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Asolo Repertory Theatre Announces 2023-2024 Season

Posted: March 27 / 2023

Theatre’s 65th Season to Welcome New

Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein

 

Season Features Two World Premiere Productions

TWELVE ANGRY MEN: A NEW MUSICAL and 

BORN WITH TEETH

 

Asolo Repertory Theatre proudly announced its 2023-2024 season today in a live event with current Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards alongside incoming Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein.

The six-show season will include Crazy For You, Inherit The Wind, the Alley Theatre’s world premiere production of Born With Teeth, Intimate Apparel, Dial ‘M’ For Murder and the Theater Latté Da world premiere of Twelve Angry Men: A New Musical.

“For our upcoming season, we've programmed six shows that are going to delight, entertain, and invigorate you,” notes Edwards. “These plays and musicals investigate some of the most urgent questions of our day with theatrical style and panache, a mixture of the beloved and the new that will leave you wondering: Who could ask for anything more?” 

Creating the 2023-2024 season presented a unique opportunity for Edwards to partner alongside Rothstein to create a season that gives Sarasota audiences the elements they know and love from Asolo Rep while introducing new and exciting partnerships.

Rothstein continued, “I view a season as an opportunity to tell a wide range of stories, in a variety of theatrical styles, and reflecting a diversity of lived experiences. This season is a dynamic collection of comedies, dramas, thrillers and musicals that shine a light on the past, celebrate the present, and imagine a better future.”

The season kicks off in November with the Tony Award®-winning, toe-tapping, romantic comedy, CRAZY FOR YOU (Nov. 15 – Jan. 4). Featuring iconic Gershwin songs such as “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “I Got Rhythm,” and “Embraceable You,” this family-friendly musical is full of comic high jinks and spectacular dance numbers. Fresh off last year’s smash hit Cabaret, Josh Rhodes will direct and choreograph.

The winter repertory season includes four dynamic and thought-provoking plays. Rep opens with an explosive drama, INHERIT THE WIND (Jan. 17 – Feb. 24). Inspired by the most important trial of the 20th Century, the play was a smash hit on Broadway and later became an Oscar®-nominated film. Peter Rothstein will direct this battle of wits and wills that will leave pulses racing.

Fresh off its critically acclaimed world premiere runs at the Alley Theatre and Guthrie Theatre, BORN WITH TEETH (Feb. 7 – March 29) will plunge audiences into palace intrigue, high stake spy craft and cutthroat betrayals. Directed by Rob Melrose, this play offers an inside, alternative look at the tumultuous relationship between William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe.

­The third play in the repertory season is from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage. INTIMATE APPAREL (Feb. 28 – April 18) is the searing, sensual and powerful story of a Black seamstress’ forbidden romance in 1905 New York. Directed by Austene Van, audiences will be entranced by this heart wrenching modern classic about the power of human connection.

Wrapping up the four-show repertory season is a classic by Frederick Knott that has been reimaged by one of today’s greatest playwrights, Jeffrey Hatcher. DIAL ‘M’ FOR MURDER (March 20 – April 25) will take audiences to the edge of their seat as Asolo Rep Associate Artistic Director Céline Rosenthal directs this stylish and intoxicating thriller.

The spring brings the Theater Latté Da world premiere production of TWELVE ANGRY MEN: A NEW MUSICAL (May 8 – June 9). Propelled by a jazz-infused score, one of America’s greatest dramas reaches new heights in this searing story of a lone juror who demands that our legal system lives up to our ideals. This groundbreaking new musical is directed by Asolo Rep’s new Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein, who has played an integral role in bringing this new work to the stage.

Subscriptions are now on sale for Asolo Rep’s six-show package, which includes Crazy For You ®, Inherit the Wind, Born With Teeth, Intimate Apparel, Dial ‘M’ For Murder and Twelve Angry Men: A New Musical. Flex Pass packages are also available. Subscriptions may be purchased in person at Asolo Rep's Box Office at 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, by phone at 941.351.8000 or online at asolorep.org. Single tickets will go on sale in September.

 

ASOLO REP’S 2023-2024 SEASON

 

CRAZY FOR YOU

NOV 18, 2023 – JAN 4, 2024

Previews: Nov 15–17

Music and Lyrics by GEORGE GERSHWIN and IRA GERSHWIN

Book by KEN LUDWIG

Co-Conception by KEN LUDWIG and MIKE OCKRENT

Inspired by Material by GUY BOLTON and JOHN MCGOWAN

Directed and Choreographed by JOSH RHODES

Music Direction and Additional Arrangements by ANGELA STEINER

Put on your dancing shoes as you are transported back to the Roaring Twenties by CRAZY FOR YOU, the Tony Award®-winning, toe-tapping, romantic musical comedy that has delighted audiences worldwide. Featuring iconic Gershwin songs such as “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “I Got Rhythm,” and “Embraceable You,” CRAZY FOR YOU delivers comic high jinks, spectacular dance numbers, and fun for the entire family. Following the triumph of last season’s smash hit Cabaret, Josh Rhodes’ direction and choreography will delight you with this brand-new production of a deliciously old- fashioned musical. “Such infectious fun... Crazy For You brought musical comedy back.” – The New York Post

