25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Launches Bus Barn Stage Company's 2012-13 Season, 9/6

Bus Barn Stage Company in Los Altos comes home where the heart is for its 2012-2013 season, the 17th season in residence at Bus Barn Theater in Los Altos.

Opening the season tonight, September 6, 2012 is THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Rachel Sheinkin. The regional Putnam County spelling bee becomes a place of acceptance for a group of socially awkward misfits in the throes of puberty in this nimble musical comedy. Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, this hilarious and warm-hearted tale of overachievers’ angst celebrates the triumph of doing the best you can. It’s the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky but charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time. SPELLING BEE runs through October 6.

Bus Barn Stage Company celebrates the holidays with a Christmas classic with a twist when we present IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY. George Bailey and his idyllic hometown of Bedford Falls come to life onstage re-created as a program from the golden age of radio, the 1940’s. Like the movie, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: THE RADIO PLAY offers upbeat Christmas entertainment with a happy ending. This story, however, is told by five actors and a sound-effects man that evokes the era when the screenplay was written. Adapted by Joe Landry from the screenplay by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra and Jo Swerling, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY runs from November 29-December 22.

The wintry months of January and February are warmed by a tale of love, ON GOLDEN POND by Ernest Thompson. This is the love story of Ethel and Norman Thayer, who return every summer to their home on Golden Pond. As they face their twilight years, they peer into the cracks that have appeared in their well-worn, playful relationship. Daughter Chelsea makes a long-delayed appearance with a potential husband and step-son, renewing the couple’s energy and giving them the courage to contemplate their waning time together. This warmly perceptive comedy is a touching testament to the endurance of the human heart. ON GOLDEN POND plays January 24 through February 17, 2013.

Spring brings an acclaimed comedy to the Bus Barn stage when THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES by John Guare opens on April 11. Artie Shaughnessy is a songwriter with visions of glory. Amidst the frenzy of galloping nuns and a homicidal son awaiting the Pope’s visit, his toxic Mistress Bunny, and his mentally meandering wife Bananas, Artie plots to change his destiny by contacting his old school chum, now a big-time movie producer, in a desperate attempt to find stardom. THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES is a wacky, poignant comedy about America’s obsession with celebrity and the price some people will pay to get it. Winner of the 1971 Critics Award and the Obie Award for Best American Play, THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES plays through May 5, 2013.

The 17th season at Bus Barn Stage Company closes with one of the most popular musicals of all time, AVENUE Q. Winner of the Tony “Triple Crown” for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book in 2003, AVENUE Q is part flesh, part felt, and packed with heart. Recent college grad Princeton rents a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. He soon discovers that although the neighbors are nice, it’s clear this is not your ordinary neighborhood. Together, Princeton and his new-found friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life. AVENUE Q is a hilarious walk on the wild side! AVENUE Q is rated R for language and subject matter. Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx wrote the music and lyrics and Jeff Whitty penned the book for this very successful Broadway show, playing at Bus Barn until June 16, 2013.

Season subscriptions are now on sale for Bus Barn Stage Company’s 2012-2013 season. Call the box office at 650-941-0551 or visit www.busbarn.org for more information. 

Performances are held at the Bus Barn Theatre, 97 Hillview Avenue in Los Altos and run Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 P.M, Wednesdays at 7:30 P.M. and Sundays at 3PM and 7PM. Parking is free.