MINNEAPOLIS: Theatre Latté Da has announced its 2016-17 season, featuring dramas, musicals, and a festival of new work.
The season will begin with Ragtime (Sept. 21-Oct. 23), with a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Based on the novel by E.L. Dotorow, the musical follows three very different Americans living in New York City at the turn of the century. The cast will feature Sasha Andreev, David Murray, Britta Ollmann, and Traci Allen Shannon. Denise Prosek will provide music direction, Kelli Foster Warder will choreograph, and artistic director Peter Rothstein will direct.
Next up will be A Christmas Carole Petersen (Nov. 30-Dec. 23), by Tod Petersen and Peter Rothstein, a holiday comedy inspired by Petersen’s real-life family in Mankato, Minn. Prosek will provide music direction, and Rothstein will direct.
Also for the holiday season will be Rothstein’s All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (Dec. 15-18), with musical arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach, about the historic time when Allied and German soldiers laid down their arms to celebrate the holiday together. The cast will feature Michael Gruber, Jim Ramlet, Evan Tyler Wilson, and Max Wojtanowicz. Lichte will provide music direction, and Rothstein will direct.
The season will continue with Peter and the Starcatcher (Feb. 1-26, 2017), with a book by Rick Elice, music by Wayne Barker. The story, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, is about how a Victorian street urchin ultimately became known as Peter Pan. Tyler Michaels and Robert Berdahl will star. Prosek will provide music direction, Carl Flink will choreograph, and Joel Sass will direct.
John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation (March 8-April 9, 2017) will conclude the season. The play follows a young black man who convinces a wealthy couple in New York that he is the son of Sidney Poitier. Mark Benninghofen and Sally Wingert will star, and Rothsetin will direct.
Also part of the programming will be the NEXT Festival (Spring 2017), featuring public performances of three new musicals followed by in-depth conversations with the playwrights, composers, and lyricists.
Theatre Latté Da, founded in 1988, produces works that combine both music and storytelling.
