SEATTLE: The 5th Avenue Theatre has announced six shows for its 2020-21 season. Due to COVID-19 pandemic and government mandates, there are no firm dates determined for productions. Dates will be communicated as they are confirmed and are subject to change.
“With so much uncertainty, disruption, and devastation in our human connections, the art of theatre and communal storytelling becomes even more essential as we move into our shared future,” said producing artistic director Bill Berry in a statement. “The act of sharing a story with a group of people in a common space has always been a revolutionary way to connect and tear down the social distances that exist between us. And that is why we are committed to singing at the top of our voices again at the 5th Avenue Theatre—and sing we will with the lineup we are curating. This is a season about the power of hope to ignite a fire in your soul and in the world.”
The season will begin with the postponed production of Evita (June), with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and book and lyrics by Tim Rice, about Eva Perón’s rise to power in Argentina. Timothy McCuen Piggee will direct.
Next up will be Shrek the Musical (Nov.-Dec.), with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori. The musical, based on the film, follows an ogre’s mission to rescue a princess and save his swamp home. Desdemona Chiang will direct.
Following will be the world premiere of Broadway Vacation, The Musical, with book, music, and lyrics by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen. Inspired by the Warner Bros. film, this new musical comedy brings Clark Griswold and his family to the Great White Way for the trip of a lifetime.
The season will continue with the world premiere of Chilifinger! The Musical, with book and lyrics by Wayne Rawley and music by Martin Lowe, a dark comedy inspired by the true events of the woman who found a severed human finger in her chili at a fast food chain. This co-production with A Contemporary Theatre will be directed by John Langs.
Next up will be Godspell, with book by John-Michael Tabelak, and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. This inspired rock opera is a retelling of the life and death of Jesus. Berry will direct.
The mainstage season will close with Les Misérables, with music by Claude Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, and book by Trevor Nunn, John Caird, James Fenton. Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, the story is set in19th-century France and follows a prisoner who breaks parole and the officer trying to hunt him down.
In addition to the subscription season, the 5th Avenue Theatre will present Jersey Boys, with book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, music by Bob Gaudio, and lyrics by Bob Crewe. The tuner follows the life and career of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and features hits including “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk like a Man.” Sergio Trujillo will choreograph and Des McAnuff will direct.
The 5th Avenue Theatre will also present Come From Away, with book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, about the true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them on 9/11. Christopher Ashley will direct.
The 5th Avenue Theatre, which has performed in the historic 1926 venue since 1980, takes as its mission “to nurture, advance, and preserve all aspects of America’s great original art form: the musical.”
