42nd Street Moon Announces 2019-2020 Season; MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, TITANIC, and More

San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon has announced the complete array of programming for its upcoming 2019-2020 season. The 2019-2020 season will include full productions of HOT MIKADO (September 25 - October 13, 2019), SCROOGE IN LOVE! (Back by popular demand, December 4 - 23, 2019), A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER (February 26 - March 15, 2020), THE PAJAMA GAME (April 15 - May 3, 2020), MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (the 1981 Musical) (May 13 - June 14, 2020) and MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (the 1934 Play) (May 20 - June 23, 2020).

42nd Street Moon's 2019-2020 season, its 27th in operation, will also include TITANIC THE MUSICAL In Concert (September 7 and 8, 2019). Additionally, the Company is pleased to announced the inauguration of two ambitious new programs: the BACK-TO-BACK SERIES and THE SONDHEIM SWEEP.

"Each season seems to bring us more excitement, more fun, and more great theatre than the last," said Co-Executive Directors Daniel Thomas, "and our 27th Season is no exception! We are excited to welcome back so many returning directors (every director this season is a Moon veteran), and to welcome many other returning creative team members as well. With a sultry and swinging take on Gilbert and Sullivan, a hilarious farce hot off of Broadway, one of the Golden Age's greatest musicals and the return of San Francisco's newest Christmas tradition, Moon's 2019-2020 season is truly out of this world."

"Along with the fantastic shows and special presentations planned for Moon's 2019-2020 season - more events than ever before - we are proud to be launching two incredible new programs," added Co-Executive Director Daren A.C. Carollo. "With BACK-TO-BACK, we aim to pull back the curtain on what inspires the creation of a musical. The musical theatre canon is bursting with examples of musicals based on plays (including famous ones such as PYGMALION & MY FAIR LADY, GREEN GROW THE LILACS & OKLAHOMA! and LILIOM & CAROUSEL), and Moon audiences will now enjoy the unique experience of witnessing the genesis of a musical right before their eyes. For this first year, we've selected Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's 1981 show MERRILLY WE ROLL ALONG and the play that inspired it, George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's 1934 hysterical work of the same name. The 1934 MERRILLY WE ROLL ALONG will also be the first non-musical play that Moon has ever presented, and the 1981 MERRILLY WE ROLL ALONG continues Moon's commitment to presenting the work of Stephen Sondheim, arguably the all-time greatest contributor to the musical theatre artform. With THE SONDHEIM SWEEP, we are thrilled to crystalize our intention in being the first theatre to present Sondheim's entire body of work (as a lyricist, playwright, composer, and composer/lyricist). It is an exciting time for Moon, and we can't wait to share it all with our community!"

ABOUT THE BACK TO BACK SERIES

Since the beginning of the American musical theatre, composers and librettists have looked to great plays for their source material. In our two most recent seasons alone, Moon has presented shows adapted from classics like Eugene O'Neill's ANNA CHRISTIE (NEW GIRL IN TOWN) and N. Richard Nash's THE RAINMAKER (110 IN THE SHADE).

42nd Street Moon's BACK TO BACK SERIES will present classic musicals in repertory with the plays they're based on. Audiences will be able to compare the language and structure of the original to its musical descendant and hear the monologues and dialogues that were transformed into song. We're excited to give our audiences this one-of-a-kind experience!

ABOUT THE SONDHEIM SWEEP

In what may be the most ambitious venture in our history, 42nd Street Moon is announcing our commitment to be the first theatre company ever to produce every single professional stage show by legendary composer Stephen Sondheim.

THE SONDHEIM SWEEP will present his works, both lauded and obscure, either in production or in concert, for every season henceforward, from his first musical out of college (last season's SATURDAY NIGHT), to his most recent (ROAD SHOW), to whatever he comes up with next...