 

INHERIT THE WIND

JAN 19 – FEB 24, 2024

Previews: Jan 17–18

By JEROME LAWRENCE and ROBERT E. LEE

Directed by PETER ROTHSTEIN

Feel the heat of the courtroom in the sizzling American classic INHERIT THE WIND, an explosive drama inspired by the most important trial of the 20th Century. As a media circus descends upon a small American town, two of the largest figures of their time engage in a battle of wits and wills to ensure that justice is served, in the process charting the course of education for generations. An international phenomenon that became an Oscar®-nominated film, INHERIT THE WIND will get your pulse racing as you relive a defining moment of American history, brought to life by Asolo Rep’s new Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein.

 

THE ALLEY THEATRE WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTION

BORN WITH TEETH

FEB 9 – MARCH 29, 2024

Previews: Feb 7–8

By LIZ DUFFY ADAMS

Directed by ROB MELROSE

Grab a drink with William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe as you get an inside peek at the tumultuous relationship of two of history’s greatest playwrights, each harboring momentous secrets. Fresh off critically acclaimed world premiere runs at the Alley Theatre and Guthrie Theatre, BORN WITH TEETH will plunge you into the palace intrigue, high stakes spy craft, and cutthroat betrayals of a ruthlessly ambitious age that is surprisingly like our own. Be among the first in the nation to watch this delicious, sexy, and award- winning new play that offers an alternate perspective on the history we think we know.

 

INTIMATE APPAREL

MARCH 1 – APRIL 18, 2024

Previews: Feb 28–29

By LYNN NOTTAGE

Directed by AUSTENE VAN

Be seduced by the story of Esther, a Black seamstress in 1905 New York seeking love and companionship. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage returns to Asolo Rep with INTIMATE APPAREL, a searing, sensual, and powerful story of forbidden romance. Esther spends her days sewing corsets for other women but hasn’t found love for herself. When she receives a letter from a Barbadian man working on the Panama Canal, Esther kindles an exchange that leads to marriage with a stranger, even while her heart is drawn to a Jewish shop owner who’s promised to another woman. Nottage’s lyrical and heart wrenching play is a modern classic about the power of human connection.

 

DIAL ‘M’ FOR MURDER

MARCH 22 – APRIL 25, 2024

Previews: March 20–21

Adapted by JEFFREY HATCHER

From the original by FREDERICK KNOTT

Directed by CÉLINE ROSENTHAL

Hang on to the edge of your seat through the twists and turns of a gripping cat-and-mouse game in DIAL ‘M’ FOR MURDER. Frederick Knott’s classic thriller of blackmail and revenge, the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic movie, is given a stylish, intoxicating update in Jeffrey Hatcher’s brand-new adaptation. In 1950s London, a husband plots to murder his wife, but when his plan goes awry, he must scramble to keep from getting caught. Will he get away with it, or will justice be served? Only one way to find out. “Wonderfully theatrical... The pace is quicker, the dialogue is snappier, the women are smarter and more complex.” -The Times of San Diego

 

THE THEATER LATTÉ DA WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTION

TWELVE ANGRY MEN: A New Musical

MAY 11 – JUNE 9, 2024

Previews: May 8–10

Adapted from the play by REGINALD ROSE

Music and Lyrics by MICHAEL HOLLAND

Book by DAVID SIMPATICO

Directed by PETER ROTHSTEIN

Choreography by KELLI FOSTER-WARDER

Music Direction by JENNY KIM-GODFREY

Seek out the truth through the haze of confusion in the breathtaking and powerful TWELVE ANGRY MEN: A New Musical. Propelled by a jazz-infused score, one of America’s greatest dramas reaches new heights in this searing story of a lone juror who demands that our legal system lives up to our ideals. Called a “must-see musical” by the Star Tribune for its recent sold-out hit world premiere production at Theater Latté Da, you will feel the power and hope of America in this groundbreaking musical about our potential to work together to create a better world. “A serious story given more depth and made more compelling with the infusion of song.” – Talkin’ Broadway

 

ABOUT ASOLO REP

Now in its 64th season, Asolo Repertory Theatre is recognized as one of the premier professional theatres in America and one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. One of the few select theatres in the nation that performs in true rotating repertory, Asolo Rep’s highly skilled acting company and extensive craftsmanship bring to life this unique performance method that gives audiences the opportunity to see multiple productions in the span of a few days. Asolo Rep presents up to 10 productions each season, including contemporary and classic works and provocative musical theatre experiences. A theatre district in and of itself, Asolo Rep is committed to expanding its reach into the community, furthering its collaboration with the best theatre artists working in the industry today and cultivating new artists through its affiliation with the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards and Managing Director Linda DiGabriele, Asolo Rep’s ambitious theatrical offerings and ground-breaking education and community programming engage audiences and ensure its lasting legacy for future generations. Visit asolorep.org to learn more.