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MAINSTAGE ARCHIVE
We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to our resident photographer Michael Brunk | NWlens.com. Without him, we wouldn't have such a visually stunning record of the work we have done over the last eight seasons.
June 14-July 7, 2024
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Brooke Maxwell & Jacob Richmond
In this hilarious and outlandish story, the lives of six teenagers from a Canadian chamber choir are cut short in a freak accident aboard a roller coaster. When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other — the chance to return to life. This popular musical is a funny, moving look at what makes a life well-lived! SHOW SPONSOR: Beth Moursund
March 29-April 21, 2024
Book by George Furth
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Merrily We Roll Along begins in the present and moves backwards, tracing the lives of wealthy, jaded composer, Franklin Shepard, and his two estranged friends through each milestone of their personal and professional lives (good and bad). The show ends with a touch of rueful irony, as the three best friends at the start of their careers face a bright future: young, talented and enthusiastic about the worlds waiting to be conquered.
January 12-28, 2024
Written by Yasmina Reza
Translated by Christopher Hampton
A playground altercation between eleven-year-old boys brings together two sets of Brooklyn parents for a meeting to resolve the matter. At first, diplomatic niceties are observed, but as the meeting progresses, and the rum flows, tensions emerge and the gloves come off, leaving the couples with more than just their liberal principles in tatters.
December -1-23, 2023
Written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon
A sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice set two years after the novel ends, Miss Bennet continues the story, only this time with bookish middle-sister Mary as its unlikely heroine. Mary is growing tired of her role as dutiful middle sister in the face of her siblings’ romantic escapades. When the family gathers for Christmas at Pemberley, an unexpected guest sparks Mary’s hopes for independence, an intellectual match, and possibly even love.
October 20-November 12, 2023
Written by Steve Martin
Corky and Norm are excited to host Gerald and Laura at their home in the hills outside Los Angeles to watch a once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower. But as the stars come out and the conversation gets rolling, it becomes clear that Gerald and Laura might not be all that they appear to be. Over the course of a crazy, starlit dinner party, the wildly unexpected occurs. The couples begin to flirt and insanity reigns. Martin, using his trademark absurdist humor, bends the fluid nature of time and reality to create a surprising and unforgettably funny new play.
August 11-27, 2023
By Brian Friel
Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa took the theater world by storm when it debuted, winning the 1992 Tony Award for Best Play. This powerful and intimate portrait of a country and a family at a crossroads, set in rural Ireland in 1936, tells the tale of five unmarried sisters -- the proud Mundy sisters -- staving off the hardships of daily life through talk, laughter and dance. But after they welcome their frail missionary brother home from Uganda, several intersecting events threaten to irreparably burst the Mundy women's fragile bubble of happiness.
June 9-25, 2023
By Qui Nguyen
She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.
May 5-28, 2023
Book byJames Lapine
Music and Lyrics byStephen Sondheim
Inspired by the painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat, Sunday in the Park with George, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's stunning masterpiece, merges past and present into beautiful, poignant truths about life, love and the creation of art. One of the most acclaimed musicals of our time, this moving study of the enigmatic painter, Georges Seurat, won a Pulitzer Prize and was nominated for an astounding ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
SHOW SPONSOR: Beth Moursund
February 16-March 5, 2023
By Lauren Gunderson
Four beautiful, badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. This grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world.
December 2-23, 2022
Based on the Novel by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Mark Chenovick
Original music and arrangements by Terence Alaric Levitt
In its eighth year of production, this original adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is rich with traditional carols, alive with color and movement, and created to tell this enduring tale in a fashion that will appeal to people of all ages. Join the SSR family and celebrate this timeless seasonal classic right here in Redmond.
October 28-November 13, 2022
Created by Barry Keating & Stuart Ross
Shy teenager Eleanor has built a fantasy world around the sci-fi comic books she collects. To the distress of her mother, she has learned to avoid the pains of growing up by escaping into fantasy, imagining herself to be an unrecognized superhero. When she is mysteriously thrust into the Website World of her favorite comic book, Eleanor is drawn into the conflict between Shak Graa, Arch-Creep of Chaos, and the Starmites, guardian angels of Innerspace. She turns out to be the legendary Milady, teen superhero who must lead the Mites on their Quest to save the Galaxy.
