Peterborough Players Announces CABARET and More for Summer Season

Live, professional theatre bursts from inside the Players beloved barn stage with the 2022 Summer Season! An exciting lineup of shows full of attention, transformation, beauty, and joy. The season is the perfect combination of a return of some long-missed Players' traditions, coupled with the continued excitement of newness, change, and exploration. All with the utmost focus on the ongoing comfort and safety of all at the Players.

The season will feature 5 mainstage shows indoors in "the barn", along with the return of theatre for young audiences (and the young at heart!) with a Second Company show presented on the already-loved new, outdoor Elsewhere Stage. Talkbacks for each mainstage production will take place on the first Sunday of the show's run. Season subscriptions go on sale on February 15th.

"As wonderful as our time outside was last summer, I know we've all been longing to get back indoors at the Players," says Artistic Director, Tom Frey. "We feel fortunate to be able to share these exciting shows with our audiences, and I, personally, can't wait to see everyone back."

The season opens on June 23rd, as the Players says "Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome" to the daring, bold, and provocative world of Cabaret, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Joe Masteroff. This multi-Tony Award-winning musical boasts a host of legendary Broadway tunes - from "Maybe This Time" to "Willkommen" to the rousing title number - and heaps of decadent song-and-dance. In the cabaret, life is beautiful, and troubles are to be forgotten. Yet, while Cliff Bradshaw, an American writer, and a starry-eyed young British singer named Sally Bowles stumble through their bohemian world of 1930s Berlin, the Third Reich rises to power all around them. This celebrated, show-stopping, musical masterpiece brings the Players' stage roaring back to life. "It's an incredibly timely piece, in so many ways," says Frey, "which happens to have one of the best scores of the American musical theatre canon." Cabaret will run from June 23rd-July 3rd.

On July 7th, the Players will open Circle Mirror Transformation, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Annie Baker. When an unlikely company of strangers come together to take a community acting class in a small town in Vermont, they discover more about themselves then about Stanislavski, Hagen, or Meisner. As they hilariously participate in acting exercises sure to teach them something (right?), they find that the true study is in their own growth, exploration, and discovery. As they're cracked open, surrounded by the trappings of the studio, the powerful class exercises inspire both teacher and students to face their lives with greater courage. This beautiful, moment-to-moment dramedy explores the catalyst for intimate self-discovery in the most humorous of settings. "If anyone knows what hilarity and transformation can happen in an acting class, it's The Acting Company at the Players," says Frey. Circle Mirror Transformation will run from July 7th-17th.

Next, starting July 21st, the Players has the distinct honor to produce the U.S. premiere of Marcia Johnson's enthralling new play, Serving Elizabeth, previously seen at the famous Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada. In the play, the year is 1952. Mercy, a Nyeri, Kenya restaurant owner is vehemently anti-monarchy - and has also been given the opportunity to cook for the visiting Princess Elizabeth, moments from her ascension to throne. With her daughter by her side, can she still stick to her principles? Or is this an opportunity of a different kind? The year is also 2015. Tia, a Kenyan-Canadian film student is an ardent fan of the royals - and is also interning on a splashy new TV series, all about Queen Elizabeth II. When she reads the episode about then Princess Elizabeth's visit to Kenya, she begins to question what she's been a fan of all along... Can she use this opportunity to make her feelings known? These two distant timelines come together in a surprising turn-of-events, exploring colonialism, nationalism, unconscious bias, and what happens when the story that gets told isn't really the truth. "Who is telling the story of history? This is an extraordinary, new piece of theatre. I'm so thrilled the Players has this opportunity to share it with our audiences," says Frey. Serving Elizabeth will run July 21st-31st.

Starting August 4th, a Players Favorite makes its joyful return! Two actors, two pianos and many, many characters grace the stage as fifteen years of learning the art of piano playing unfolds in 2 Pianos 4 Hands, by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt. From classical to pop to jazz, the play provides the chance for two performers to give their all in a 120-minute virtuoso performance. Along the journey the actors/pianists portray a dazzling range of characters embellished with a show of piano wizardry featuring the music of Bach, Beethoven, and Jerry Lee Lewis. As children, they endure the judging eyes of teachers, adjudicators, and parents. As "friendly" competitors nearing their teens they face off at various festivals. As young adults, their eyes open to new ideas and influences. And as they mature, Ted and Richard become more aware of the gap between the very good and the great - the universal plight of all those with an ounce of training and talent and the will to "be" a professional musician, or athlete, or actor, or dancer. 2 Pianos 4 Hands captures the humor that comes with dedicating yourself to a dream, and the sense of loss in eventually learning to let go of it. Frey will direct the production and introduce audiences to the new team of actor/pianists, garnering rave reviews around the country. 2 Pianos 4 Hands will run from August 4th-14th.

On August 18th, it's the evening show at Hal Emerson's Bar and Grill in Philadelphia, PA, March of 1959, and you've got a seat at the bar. In Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill by Lanie Robertson, you'll be witnessing one of the final performances of the legendary Billie Holiday, onstage for the night to fill the small room with jazz, memories, and perhaps just a little moonlight. As she and her faithful accompanist Jimmy weave their way through the evening of song, Lady Day can't help but reminisce about the long road that led her back to Emerson's, and the world that set her on that road. Music is her joy, and she endeavors to keep that moonlight present for as long as she possibly can. Billie Holiday is brought to glorious, profound, humorous, and heartbreaking life before your eyes. Experience the show which garnered Tony and Outer Critics Circle Awards in its recent revival. "The performance of Billie Holiday at the center of this production will wow the crowds as much as the story itself," says Frey. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill will run from August 18th-28th.

Theatre for the young (and the young at heart!) returns with The Emperor's New Clothes, with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Marcus the Third is too young to take the throne, and he's nervous. What better way to feel the part than to dress the part? While his royal clothiers make him a stylin' new wardrobe, someone else has a plan that could ruin everything - or make Marcus the person he was meant to be. This fun-for-all-ages family show boasts a book and score by the Tony Award-winning team behind such hits as Seussical, Once on This Island, and Ragtime, and will be presented on our new, already beloved, outdoor Elsewhere Stage. "Our Second Company program is one of the most important things about the Players, hands down. I'm so happy to come back with a show that fits perfectly in our season." The Emperor's New Clothes will run on dates throughout the season at 10:30am.

Meet the Summer Season with the return of Playgroup from Players Online! The Players is pleased to give audiences a look behind the curtain at the summer season with its upcoming, 2-session, online workshop on February 18th and 25th at 7:30pm. In session 1 on February 18th, Tom Frey will be in conversation with choreographer Ilyse Robbins (director and choreographer of last summer's Beehive: The 60s Musical) about the upcoming summer season. It's your chance to ask anything you've ever wanted to know! In session 2 on February 25th, Tom and Ilyse will go in-depth with our first-up show, Cabaret. As part of the creative team behind the show, they'll give insights into this amazing, classic musical. Playgroup events are free, but registration is required by emailing info@peterboroughplayers.org.

Subscriptions to the 2022 Summer Season go on sale on February 15th and may be purchased at the Players' Box Office, or by calling the Box Office at (603) 924-7585. Subscribers receive a ticket to all 5 mainstage shows, the deepest discount, preferred seating, and more for only $188. Barn Door Passes will go on sale on April 25th, and single tickets will go on sale on May 25th. Single tickets for mainstage shows are $47; tickets to the Second Company are $15 for adults and $10 for children.

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