It is widely believed that the fate of a theatrical production is determined when the director selects his cast.
For artistic directors, the same thing happens once the season is set.
If true, Proctors Collaborative sealed their fate earlier this week when they announced six musicals, and a play, that will appear at Proctors in Schenectady. They also announced five shows that will be offered at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany.
The Proctors Key Bank Subscription Series begins on September 17, with eight performances of “Some Like It Hot.” It’s based on the classic film that starred Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis.
The musical is a throwback to classical shows that featured many spectacular production numbers and 1920’s costumes. It has been updated enough to avoid sexual stereotyping and feels contemporary in nature.
It’s a show I loved when I saw it in NYC and am shocked it did not have a longer Broadway run.
It is followed by “MJ – the Musical”. The MJ is, of course, Michael Jackson and the show is centered about his 1992 Dangerous World Tour. What more needs to be said? Except, that it plays December 3-8.
“Parade” arrives in January. It’s a dark but uplifting musical about a newlywed Jewish couple, Leo and Lucille Frank. When Leo is accused of a terrible crime, the innocent Leo is redeemed by the justice system, but not by anti-Semitic public opinion. It’s at Proctors January 11-17.
“Parade” is a revival. When originally offered, it received high praise for its subject, storytelling and music. But it failed to find an audience. The revival is doing better. It’s a tough sell, but it is excellent theater.
February sees the arrival of “Life of Pi.” It is based on a popular 1992 film that has a young man share a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck. It’s a story of perseverance and survival through trust. It also has puppetry and astounding visuals that make the compelling story even more exciting. It plays February 18-23.
This is fascinating theater. One that I would advise seeing with a mature thinking child. It offers a lot of thought about issues that are difficult to discuss. Mainly about loss and survival.
After two serious musicals, March swings completely in the other direction. The best title ever for a show filled with corny jokes and cornball musical skits is “Shucked.” It’s a night of winning fun that plays Schenectady March 18-23.
April brings a classic to town. “Funny Girl,” is the musical about Fanny Brice that made Barbara Streisand a household name. It plays Proctors April 1-6. We anxiously await casting information on this star-driven show.
The season closes with a return of the family musical “Beauty and the Beast.” Playing July 25-August 3.
This year, the action at Proctors is not all in the public eye. The theater will do the technical preparation of three shows as they get ready to tour. They are “Beauty and the Beast,” “Some Like It Hot,” and “Parade.”
This brings in substantial revenue to the theater. It also helps the local economy in terms of the cast and crew’s lodging and meals. Another benefit are the construction materials that are purchased from area merchants. Maybe more important, it signals the credibility of Proctors as a major player in the touring industry.
Adding to the choices, Proctors will offer exclusives limited run add-ons to subscribers. They are “Hadestown,” playing in October, “Come From Away” in March 2025 and “Clue,” in May 2025. Proctors subscribers can also choose a crossover show from the Rep’s season.
The Rep season is also intriguing. It opens with “Seared,” a play by Theresa Rebeck about a hot-headed chef who develops a masterpiece scallop recipe and refuses to release the dish for public consumption. It plays September 13-October 6.
Fun fact: the play was given its east coast premiere in the nearby Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2018, before it opened in New York City.
It’s followed by the charming “A Sherlock Carol,” playing November 22 to December 22. The light-hearted comedy is about Sherlock Holmes being approached by a man with a limp wanting to hire him to find the murderer of Ebenezer Scrooge.
I saw this Off Broadway and was utterly charmed by this typical Sherlock Holmes play that legitimately incorporates so many characters from Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
The masterful play, “The Lehman Trilogy,” is about the two-century history of the Lehman financial institution. Played by only three actors, it moves from an 1844 immigrant success story to a disastrous failure in 2008. In effect, it’s a play about money and how it can be used for good, or otherwise. It plays March 7-30, 2025.
It truly is a lesson about how the world of finance evolved into what exists today.
“Rosie is Red and Everybody Else is Blue,” is a world premiere developed through the Rep’s Next Act! New Play Summit program. It’s a crazy, family comedy about Rosie, who finds her entire unemployed family moving in with her. It’s spring fun running April 25-May 11, 2025.
The summer musical “One” closes the season. If there is such a thing as a Rep musical, this is it. Adapted from a low budget 2007 film, it takes place in Ireland where a musician is about to give up on his dreams, and on love. That is - until he meets a Czech girl who becomes his muse.
“Once” is the only show to have won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award an Olivier Award and a Tony Award. It’s in Albany July 11-August 10, 2025.
Capital Repertory Theatre subscribers will also be able to choose a show from Proctors Key Bank Broadway Series.
Subscriptions are on sale now at 518-346-6204 or in person at the box office.
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.