SHOW SPONSOR: Beth Moursund
September 23-October 9, 2022
by Lauren Gunderson
In 1911, Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium. By 1912, she was the object of ruthless gossip over an alleged affair with the married Frenchman Paul Langevin, all but erasing her achievements from public memory. Weakened and demoralized by the press lambasting her as a “foreign” Jewish temptress and a home-wrecking traitor, Marie agrees to join her friend and colleague Hertha Ayrton, an electromechanical engineer and suffragette. THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE revels in the power of female friendship as it explores the relationship between these two brilliant women, both of whom are mothers, widows, and fearless champions of scientific inquiry.
SHOW SPONSOR: David LeCompte
August 12-28, 2022
Adapted by Sherman L Sergel
Based on the Emmy Award Winning Television Movie by Reginald Rose
A 19-year-old boy has just stood trial for the fatal stabbing of his father. "He doesn't stand a chance," mutters the guard as the 12 jurors are taken into the jury room. It looks like an open-and-shut case—until one of the jurors begins opening the others' eyes to the facts. "This is a remarkable thing about democracy that we are notified by mail to come down to this place—and decide on the guilt or innocence of a man, of a man we have not known before. We have nothing to gain or lose by our verdict. We should not make it a personal thing." But personal it does become, with each juror revealing his or her own character as the various testimonies are re-examined, the murder is re-enacted and a new murder threat is born before their own eyes! Tempers get short, arguments grow heated, and the jurors become twelve angry people. Running time: 80 minutes with no intermission.
July 15-31, 2022
By Annie Baker
In a run-down movie theater in central Massachusetts, three underpaid employees sweep the floors and attend to one of the last 35mm film projectors in the state. Their tiny battles and not-so-tiny heartbreaks play out in the empty aisles, becoming more gripping than the lackluster, second-run movies on screen. With keen insight and a finely-tuned comic eye, The Flick is a hilarious and heart-rending cry for authenticity in a fast-changing world. PG-13 For adult language and themes. Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
April 8-24, 2022
By John Patrick Shanley
Anthony and Rosemary are two introverted misfits straddling 40. Anthony has spent his entire life on a cattle farm in rural Ireland, a state of affairs that—due to his painful shyness—suits him well. Rosemary lives right next door, determined to have him, watching the years slip away. With Anthony’s father threatening to disinherit him and a land feud simmering between their families, Rosemary has every reason to fear romantic catastrophe. But then, in this very Irish story with a surprising depth of poetic passion, these yearning, eccentric souls fight their way towards solid ground and some kind of happiness. Their journey is heartbreaking, funny as hell, and ultimately deeply moving.
February 4 - 20, 2022
by Michael Frayn
A fateful day in 1941 finds renowned atomic physicists Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr meeting to discuss … no one knows for sure what, in this Tony-winning play. Written by Michael Frayn (Noises Off), Copenhagen is based on real-life events that may have had major implications for the course of the war and the history of the human race itself. This acclaimed drama brings out all of the tension and uncertainty, humanity and philosophy surrounding this storied, wartime meeting between the man who tried to equip the Nazis with an atomic weapon and the man who helped the U.S. succeed in realizing the technology.
March 13-14, 2020
Book by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Lyrics by Tom Jones
Based on Les Romanesques by Edmond Rostand
The Fantasticks is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and their two fathers who try to keep them apart. The narrator, El Gallo, asks the audience to use their imagination and follow them into a world of moonlight and magic. The boy and the girl fall in love, grow apart and finally find their way back to each other after realizing the truth in El Gallo's words that, "without a hurt, the heart is hollow." Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
January 31-February 16, 2020
By George Bernard Shaw
Adapted & Directed by Bradetta Vines
George Bernard Shaw’s classic Saint Joan is a tempestuous retelling of the mighty tale of Joan of Arc, the young girl who led the armies of King Charles of France against the British occupiers and their collaborators at the end of the 100 years war. Believing she is chosen by God, and listening only to the voices of her beloved Saints, Joan rallies the French to victory until she is finally captured and put on trial for sorcery and heresy. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
December 6-23, 2019
Based on the Novel by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Mark Chenovick
Original music and arrangements by Terence Alaric Levitt
In its seventh year of production, this original adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is rich with traditional carols, alive with color and movement, and created to tell this enduring tale in a fashion that will appeal to people of all ages. Join the SSR family and celebrate this timeless seasonal classic right here in Redmond. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
November 8-24, 2019
By Peter Morgan
British talk-show host David Frost has become a lowbrow laughingstock. Richard M. Nixon has just resigned the United States presidency in total disgrace over Vietnam and the Watergate scandal. Determined to resurrect their career, Frost risks everything on a series of in-depth interviews in order to extract an apology from Nixon. The cagey Nixon, however, is equally bent on redemption in the nation's eyes. In the television age, image is everything, and both are desperate to out-talk and upstage each other as the cameras roll. The result is the interview that sealed a president's legacy. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
September 27-October 20, 2019
Book by John Weidman
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr.
