Brigham’s Playhouse 2019 season full of memorable performances to delight
By Melanie Baxendale
Brigham’s Playhouse, a southern Utah leader in live theater, is excited to announce its 2019 season lineup. It includes seven regular season shows and two junior summer productions at their intimate, indoor theater in Washington. The 2019 season will be filled with plenty of laughs, drama, inspiration, and thrilling performances.
To start the new year, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” begins Jan. 10. It is a musical comedy and a murderous romp filled with unforgettable music, non-stop laughs, and a scene-stealing role for one actor playing all eight of the doomed heirs who meet their ends in the most creative and side-splitting ways. On Broadway, it won four Tony Awards at the 68th Tony Awards June 2014, including an award for best musical. The book and lyrics are by Robert L. Freedman and the music and lyrics are by Steven Lutvak. “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” will run through Feb. 16.
The second production is the timeless, well-known classic “Camelot” and runs Feb. 22–March 23. “Camelot” is the tale of the legendary love triangle of King Arthur, Guenevere, and Sir Lancelot and leaps from the pages of T.H. White’s novel in Lerner and Loewe’s award-winning, soaring musical. An idealistic young King Arthur hopes to create a kingdom built on honor and dignity, embodied by his Knights of The Round Table. His Ideals, however, are tested when his lovely queen, Guenevere, falls in love with the young knight, Lancelot, and the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance.
The zany rich-boy-meets-hometown-girl romantic comedy “Crazy for You” runs March 29–April 27. It tells the story of young New York banker Bobby Child, who is sent to Deadrock, Nevada, to foreclose on a rundown theater. In Deadrock, Bobby falls for spunky Polly Baker, the theater owner’s daughter. But Polly takes an instant dislike to the city slicker, so Bobby vows through cunning, razzmatazz, and a hilarious case of mistaken identity to win Polly’s heart and save the theater. The music and lyrics for “Crazy for You” are by George and Ira Gershwin, and the book is by Ken Ludwig.
Power, ambition, greed. It’s just another day at the office in this classic satire of big business called “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” running May 9–June 15. Big business means big laughs in this delightfully clever lampoon of life on the corporate ladder. It will follow the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, who uses a little handbook called “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying” to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered executive, tackling such familiar but potent dangers as the aggressively compliant “company man,” the office party, backstabbing coworkers, caffeine addiction, and of course true love.
Beginning after our summer break, the blockbuster hit musical “Man of La Mancha” begins August 22 and runs through Sept. 28. Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ 17th Century masterpiece “Don Quixote,” “Man of La Mancha” is one of the most successful musicals in Broadway history. Powerful, brutal, hilarious, and heartbreaking, “Man of La Mancha” celebrates the perseverance of a dying old man who refuses to relinquish his ideals or his passion.
“Wait Until Dark” is a drama that have you on the edge of your seat Oct. 10–Nov. 16. This Frederick Knott thriller is the story of Susy Hendrix, a recently blinded housewife who unwittingly possesses a doll filled with illicit drugs. Harry Roat, a brutal and sophisticated criminal, coerces two small-time thugs into helping him con Susy into giving up the doll. A battle of wits ensues as Susy and the young girl upstairs launch a counterplot against the thieves. The drama of “Wait Until Dark” plays on the themes of darkness and light as Susy navigates through her sightless world and the crooks signal each other with light through the Venetian blinds.
To end the season, Brigham’s Playhouse’s tradition of “A Christmas Carol” will run Nov. 27–Dec. 28. Our original adaptation of the musical entails the original outline of Ebenezer Scrooge, a prosperous curmudgeon who believes that personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others. With an infuriated “Bah! Humbug!” Scrooge summates his feelings of Christmas tidings and charitable giving, but he’s forced to face his selfish ways when three ghosts lead him through his past, present, and future on Christmas Eve. Thanks to their guidance, Scrooge recognizes his faults and greets Christmas morning with a cheerful “Happy Christmas” before spending the day reconnecting and sharing love with those that mean the most to him.
As part of our Summer Series, two productions not included in the regular season are the junior classics “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Little Mermaid.” Both of these are performed by the summer camp participants and run June 27–Aug. 10. Tickets to these junior performances are just $12. Performances will take place Thursdays–Saturdays at 7 p.m., with matinee performances at 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Regular season tickets for adults are $23, $21 for seniors, and $17 for children over 5 and students. Five- and seven-show season tickets are available at a package price. New for the group’s 2019 season is the option of a dessert theater ticket: Pay an additional $5 when you purchase your ticket and receive your choice of a featured dessert — Angel of Death Cake for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” — sweets and treats, and a beverage of your choice.
Brigham’s Playhouse believes in the power of live theater and its ability to provide audiences and performing artists with life-changing experiences. It strives to provide professional quality performances that are uplifting and wholesome for the whole family. The perpetuation of the arts through performing arts education and training is also a priority to Brigham’s Playhouse. Theater professors Jamie Young and Doug Knapp founded Brigham’s Playhouse in 2014 and are pleased to serve tens of thousands of audience members each year.
For more information about Brigham’s Playhouse or the dessert theater ticket, please visit brighamsplayhouse.com or call (435) 251-8000. Box office hours are Tuesdays–Fridays from 2 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 7 p.m.
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