Plain And Fancy Opens Its 33rd Season At The Round Barn Theatre

Plain and Fancy will begin its 33rd Anniversary season at The Round Barn Theatre at Amish Acres on Wednesday, May 15th at 8:00. With over 3,700 performances before more than 355,000 patrons, it has become one of the longest running musicals anywhere.

Plain and Fancy tells the heartwarming tale of a sophisticated New York couple that experiences a glimpse of life and love on an Amish farm. Written by Joseph Stein of Fiddler on the Roof, Plain and Fancy opened on Broadway in 1955 where it ran for 462 performances. Since then, The Round Barn Theatre has become its national home with more performances than the original Broadway runs of Hello, Dolly!, My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, and The Music Man and only 200 fewer performances than Fiddler on the Roof.

More than 500 actors have performed Plain and Fancy since its debut at Amish Acres in 1986 where it played with only four cast members and a single piano on the small stage in a constructed replica of the Old Locke Township Meeting House. It ran for six seasons in the space before moving to The Round Barn Theatre in 1992. From its humble beginning, The Round Barn Theatre has grown into a major regional resident musical repertory theatre producing over 125 plays and musicals over the past 26 years. "The evolution of Plain and Fancy at Amish Acres could be the material for a play itself," said Richard Pletcher, founder/CEO of Amish Acres and producer of The Round Barn Theatre. "It has fostered the creation of a performing arts family that has enriched our visitors' experience and the surrounding community."

Plain and Fancy has a fresh, new interpretation every season as different actors from across the country join Round Barn alumni to interpret Joseph Stein's characters in their own unique way. The 33rd Anniversary production will be directed by Round Barn Theatre Managing Artistic Director, Ryan Schisler and features many new and returning faces. Newcomers Lauren Brendel and Adam Silorey will take on the fish-out-of-water roles of New Yorkers Ruth Winters and Dan King. Travis Bird returns to the pivotal role of Jacob (Papa) Yoder for the fourth time. A handful of RBT favorites are returning to our stage, but performing in Plain and Fancy for the first time. Matty Reda plays Ezra Reber, Dave Kempher is Isaac Miller, and Jacob Clanton plays Peter Reber. Ally Merrill plays Hilda Miller, the role originated on Broadway by Barbara Cook, Anna Wentworth plays her Mother, Emma Miller and Carmel native, Megan Arrington will be playing Katie Yoder.

Plain and Fancy will be translated by American Sign Language interpreters during the matinee performance on May 18th at 2pm.

Plain and Fancy runs through October 12th and theatre tickets can be combined with Amish Acres family style Threshers Dinner or a Sunday Buffet. Plain and Fancy runs in repertory with Freaky Friday, Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Anne of Green Gables, and The Sunshine Boys. The 2019 season will conclude with Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Season Subscriptions are available at $129.95 with one child's ticket (age 4-11) free with the purchase of an adult subscription. A complete show schedule, ticket availability, subscription information and reservations can be obtained by calling the Box Office at 800-800-4942 ext. 2 or online at www.amishacres.com.

Photo: Travis Bird as Jacob "Papa" Yoder, Jacob Clanton as Peter Reber and Megan Arrington as Katie Yoder.

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