Playwrights Horizons, Inc. New York City produced ASSASSINS Off-Broadway in 1990
Assassins lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, in this historical musical that explores the dark side of the American experience. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, writers, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman, bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins and would-be assassins from different historical periods meet, interact and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
August 23-September 8, 2019
By Robert Harling
A story of Southern humor, heartbreak and female bonding Steel Magnolias takes place in Truvy Jones' beauty salon, where three generations of outspoken women regularly gather to laugh, cry and celebrate the events of their lives. But their world is rocked when M'Lynn's diabetic daughter gets pregnant, which could prove fatal - and the ladies' inner strength and love for one another is put to the ultimate test. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
June 7- 30, 2019
Book by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney
Music by Dan Studney
Lyrics by Kevin Murphy
Inspired by the original 1936 film of the same name, this raucous musical comedy takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the hysteria caused when clean-cut kids fall prey to marijuana, leading them on a hysterical downward spiral filled with evil jazz music, sex and violence. You won't be able to resist the spoofy fun of Reefer Madness. The addictive and clever musical numbers range from big Broadway-style showstoppers to swing tunes like 'Down at the Ol' Five and Dime' and the Vegas-style 'Listen to Jesus, Jimmy,' featuring J.C. Himself leading a chorus of showgirl angels. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
April 19, 2019 - May 12, 2019
Written by Marc Camoletti
Translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans
This 1960's French farce adapted for the English-speaking stage features self-styled Parisian lothario Bernard, who has Italian, German, and American fiancées, each a beautiful airline hostess with frequent "layovers." He keeps "one up, one down, and one pending" until unexpected schedule changes bring all three to Paris, and Bernard's apartment, at the same time. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
March 1-24, 2019
Written by Dale Wasserman
Music by Mitch Leigh
Lyrics by Joe Darion
Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' seventeenth-century masterpiece Don Quixote, MAN OF LA MANCHA is one of the most successful musicals in Broadway history. Powerful, brutal, hilarious, and heartbreaking, MAN OF LA MANCHA celebrates the perseverance of a dying old man who refuses to relinquish his ideals or his passion. The celebrated score includes "The Impossible Dream," "I, Don Quixote," "Dulcinea," "I Really Like Him," "Little Bird," & "To Each His Dulcinea." Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
January 18, 2019 - February 2, 2019
By John Logan
Master abstract expressionist Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art, a series of murals for New York's famed Four Seasons Restaurant. In the two fascinating years that follow, Rothko works feverishly with his young assistant, Ken, in his Bowery studio. But when Ken gains the confidence to challenge him, Rothko faces the agonizing possibility that his crowning achievement could also become his undoing. Raw and provocative, RED is a searing portrait of an artist's ambition and vulnerability as he tries to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
November 30, 2018 - December 23, 2018
Based on the Novel by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Mark Chenovick
Original music and arrangements by Terence Alaric Levitt
In its sixth year of production, this original adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is rich with traditional carols, alive with color and movement, and created to tell this enduring tale in a fashion that will appeal to people of all ages. Join the SSR family and celebrate this timeless seasonal classic right here in Redmond. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
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October 19, 2018 - November 4, 2018
Book by Hunter Bell
Music and Lyrics by Jeff Bowen
Jeff and Hunter, two struggling writers, hear about a new musical theater festival. However, the deadline for submissions is a mere three weeks away. With nothing to lose, the pair decides to try to create something new with the help of their friends Susan, Heidi and Larry on the eighty-eights. With the cast in place, Jeff and Hunter begin a conversation about what to write about. Eventually, Jeff suggests they write about what to write about. They make a pact to write up until the festival's deadline and dream about the show changing their lives. The musical received a Tony Award® nomination for Best Book of a Musical in 2009. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
June 15, 2018 - July 1, 2018
Book by Fred Landau
Music & Lyrics by Skip Kennon
Based on the screenplay by Jonathan Betuel
Original orchestrations by Kim Douglass and Greg Bolin
