Evansville Civic Theatre's
2008-2009 Season
"Familiar Faces, Friends, Family, and Fun!"

“Familiar Faces, Friends, Family & Fun!” That’s the name of the game and the theme of the Evansville Civic Theatre 2008-2009 Season!

This year features a slew of recognizable properties sure to please you and your entire family with some spectacular performances!

The Season kicks off with the musical production of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change that has all of the wit and slapstick of an episode of Seinfeld!

Revisit the Neil Simon favorite , The Sunshine Boys, which featured Walter Matthau and George Burns in the movie version!

One of Oprah Winfrey Book Club’s most popular picks, Tuesdays with Morrie, comes to the Civic stage in a funny and heartwarming tale, immediately followed by the hilarious comedy, The Underpants; an adaptation from Steve Martin, that “wild and crazy guy” from Saturday Night Live!

The NEXTWAVE Educational Program brings back the boys from Forever Plaid in Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings for a special Christmas Season performance, and says hello a great turn of the last century classics, and a favorite book of girls of all ages, Anne of Green Gables for her 100th Anniversary!

Plus don't miss out on our Other Voices production, Almost, Maine, and our first Shakespeare in the Park adventure, Romeo and Juliet!

If you haven’t been to the theatre for a while, this is your invitation to come back with all your friends and family to see some familiar faces and best of all - have some fun with Civic Theatre once again!

For information on Season Tickets and individual ticket pricing click here or call 812-425-2800.

 

