover that unites them all.
Center Theatre Group, one of the nation's preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles' leading nonprofit theatre company, which, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Ritchie, Managing Director / CEO Meghan Pressman and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, programs seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1600 to 2100-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country, Center Theatre Group is one of the nation's leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics and circumstance to serve Los Angeles.
Center Theatre Group launched the Art Goes On: Emergency Giving Fund as a direct result of the sustained financial impact of COVID-19. Donations can be made at CenterTheatreGroup.org/EmergencyGiving.
Center Theatre Group's newest venue, the Digital Stage, features a collection of new audio and video series including Live from the KDT, Theatrical Experiences, The Forum and Audio Adventures. Center Theatre Group partners with artists and arts organizations from around the world to produce, present and create streaming theatrical content. Many offerings are provided free to the public, with a larger catalogue of videos provided free of charge to Center Theatre Group season ticket subscribers and supporters. Certain programs require an individual streaming fee. The Digital Stage also houses Center Theatre Group's ever-expanding library of education, community outreach and Art Goes On videos. For more information, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/DigitalStage.
For more information call the exclusive subscription hotline at (213) 972-4444 or visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/Ahmanson. At this time, there is nothing further current subscribers need to do to maintain their subscription for the upcoming season. Subscribers with
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