Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas Reveals 2023-2024 Season: SECRETS, LIES, AND CHAOS

After a momentous 50th anniversary season, MainStage Irving-Las Colinas has announced their 2023-2024 season entitled "Secrets, Lies, and Chaos." The season will begin with a production of the play Tigers Be Still - MainStage's first produced show at their downtown Irving venue, MainStage 222 - and continue with five productions each running for three weekends at Irving Arts Center - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The 39 Steps, Dear Brutus, Grand Hotel, the Musical, and The Children's Hour.

MainStage Board of Directors President Steven Merritt states, "Our 2022-2023 season has been incredibly well-received. We are thankful for the support of the theatre community and the generosity of our patrons, donors, and the Irving Arts Board." Merritt continues, "Beginning with our 2023-2024 season, we're thrilled to bring you six stellar productions, ranging from smash-hit musical comedies, to sentimental fantasies, to classic dramas. We hope you'll make plans to join us for season 51 here at MainStage Irving-Las Colinas!"

Season tickets and flex passes range from $95-$120 and will be available for purchase on July 10 at the Irving Arts Center Box Office (www.IrvingArtsCenter.com • 972-252-2787). Single tickets for Tigers Be Still will go on sale on July 15. Tickets for all remaining productions in the 2023-2024 season will go on sale at the Irving Arts Center Box Office on September 15.

Kicking off the new season at MainStage's downtown Irving venue, MainStage 222, is Tigers Be Still. Written by Kim Rosenstock, this quirky, endearing comedy about hope and human connection will run August 11-29.

Next up is the smash-hit musical comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, running November 3-18 at Irving Arts Center. With a book by Jeffrey Lane and music and lyrics by David Yazbek, this hysterical battle of two con men will "con"-stantly have audiences in stitches!

Bringing us into 2024 is the fast-paced whodunit, The 39 Steps. This farcical tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinarily entertaining adventure combines a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel (plus a dash of Monty Python). The production will run January 19 - February 3 at Irving Arts Center.

Next up is a sentimental fantasy about life, love, and second chances! One part period drama, one part fairy-tale, J.M. Barrie's Dear Brutus will transform the Irving Arts Center stage into a wooded wonderland March 8-23.

Then, audiences will be transported to a ritzy hotel in 1920s Berlin with Grand Hotel, The Musical (May 3-18 at Irving Arts Center). Based on Vicki Baum's novel of the same name, this hauntingly beautiful musical follows a cast of eccentric characters as they whirl through the Grand Hotel's revolving doors, leading to fateful encounters and shadowy secrets.

The season will conclude with Lillian Hellman's compelling drama, The Children's Hour, running September 20 - October 5 at Irving Arts Center. When a schoolgirl starts a rumor about her two female teachers...will the outraged community pause to uncover the truth among the lies, or will their actions lead to tragic consequences?

MainStage Irving-Las Colinas Board is funded in part by the City of Irving through the Irving Arts Board. The non-profit organization will also be partnering with other organizations and producing additional shows at their downtown Irving space - MainStage 222 (located at 222 E Irving Boulevard, Irving, TX).

More about the shows in the 2023-2024 Season:

Tigers Be Still

August 11-26, 2023 • MainStage 222

By Kim Rosenstock

Sherry Wickman is a recent college grad with a master's degree in art therapy whose job-search hasn't quite gone as planned. Unemployed and overwhelmed, she retreats to her childhood bed and remains there...until an unexpected employment opportunity gives her a renewed sense of purpose and hope. Now, if only her mother would come downstairs, her sister would stop watching Top Gun from the couch, her first patient would do even one assignment, her new boss would leave his rifle at home, and someone would catch the actual tiger that escaped from the local zoo, everything would be just perfect! A quirky, endearing comedy about hope and human connection!

Contains Adult Language

Dirty Rotten Soundrels

November 3-18, 2023 • Irving Arts Center

Book by Jeffrey Lane

Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek

Based on the film written by Dale Launer and Sidney Shapiro & Paul Henning

Two con men. One heiress. The opportunity of a lifetime. Lawrence Jameson makes his lavish living by talking rich ladies out of their money. Freddy Benson more humbly swindles women by fabricating stories about his grandmother's failing health. But the French Riviera isn't big enough for both of them, so they agree on a winner-take-all wager: the first person to successfully steal $50,000 from the young heiress Christine Colgate will get to stay in town, while the loser has to leave. Based on the 1988 film of the same name, this hysterical battle of cons will "con"-stantly have you in stitches! A smash-hit musical comedy comprised of hilarity and wacky hi-jinks!

The 39 Steps

January 19-February 3, 2024 • Irving Arts Center

Adapted by Patrick Barlow

From the novel by John Buchan and the movie by Alfred Hitchcock

Licenses by ITV Global Entertainment Limited

Original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon

London, 1935. The rather dull Richard Hannay encounters a woman who claims to be a spy. But, when she's suddenly murdered, Richard finds himself the focus of a nationwide manhunt led by a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps." This fast-paced whodunit combines a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel (plus a dash of Monty Python), and features nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of four), an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance! A farcical tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinarily entertaining adventure!

Dear Brutus

March 8-23, 2024 • Irving Arts Center

By J.M. Barrie

An eclectic group of guests are invited to an enchanting country house for Midsummers Eve. Their mysterious host, Lob, spins a tale of a mystical forest outside the home where they can find dreams and desires answered. Each with their own problems and each curious as to what their "second chance" at life may look like, the guests wander into the woods and seize the opportunity to explore a parallel version of themselves. One part period drama, one part fairy-tale, DEAR BRUTUS is a poignant exploration of choice, consequence, and circumstance. A sentimental fantasy about life, love, and second chances!

Grand Hotel, The Musical

May 3-18, 2024 • Irving Arts Center

Book by Luther Davis

Music and Lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest

Based on Vicki Baum's "Grand Hotel"

By arrangement with Turner Broadcasting Co, Owner of the motion picture "Grand Hotel"

Additional Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston

Set in a ritzy Berlin hotel in 1928, when the world is between wars and the stock market is booming, a cast of eccentric characters whirl through the Grand Hotel's revolving doors. Meet the beautiful Prima Ballerina, the charming but broke young Baron, the determined Hollywood hopeful, the deathly ill bookkeeper, the honest, hardworking father-to-be, and the cynical doctor, whose stories intertwine through a series of fateful encounters. But underneath the golden archways of the world's most opulent, extravagant hotel, lie dark shadows and secrets...with no reservations. A hauntingly beautiful musical panorama of love and loss, decadence and desire!

The Children's Hour

September 20-October 5, 2024 • Irving Arts Center

By Lillian Hellman

An unruly student at a rural Massachusetts boarding school falsely accuses her two female teachers of engaging in a romantic relationship. Suddenly, the two women must navigate the truth among the lies as they fight to save their reputations, their families, and the school itself. But as the schoolgirl's rumor escalates to scandal and the outraged community quickly withdraws all of their students, a witch hunt ensues that ultimately leads to terrible and tragic consequences. A compelling drama that sheds light on loyalty, intolerance, and the power of gossip!

Contains Adult Situations; Not Suitable for Children

 

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