	Almost Maine by John Cariani Sponsored by Fieldbrook Pipe Supply July 11, 12, 18, 19, 20* 8:00PM Curtain *2:00 PM Matinee On a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend—almost—in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.  “…a whimsical approach to the joys and perils of romance. Magical happenings bloom beneath the snowdrifts.” —NY Times. “A charmer…Unexpected magic lingers in the air like someone’s breath on a cold winter’s night. John Cariani aims for the heart by way of the funny bone.” —Star-Ledger. “Utterly endearing…It’s hard not to warm up to ALMOST, MAINE. A crowd-pleaser.” —Broadway.com. “Sweet, poignant and witty.” —NY Daily News. “A snowy charmer…These nine tales of love in the time of frostbite have a winning glow that proves surprisingly contagious.” —NY Sun. CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CIVIC THEATRE'S OTHER VOICES SERIES
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Sponsored by Healthy Life Bread Vectren, and Casino Aztar July 25, 26, 27 6:00PM Curtain Fall in love again with Shakespeare's timeless story of young passions and feuding families as the star-crossed lovers of Romeo and Juliet are brought to Evansville in a magnificent and non-traditional setting. With the support of the Evansville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Civic Theatre will bring Shakespeare in the Park to Evansville in a free performance at the Evansville Visitors Center Pagoda.   A long hot summer in Verona enflames the old feud between the Capulet and Montague families, leading to public brawls. As the tension builds in the streets, two teenagers fall in love at first sight. Married in secret, they hope for reconciliation between their families. When short tempers lead to deadly consequences, the young lovers find themselves alone and on the run, facing impossible odds and making desperate decisions. What starts as a bawdy teenage comedy transforms into a heart-stirring romance for the ages, and features the shining lyricism of Shakespeare's extraordinary poetry.
	I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change! Book and Lyrics by Joe DiPietro, Music by Jimmy Roberts Sponsored by Fifth Third Bank and Vectren Sept. 12, 13, 14*, 19, 20, 21*, 26, 27, 28* 8:00PM Curtain, *2:00 PM Matinee This musical celebration of the mating game takes on the truths and myths behind that contemporary conundrum know as "the relationship." Act I explores the journey from dating and waiting to love and marriage, while Act II reveals the agonies and triumphs of in-laws and newborns, trips in the family car and pick-up techniques of the geriatric set. This hilarious revue pays tribute to those who have loved and lost, to those who have fallen on their face at the portal of romance, to those who have dared to ask, "Say, what are you doing Saturday night?" Features a cast of two men and women playing multiple roles.
The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon Sponsored by Hahn Realty November 7, 8, 14, 15, 16*, 21, 22, 23* 8:00PM Curtain, *2:00 PM Matinee The Sunshine Boys focuses on aging Al Lewis and Willy Clark, a one-time vaudevillian team known as "Lewis and Clark" who, over the course of forty-odd years, not only grew to hate each other but never spoke to each other off-stage throughout the final year of their act. Clark, who was not ready for retirement, resented Lewis for breaking up the act when he opted to leave show business. It is now 1972 and CBS is inviting the team to reunite for a special on the history of comedy, with the pair representing the vaudeville era at its best. Clark is convinced by his nephew Ben to revive one of the old routines one last time. Simon’s trademark humor is derived from efforts to get the two cantankerous actors into the same room for a rehearsal, their differences of opinion once they reunite, and their shenanigans on the actual broadcast.
	Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings by Stewart Ross, James Raitt, Brad Ellis, Raymond Berg, and David Snyder Sponsored by Bunny Bread and Integra Bank December 12, 13, 14*, 19, 20, 21* 8:00PM Curtain, *2:00 PM Matinee Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings is a brand-new show that offers the best of Forever Plaid tied-up in a nifty package with a big Christmas bow on top! Filled with Christmas standards that have all been “Plaid-erized,” our boys are back to do their Christmas Special. At first they aren’t sure why they’ve returned, but a phone call from the heavenly Rosemary Clooney lets them know that they’re needed to put a little harmony into a discordant world. Sprinkled among the Christmas offerings are audience favorites like their riotous three minute and eleven second version of “The Ed Sullivan Show” - this time featuring the Rockettes, the Chipmunks and The Vienna Boys Choir, and a Plaid Caribbean Christmas which puts the “Day-O” in Excelsis! This is one holiday treat that is truly “heaven-sent!”
Tuesdays With Morrie by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom Sponsored by DSM Engineering and Toyota Indiana January 23, 24, 30, 31, February 1*, 6, 7, 8* 8:00PM Curtain, *2:00 PM Matinee Tuesdays with Morrie is about Mitch, an accomplished sports journalist, and Morrie, his former college professor. Sixteen years after Mitch graduates, he sees Morrie on Ted Koppel's Nightline, where Morrie is discussing his battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. Morrie is the same – witty and amazingly upbeat - but over the years, Mitch has become a career-obsessed man who feels a definite lack in his life. After the Nightline interview, the two reconnect and what starts out as a simple visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage – a final class in the meaning of life. Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with the world.  Tuesdays With Morrie has become a landmark in the popular culture, first promoted in 1997 on Oprah Winfrey's book club, and then appearing on The New York Times Best Seller list for over five years. Tuesdays With Morrie has been published in 34 countries, in 30 languages with over 11 million copies in print.
	The Underpants by Steve Martin from Carl Sternam's Novel Sponsored by WIKY April 3, 4, 5*, 10, 11, 17, 18, 19* That “wild and crazy guy,” Steve Martin, provides a side-splitting satire adapted from the classic German play about Louise and Theo Markes, a couple whose conservative existence is shattered when Louise's bloomers fall down in public.  Though she pulls them up quickly, Theo thinks the incident will cost him his job as a government clerk. Set in 1910, when a glimpse of stocking was something shocking, the full descent of the luscious Louise’s lingerie during an outdoor celebration does not result in the feared scandal but it does attract two infatuated men, each of whom wants to rent the spare room in the Markes' home. Oblivious of their amorous objectives, Theo splits the room between them, happy to collect rent from both the foppish poet and the whiny hypochondriac.  Louise becomes something of an instant celebrity and a magnet for romantic intrigue in this hilarious, frothy, naughty comedy.    Martin hysterically comments on our celebrity-mad culture with its 15-minutes-of-fame syndrome. "An ambitious amalgam of comic book and social commentary, made out of sex jokes, slamming doors, and sophisticated repartee."– The New York Times "A brilliant, hilarious, mad adaptation…"–New York Post
Anne of Green Gables May 8, 9, 10* Sponsored by Bunny Bread On the 100th anniversary of its original novelization, this new dramatization captures the charm and excitement of L.M. Montgomery's enduring classic about an orphan girl, Anne Shirley, from her first encounter with her austere guardian to her thrilling graduation from Queen's Academy. The play faithfully recreates the memorable events and characters from the brilliant novel. All the tragedies and triumphs that mark Anne's growth from adolescence to early adulthood are here: her friendship with Diana, her feuds with Gilbert, her adoration of Matthew, the mistaken wine bottle, the cake disaster, the broken leg, the scholastic achievements, and the saving of Green Gables. Whether the playgoer is an "old friend" of Anne's or meeting her for the first time, this play will solidify a lasting friendship between the audience and one of literature's most unforgettable characters.
PLUS: CHECK OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE ANNEX! CLICK BELOW TO FIND OUT!