Summer theater season ready to sizzle
It's less than a month until Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre's first show of the season hits the stage.
"Big River" will make its CST premier and run from June 13-22.
It is based on Mark Twain's novel, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Although trying to stay "respectable," Huckleberry Finn runs into trouble when his drunken father returns to town. Huck is forced to fake his own death to escape, and joins up with another on the run: Jim, a slave in search of freedom. As they head down the Mississippi River, they get pulled into a scam involving two "aristocrats," one of which lands Jim in chains again. Huck joins up with Tom Sawyer to try to free him.
The summer season continues with "Mary Poppins," another CST premier that runs from July 5-14.
CST is one of only a handful of theaters to be awarded rights to perform Disney's and Cameron Mackintosh's "Mary Poppins," the recent stage adaptation of one of the most beloved musicals of all time.
"We're absolutely honored to be selected by the folks at Disney to perform 'Mary Poppins,'" said CST Artistic Director Roger Welch. "It's a huge feather in our cap, and we jumped at the opportunity. I think our audiences will be thrilled with the shows we're presenting this summer. We have a fantastic lineup, which will appeal to all generations. What other form of entertainment can grandma, parent and child all equally enjoy?"
It is a musical based on the stories by P. L. Travers and the Walt Disney film. Nanny Mary Poppins keeps the Banks family in line with the kind of magic that only she can conjure. A supercalifragilisticexpialidocious story set in London in the early 1900s. Mary Poppins is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.
"Romance/Romance," another CST premier, will hit the stage and run from July 25 to Aug. 4.
In this show, two distinctive one-acts create an entertaining musical that explores the highs and lows of love. The first act is set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, and presents a rakish aristocrat and a saucy, world-weary woman who disguise themselves as paupers to find love. The second act, set in present day, is based on the play Pain de Menage. Summering in the Hamptons, two best friends contemplate marriage and monogamy, promising fidelity to their spouses even as they play with the idea of an affair.
"9 to 5: The Musical" runs from Aug. 15-25.
Rated PG, this is also a CST premier.
The music and lyrics are by Dolly Parton and it is based on the 1980 hit movie.
Pushed to the boiling point, three female co-workers concoct a plan to get even with their boss, a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot. They conspire to take control of the company, and learn there's nothing they can't do - even in a "man's world." Set in the late 1970s, "9 to 5: The Musical" is a hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. Outrageous, thought-provoking, and even a little romantic, it's about teaming up and taking care of business.
Established in 1967, Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre is the Inland Northwest's only professional musical theater, and one of the premier arts entertainment attractions in the region. CST was listed in the "Top 10 Great Places to See the Lights Off Broadway" by USA Today (2005).
It was recently voted "Best Arts Organization in North Idaho" by readers of The Inlander, and received the Idaho Governor's "Brightest Star" award in 2011. During its season, CST employs more than 100 performers, musicians and technicians.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.cdasummertheatre.com, or by contacting the box office at 769-7780 or in person at the box office, 880 W. Garden Ave., in North Idaho College's Boswell Hall.