The Naples Players Announce the 2016-2017 Season

NAPLES, Fla. - May 12, 2016 - PRLog -- The Naples Players have assembled a compelling combination of plays and musicals for the upcoming year, all of which reflect a satisfying mix of music, mayhem, and laughter for their eight play season at Sugden Community Theatre.

Rocky Horror Show, with book, music and lyrics by Richard O'Brien, kicks off the fall on the Blackburn Hall stage October 12 - November 6. This rocking musical is a humorous tribute to the cheesy science fiction and horror B movie genre. The story follows the innocent and newly-engaged Brad and Janet as they get caught in a storm and find themselves at the mansion of Dr. Frank N Furter who is anything but innocent. Come on, "Let's Do The Time Warp Again!"

         Outside Mullingar, by John Patrick Shanley, comes to the Tobye Studio October 26 - November 20. Anthony and Rosemary are neighbors in rural Ireland. He is an introverted farmer and she is the woman who vows to have him at all costs. When Anthony's father threatens to disinherit his son, Rosemary steps into the middle of a land feud and family eccentricities beyond what one might imagine. Full of dark humor and poetic prose, John Patrick Shanley's tenderhearted portrait reminds us that love, early or late, always arrives on time.

         Coney Island Christmas, by Donald Margulies, takes the Blackburn stage November 23 - December 18. From Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies comes this funny and heartwarming holiday play about Shirley Abramowitz, a young Jewish girl during the Depression, who is cast as Jesus in her school's Christmas pageant, much to her immigrant parents' chagrin. As Shirley, now much older, recounts the memorable story to her great-granddaughter the audience is captured by the merriment, nostalgia and music of the era. Coney Island Christmas captures what it means to be an American during the holidays.

         Bell, Book, and Candle, by John Van Druten,  follows in Blackburn Hall January 11 - February 5, 2017. Gillian Holroyd is a witch. When she casts a love spell on her handsome mortal neighbor things start getting tricky, as witches who fall in love lose their supernatural powers. Further complicating matters is her meddling aunt, a mischief making brother, and an author-turned-witch hunter who's out to expose the magical goings on in 1950s high society Manhattan.

The dark comedy, Dead Accounts,  by Theresa Rebeck, will fill the Tobye with laughter February 1 - 26, 2017. After spending several years in New York, Jack unexpectedly returns to Cincinnati and his family needs to know why. Is he in some sort of trouble? Where's that wife everyone hates? And how did he get all that money? Theresa Rebeck's comedy tackles the timely issues of corporate greed, small town values, and whether or not your family will always welcome you back… with no questions asked.

         Timeless favorite, My Fair Lady, withbook and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and Music by Frederick Loewe,comes to life on the Blackburn stage March 1 - April 2, 2017. This classic musical is the Cinderella story of Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl who grows into a refined lady with the help of the haughty speech therapist, Henry Higgins. As Eliza blooms, so does their romance, but coming from two different worlds proves to be challenging. My Fair Lady boasts a memorable score with songs like "I Could Have Danced All Night," "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," and "On the Street Where You Live."

         These Shining Lives, by Melanie Marnich, takes the Tobye stage March 2 - April 15, 2017. Set in the 1920's, Catherine and her friends develop serious medical conditions due to the glowing paint they use to make clocks dials. When the company they work for refuses to acknowledge the issue the women choose to stand up and fight for justice. These Shining Lives chronicles the strength and determination of women considered expendable in their day, exploring their true story and its continued resonance.

         Ending the Blackburn season  is the comedy I Hate Hamlet,  by Paul Rudnick, which will run April 19 - May 14, 2017. Television actor, Andrew Rally has moved to New York and has been offered to play Hamlet. The only problem? He hates Hamlet. While dealing with a girlfriend who is keeping a firm grip on her chastity, a canceled TV show and struggling with Shakespeare,  he is visited by the ghost of John Barrymore. The laughs are nonstop as Barrymore introduces our ambivalent young friend to the joys of fame, dames and melancholy Danes.

Blackburn Hall performances areWednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.  Tobye Studio shows are held Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Blackburn Hall adult tickets are $40 for musicals and $35 for plays.  Adult tickets for the Tobye Studio are $30. All performances offer a discounted ticket price of $10 for students 21 and under.       Subscriptions, which offer a savings over individual ticket prices and provide assured seating, are currently available for the entire Blackburn or Tobye seasons.  Individual tickets will go on sale in September 2016.  Subscriptions can be purchased at the box office, by calling 239-263-7990, or by visiting www.naplesplayers.org. Sugden Community Theatre is located at 701 5th Avenue South, Naples.