Lantern Theater Company Announces 2019/20 Season - OTHELLO, ARTURO UI, and More!

Lantern Theater Company announces its upcoming 2019/20 season, which will include an ambitious and eclectic mix of classic, contemporary, and new work for the stage. The five plays that comprise the company's mainstage season include Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, a brilliant drama about politics and fear that remains an instructive parable today; the Philadelphia premiere of Anna Zieger's The Last Match, a funny and moving drama from the author of the Lantern's smash hit Photograph 51; the Philadelphia premiere of The Vertical Hour by renowned British playwright David Hare, a sophisticated drama about the shifting alliances of family; William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello; and a world premiere adaptation of Molière's The Misanthrope. This new adaptation by revered Philadelphia theater artist Peter DeLaurier will enthrall audiences as the action moves to modern-day Washington, D.C.

"The five plays that make up our 2019/20 mainstage season are stories of the lifelong passions that drive us: passion for power, for truth, for excellence, for love," Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon. "Great stories by great playwrights. William Shakespeare, Molière, and Bertolt Brecht give us timeless tales of love, ambition, and deception, and the damage we do to one another in the pursuit of these. We are also proud to bring the important modern voices of Anna Zeigler and David Hare back to Philadelphia for two local premieres, and a season of great plays for interesting times."

The Lantern will also present a remount of its original adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, a new holiday tradition co-created by Philadelphia theater artists Anthony Lawton, Christopher Colucci, and Thom Weaver.

Season subscriptions and flex packages go on sale today starting at $105 and are available online at www.lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. Single tickets for all productions go on sale in August. Lantern Theater Company is located at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th & Ludlow Sts. in Center City Philadelphia.

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THE RESISTABLE RISE OF ARTURO UI
By Bertolt Brecht
Translation by Ralph Manheim
Directed by Charles McMahon
September 5 - October 13, 2019
Opening Night: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 7 p.m.

A shady businessman turns to politics, using gangster instincts to grab and hold power. He rapidly learns how to sway a crowd using fear and false promises. Will the people reject his appeal or succumb to his demands? In the midst of a world war, Bertolt Brecht brought forth this brilliant drama that remains an insightful parable for our time.

THE LAST MATCH
Philadelphia Premiere
By Anna Ziegler
Directed by M. Craig Getting
November 7 - December 15, 2019
Opening Night: Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 7 p.m.

What does it take to become a champion and how is an athlete's character and mettle tested on that journey? From the playwright of Photograph 51 comes this funny and moving drama about an American tennis star, the Russian player aiming to topple him, and the women in their lives who may hold the key to becoming the best in the world.

THE VERTICAL HOUR
Philadelphia Premiere
By David Hare
Directed by Kathryn MacMillan
January 9 - February 16, 2020
Opening Night: Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 7 p.m.

A brilliant and charismatic American war correspondent-turned-professor is set to marry into an accomplished British family. But is she too much of a renegade to fit in? Renowned British playwright David Hare lays bare the shifting alliances of a family trying to come together and the past secrets that may keep them apart.

OTHELLO
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Charles McMahon
March 12 - April 19, 2020
Opening Night: Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 7 p.m.

Othello is the ultimate outsider but he inspires the love of a daughter of Venice's elite. Their marriage enrages everyone close to them - none more so than Iago, one of Shakespeare's most dangerous villains. Racism, pride, jealousy, and betrayal collide in this timeless tragedy.

THE MISANTHROPE
A World Premiere Adaptation by Peter DeLaurier
From the play by Molière
Directed by Claire Moyer
May 21 - June 28, 2020
Opening Night: Wednesday, May 27, 2020 at 7 p.m.

When everyone loves the wrong person, hearts are going to get broken and polite society upended. Molière's classic comedy of manners satirizes idealists, cynics, lovers, and influencers equally. Reimagined in modern-day Washington, DC, this world premiere adaptation by revered Philadelphia theater artist Peter DeLaurier will enthrall contemporary audiences with this new take on a great work.

2019/20 Holiday Production
Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL
An Original Adaptation by Anthony Lawton
In Collaboration with Christopher Colucci and Thom Weaver
December 12 - 29, 2019
Opening Night: Friday, December 14, 2019 at 7 p.m.

In this wonderfully clear and direct telling of Charles Dickens' novella, acclaimed playwright and actor Anthony Lawton brings the story boldly to life as only live theater can. Come rediscover Dickens' timeless story of a miser's miraculous redemption from a life of bitterness, greed, and isolation. Back by popular demand, this heartwarming adaptation captured the hearts of theater critics and audiences alike, inspiring a new holiday tradition for the entire family.

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