The Garden Theatre and Winter Park Playhouse both unveiled their 2020-21 seasons on Friday night to opening-night audiences at their latest productions. The Playhouse, as is customary, will focus on uplifting musicals, some with a nostalgic bent. The Garden has chosen a theme of “home” for its season, the first selected by new artistic director Joseph C. Walsh. The theme reflects how he “found love in a surprising place” by making Central Florida his home, Walsh said.
“A year ago, I would have never dreamed I would be here, be the artistic director of the Garden Theatre and fall so deeply in love with it and the community,” Walsh said. “This is a thank-you to the community for embracing me.”
Walsh will direct three of the season’s four musicals himself. “Hello, Dolly!” opens the season; later comes “Parade” and Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”
“Hello, Dolly!” will run Aug. 21-Sept. 13. The classic peppy musical follows a widowed matchmaker who decides to match herself with a miserly curmudgeon.
Next up will be “Ugly Lies the Bone,” Oct. 9-25. This Florida-set story follows Jess, a veteran who begins to rebuild her life after returning home from three grueling tours in the Middle East. The show, which will be directed by Katrina Ploof, speaks to another goal of Walsh’s in his debut season.
“This year, to me, is about diversifying even more the voices the Garden presents on the stage,” he said, noting that stories of veterans — especially female veterans — are not common.
“It’s a Wonderful Life,” the stage version of the popular film, will be the theater’s Christmas offering from Nov. 20-Dec. 20.
Then comes “Parade,” a Tony-winning musical about love, hope and compassion against the odds. In 1913 Atlanta, a Jewish man is accused of murder. Ostracized because of his faith, Leo Frank is at the center of the courtroom drama that exposes an era of social, racial and religious tension. “Parade” runs Jan. 22-Feb. 7, 2021.
Acclaimed actor, director and educator Roberta Emerson will direct “A Raisin in the Sun,” Feb. 23-March 12, 2021. The beloved work follows a poor black family in 1950s south Chicago as they struggle to stay afloat and find a place to call home.
Then, “Beauty and the Beast” runs April 21-May 23, 2021. Walsh said the Garden’s version — which has to fit on the theater’s size-challenged stage — would focus more on the story than the spectacle.
“At its heart, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is about home,” Walsh said. “It’s about a woman who finds home and respect in an unexpected place.”
The stage’s size gives the theater a chance to look at the tale as old as time in a new way.
“It’s an opportunity to really dig into how we’re going to tell the story,” he said. “We can make the fun more profound, and the meaning more profound.”
Finally, another critically acclaimed performer will direct the local debut of “The Bodyguard,” based on the 1992 film and featuring songs recorded by Whitney Houston. Sara Catherine Barnes will direct the show.
“That music is just so good,” said Walsh of such hits as “I Will Always Love You,” “How Will I Know” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” “The Bodyguard” will run July 9-Aug. 1, 2021.
Current subscribers can renew now; new subscriptions will go on sale March 18. For more information, go to gardentheatre.org/subscribe or call 407-877-4736.
At Winter Park Playhouse, the 2020-21 season opens with a salute to two musical-theater icons: Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. “A Grand Night for Singing” pays tribute to the team that created some of the most beloved songs in theater history: “The Sound of Music,” “South Pacific,” “The King & I,” “Oklahoma!” and others. The Tony-nominated musical runs July 31-Aug. 23.
Another icon, leading lady Ethel Merman, gets her due in “Book of Merman,” which will make its regional premiere after an off-Broadway run from Sept. 18-Oct. 11. The musical comedy, featuring an original score and a message about being true to yourself, creates a meeting between Merman and two Mormon missionaries who arrive at her door.
The holidays will be celebrated from Nov. 13-Dec. 13 with “Christmas My Way: A Sinatra Holiday Bash.” Seasonal favorites will be performed in the style of Sinatra’s 1950-60s Rat Pack.
“Five Guys Named Moe” opens the new year, Jan. 22-Feb. 20, 2021. The exuberant Broadway musical honors pioneering composer-saxophonist Louis Jordan. The story: Broke and hurting from a breakup, a young man finds inspiration in Jordan’s music, including “Let the Good Times Roll” and “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t Ma’ Baby.”
“Respect: A Musical Journey of Women,” March 19-April 24, 2021, weaves real women’s stories into a score of female-centric Top 40 hits such as “Respect,” “I Will Survive,” “Stand By Your Man” and “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.”
Finally, “Five Course Love” closes out the season May 14-June 13, 2021. The Off-Broadway musical comedy takes place in five different restaurants where three actors play 15 characters searching for true love. From a Southern barbecue joint to an Italian trattoria, the show’s music reflects the cuisine of the different eateries.
Winter Park Playhouse has one of the best season-ticket packages in town; patrons pay the price of five shows to see all six. Subscriptions will go on sale next month. For more information, go to winterparkplayhouse.org or call 407-645-0145.
Find me on Twitter @matt_on_arts or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Want more theater and arts news and reviews? Go to orlandosentinel.com/arts.
