The 47th
Cape Fear Regional Theatre Season
2008-09
Barnum
September 19 – October 5, 2008
"Barnum's the name. P.T. Barnum. And I want to tell you that tonight you are going to see-bar none-every sight, wonder and miracle that name stands for!" Here is the show that traces the career of America's greatest showman from 1835 to the year he joined James A. Bailey to form The Greatest Show On Earth. You will see why "The Greatest Show On Earth" is welcome with open arms all over the world. With songs from Cy Coleman like There's a Sucker Born Every Minute, The Colors of My Life, I Like Your Style and Love Makes Such Fools of Us All. There will only be one P.T. Barnum, but his enthusiasm and spirit live forever in this show. Starring Broadway’s Dirk Lumbard.
Lend Me a Tenor
November 7-23, 2008
A Farce by Ken Ludwig. This night in 1934 is the biggest in the history of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company –Tito Merelli, known to his fans as "Il Stupendo," is scheduled to sing the lead in Otello. Unfortunately, even before the star leaves his hotel room, everything begins to unravel. Chaos ensues when a "Dear John" letter is left by his wife, who has mistaken an autograph-seeker hidden in his closet for a secret lover. The distraught Merelli accidentally is given a double dose of tranquilizers to calm him and passes out. Saunders, the company's General Manager, is determined the show must go on (for his own financial sake), so he enlists the aid of his assistant Max to impersonate the opera star. Max is succeeding admirably . . . until Merelli awakens and heads for the stage. What follows is a chain-reaction of confusion, plot twists, double entendres, innuendoes, and constant entrances and exits through many doors.
Driving Miss Daisy
January 8-18, 2009
Synopsis: Winner of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Play. A long-run Off-Broadway success and an Academy Award-winning film. The place is the Deep South, the time 1948, just prior to the civil rights movement. Having recently demolished another car, Daisy Wertham, a rich, sharp-tongued Jewish widow of seventy-two, is informed by her son, Boolie, that henceforth she must rely on the services of a chauffeur. The person he hires for the job is a thoughtful, unemployed black man, Hoke, whom Miss Daisy immediately regards with disdain and who, in turn, is not impressed with his employer's patronizing tone and, he believes, her latent prejudice. But, in a series of absorbing scenes spanning twenty-five years, the two, despite their mutual differences, grow ever closer to, and more dependent on, each other, until, eventually, they become almost a couple. Starring Cape Fear Regional Theatre’s Bo Thorp as Daisy.(Non-Musical)
West Side Story – American Classic Theatre Series Production
February 12- March 8, 2009
Synopsis: The centerpiece of the Cape Fear Regional Theatre season, in conjunction with musicians from the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Cape Fear Regional Theatre will present this year’s American Classic Theatre Series Production. This production is a four-week run for CFRT audiences to include special school performances for 3000 Cumberland County students at no charge to them.
The world’s greatest love story takes to the streets in this landmark Broadway musical that is one of the theatre’s finest accomplishments. Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet” is transported to modern-day New York City, as two young idealistic lovers find themselves caught between warring street gangs, the “American” Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice is one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching and relevant musical dramas of our time. The combination of story, dancing and musical numbers with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim this musical will touch the soul of every audience member.
The All Night Strut!
April 24 – May 10, 2009
From coast to coast, in dance clubs, Broadway shows, and major motion pictures, folks young and old are rediscovering the Lindy Hop, the Shag and the Tango. Yes, Swing’s the Thing! And nowhere more than in this classy, sassy musical celebration of the 1930s and ‘40s. The All Night Strut! struts it stuff in a two act bonanza that carries us through the Depression, World War ll and the post war boom. From the funky jive of Harlem to the sophisticated elegance of El Morocco and the romance of the Stage Door Canteen, this is an evening filled with jazz, blues, bebop and classic song standards that thrill the heart, tickle the funny bone and raise the rafters, by such legendary songwriters as Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Loesser, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Cab Calloway and the Gershwins including “Fascinating Rhythm”, “In the Mood”, and “As Time Goes By”. An international hit, The All Night Strut! is a slick slice of yesteryear with sublime music and unbeatable energy that’s perfect for the new generation of Swing fans as well as die-hard devotees!
Special Events:
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Public Performances December 11-21, 2008
School Performances December 8-19, 2008
Synopsis: Our annual production of Barbara Robinson’s holiday classic has been presented for 17 years. This hilarious Christmas tale is a wonderful opportunity for our many students to perform with and for adults. Student matinees and public performances are offered.
The River Show – River Show Encore: 25 Years of CFRT at the River
May 15-24, 2009
25 years ago the Cape Fear Regional Theatre went to the Cape Fear River to put on a show. 25 years later the “CFRT River Shows” have become a favorite of our audiences. This year we will pull from those favorites to create a 25th Anniversary Encore to remember. Look for songs and special appearances from Pumpboys and Dinettes, Cotton Patch Gospel, King Mackerel and the Blues are Runnin’, Polyester: The Musical, Wildwood Flowers, and more.
6th Annual Blues ‘n Brews Festival
May 30, 2009
Synopsis: This popular one day event features a sampling of over 100 beers and a great taste of the Blues by some of the region’s most popular bands. Its outdoor venue at Festival Park makes for a great community gathering. Attendees bring lawn chairs or blankets. It also includes activities for children; food and other beverages are provided as well.
Children’s Production:
A Year with Frog and Toad
March 27 – April 5, 2009
This production, a beloved children’s book, is now a full scale Broadway musical adult audiences will love as well as children. Arnold Lobel's well-loved characters hop from the page to the stage in Robert and Willie Reale's Broadway musical A Year with Frog and Toad. Conceived by Mr. Lobel's daughter, Adrianne Lobel, A Year with Frog and Toad remains true to the spirit of the original stories as it follows two great friends, the cheerful and popular Frog and the rather grumpy Toad through four fun-filled seasons. Waking from hibernation in the spring, they proceed to plant gardens, swim, rake leaves and go sledding, learning life lessons along the way, including a most important one about friendship and rejoicing in the attributes that make each of us different and special. A new show, destined to become a classic, A Year with Frog and Toad is inventive, exuberant and totally enchanting. This production is one for the entire family.
Disney’s High School Musical 2
June 6-28, 2009
Synopsis: Disney’s High School Musical 2 is the sequel to the Disney Channel Original Movie, High School Musical. The premiere of it’s television debut brought in a total of 17.3 million viewers in the United States—almost 10 million more than its predecessor—making it, at the time, the highest-rated basic-cable broadcast in U.S. history. It’s Summer time! School’s out – and the Wildcats are back for an all new adventure. Join all your favorite characters: Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan and the rest of the East High gang as they dive into the enchanted world of Lava Springs Country Club and put their talent to the ultimate test!
