PHILADELPHIA, PA: Walnut Street Theatre’s President and Producing Artistic Director Bernard Havard has announced the 2013-2014 Independence Studio on 3 season, noting “the plays I’ve selected are a dramatic blend of new work and American classics. It’s the most ambitious season yet for our intimate theatre. Several of the shows have larger casts and more challenging scenic elements, which will be exciting to see our creative designers bring to life. I’m thrilled to share our upcoming season with Philadelphia audiences.”
The 2013-2014 Independence Studio on 3 season includes Sophie Tucker: The Last of the Red Hot Mamas (November 19 – December 29), Driving Miss Daisy (January 14 – February 2), Beautiful Boy (February 18 – March 9), The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (March 25 – April 13), and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (April 29 – June 29).
THE SEASON
An intimate evening with Sophie Tucker: The Last of the Red Hot Mamas (November 19 – December 29) kicks off the 2013-2014 season. She was America’s Queen of the double entendre. Naughty? Yes, in a fun-loving way with a wink or two, that’s never graphic or obscene. Audiences will take delight in the woman who inspired generations of comedians (including Bette Midler) and celebrate musical hits from the 1920s, including “Real Women Have Curves,” “Living Alone and I Like It,” “After You’ve Gone,” “Fifty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong,” “My Yiddishe Momme,” “Life Begins at Forty” and, her uplifting signature song, “Some of These Days.”
Next up audiences will take a ride down memory lane and experience the magic that made Driving Miss Daisy (January 14 – February 2) a Pulitzer Prize-winning hit and an Academy Award-winning film. It’s Atlanta, 1948. When the elderly Miss Daisy has an accident, her son hires Hoke, an African American, to be her chauffeur. At first Miss Daisy will have none of it. On their journey however, the two become friends. Driving Miss Daisy is an iconic tale of pride, changing times and the transformative power of friendship that has warmed the hearts of millions. Philadelphia audiences can see the Walnut’s production here first, before its National Tour!
The World Premiere of Eric Conger’s Beautiful Boy (February 18 – March 9) is a mystery about love, faith, determination and adoption. When Bill’s adoptive parents die and he is laid off from his job, he feels lost. His need to find out who he is and where he comes from grows stronger. The search for his birth parents takes him from Missouri to Connecticut. What he finds shocks and disturbs him, but is he disappointed? This funny, suspenseful play tackles the plight of grown children lost in a closed system, where parents’ rights trump their children’s need to know.
Little Voice is a shy, reclusive girl who loves to sing. She desperately misses her deceased father and spends all her time in her room, singing along to his old record collection. She impersonates all his favorite divas: Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Dusty Springfield. When her mom meets a new man, he sees Little Voice as his ticket to success. All Little Voice wants is a normal life. She wants to be loved. The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (March 25 – April 13) is a poignant and funny love story that was a huge hit in the West End and became an Oscar-nominated movie.
Audiences will fall in love with the 2013-2014 season finale, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (April 29 – June 29). It’s everything people have ever secretly thought about dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives and in-laws, but were afraid to admit! This hilarious revue pays tribute to those who have loved and lost, to those who have fallen on their face at the beginning of romance, to those who have dared to ask, ‘Say, what are you doing Saturday night?’ This perfect relationship musical ran for more than 5,000 performances Off-Broadway and has kept audiences laughing from London’s West End to Beijing. The Walnut will be full of love and laughter!
SUBSCRIPTIONS
The only way to guarantee seats to the 2013-2014 season is to subscribe. Subscriptions for all five shows are available for as little as $65. Single tickets are $30 - $40 each and go on sale in October. All show titles, dates and subscription prices are subject to change. For information on season subscriptions, call the Walnut at 215-574-3550 ext. 6 (10AM – 10PM) or visit our website at www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org.