There’s going to be a whole lot of theater in the area next season. The Proctors Collaborative, which consists of Proctors and Capital Repertory Theatre, just announced their 2019-2020 seasons, and they will make a lot of people happy.
Come the fall, most of those happy people will be families.
That’s because Disney’s Frozen” plays Proctors for two weeks October 10-24. Adding to the family fun is that “Frozen” is preceded by “The SpongeBob Musical” which plays the theater September 22-28.
Both are terrific shows for children that will be enjoyed by adults. Incidentally, both shows are starting their national tours here and will be teched at Proctors.
The entire Proctors subscription series consists of seven musicals. There are the two family shows just mentioned, plus two classics, two drama-based musicals and a jukebox show.
The drama-based shows are elite offerings. Each of them swept the Tonys Awards over the past couple of years.
“The Band’s Visit,” which won 10 Tony’s last year, opens on New Year’s Eve and plays thru Jan. 5, it’s a tender tale of a group of Egyptian musicians who, by mistake, arrive in a small Israeli village where strangers bond and enemies become friends.
“Dear Evan Hansen,” a winner of seven Tony Awards, is a loving and tender story about a high school boy who writes a letter to himself, which becomes fodder for a series of misunderstandings. As the title character trades honesty for popularity, many people learn much about themselves and their families. It doesn’t get here until June 9, 2020, but it is worth waiting for.
The jukebox show is “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.” It’s filled with great music that actually makes you nostalgic for disco. It will be in town in March of 2020.
The classic musicals are “Fiddler on the Roof,’ playing February 2020 and “Hello Dolly,” which arrives here May 5, 2020.
Two other shows will play Proctors, but they are not on the subscription series. Both play in April 2020. “The Play That Goes Wrong” runs April 7-12 and “Cats” April 28-May 3.
Capital Repertory Theatre is announcing six plays, but only five are on their subscription series. This summer’s musical “The Full Monty” which plays July 5-August 4 is not on subscription.
However, next year’s 2020 summer show “Sister Act” will be. And if plans work out, that effort will be the first offering in Capitals Rep’s new theater.
The remaining four shows on the Capital Rep schedule are “Lobby Hero,” and a version of “It’s a Wonderful Life” which is offered as if it were being performed at a live radio show. There is also a new play, “Your Best One,” and “The Irish and How They Got That Way.”
The sleeper in the group appears to be “The Irish and How They Got That Way,” which plays March 6-April 5. Which just happens to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day. It’s was first produced at New York City’s Irish Rep about 20 years ago and created by Frank McCourt’, the author of Angela’s Ashes. This revue like show is salute to Irish entertainments.
It seems a great fit as each series seems a salute to the best entertainment available on and off Broadway.
The Proctors subscription includes seven shows and a choice of a show from the Capital Rep subscription series. The Capital Rep subscription package includes five shows and a choice of a show from the Proctors series.
Subscriptions are on sale now at Proctors box office and by calling 518-346-6204.
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.