Based on the screenplay of the hit 1980's sci-fi movie, this high-flying show follows the adventures of 18-year-old Alex Rogan, a teenager with a gift for playing video games. When Alex breaks the record on his favorite intergalactic video game, he finds himself pulled into a reality where the fate of the galaxy is placed in his hands. Aided by an alien con-man named Centauri, and stalked by alien bounty hunters called Zan-Do-Zans, Alex sets off on an exciting quest that will change the course of his life forever. With hilarious characters, stimulating songs, and a book that will bring this magical story to life with a bang, this is one show you won't want to miss! Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
May 18, 2018 - June 3, 2018
Written by David Auburn
On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, Catherine, a troubled young woman, has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathematician. Now, following his death, she must deal with; her own volatile emotions, the arrival of her estranged sister Claire, and the attentions of Hal, a former student of her father's who hopes to find valuable work in the 103 notebooks that her father left behind. Over the long weekend that follows, a burgeoning romance and the discovery of a mysterious notebook draw Catherine into the most difficult problem of all: How much of her father's madness, or genius, will she inherit? Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
April 13-29, 2018
By William Shakespeare
Shakespeare's rowdy, screwball comedy The Taming of the Shrew follows the treacherous road to romance for a strong-willed pair of lovers who've met their ultimate match in one another. Until Kate has a husband, her sweet younger sister, Bianca, cannot marry -- but feisty, fiery-tongued Kate rejects every suitor who tries to woo her. Along comes Petruchio, willing to take a chance...and her sizable dowry. His efforts to "tame" her remain a controversial aspect of this tale, reminding us of the expected gender roles of 400 years past, and how far we have and haven't come since. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
March 2-25, 2018
Book by Michael Stewart
Music by Charles Strouse
Lyrics by Lee Adams
In this Tony-Award-winning favorite, superstar Conrad Birdie arrives in Sweet Apple, Ohio to give a lucky girl "one last kiss" before his induction into the Army. Set in a bygone world of soda fountains, screaming fans and Ed Sullivan, the nostalgic Bye Bye Birdie overflows with comedy, romance, and songs like "Put on a Happy Face," "A Lot of Livin' To Do" and "The Telephone Hour." Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
January 19, 2018 - February 3, 2018
Written by Magaret Edson
In this Pulitzer Prize winning drama, Vivian Bearing, Ph.D., a renowned professor of English who has spent years studying and teaching the brilliant and difficult metaphysical sonnets of John Donne, has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. Her approach to the study of Donne: aggressively probing, intensely rational. But during the course of her illness—and her stint as a prize patient in an experimental chemotherapy program at a major teaching hospital—Vivian comes to reassess her life and her work with a profundity and humor that are transformative both for her and the audience. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
December 1, 2017 - December 23, 2017
Based on the Novel by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Mark Chenovick
Original music and arrangements by Terence Alaric Levitt
In its fifth year of production, this original adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is rich with traditional carols, alive with color and movement, and created to tell this enduring tale in a fashion that will appeal to people of all ages. Join the SSR family and celebrate this timeless seasonal classic right here in Redmond. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
October 27, 2017 - November 19, 2017
Music by Nancy Ford
Book & Lyrics by Gretchen Cryer
Orchestrations by Dave Hab
Generations of readers have adored the best-selling novel Anne of Green Gables, and SSR is proud to present the musical adaptation of L.M. Montgomery's timeless classic. The Cuthberts, expecting to adopt a boy, receive a wide-eyed, red-haired, girl named Anne. As she explores her new surroundings, the inquisitive Anne Shirley develops a penchant for finding trouble. With her irrepressible spirit and imagination, she works her way into the hearts of her adoptive parents as well as the residents of Prince Edward Island. It's a heartwarming story for the whole family. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
September 22, 2017 - October 7, 2017
Written by Patrick Marber
Four lives intertwine over the course of four and a half years in this densely plotted, stinging look at modern love and betrayal. Dan, an obituary writer, meets Alice, a stripper, after an accident in the street. Eighteen months later, they are a couple, and Dan has written a novel inspired by Alice. While posing for his book jacket cover, Dan meets Anna, a photographer. He pursues her, but she rejects his advances despite their mutual attraction. Larry, a dermatologist, "meets" Dan in an internet chat room. Dan, obsessing over Anna, pretends to be her and has cybersex with Larry. They arrange to meet the next day at an aquarium. Larry arrives and so too, coincidentally, does the real Anna. This sets up a series of pass-the-lover scenes in which this quartet struggle to find intimacy but can't seem to get closer. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
August 18, 2017-September 3, 2017
Written by Tennessee Williams
This Pulitzer Prize winning drama reveals to the very depths the character of Blanche du Bois, a woman whose life has been undermined by her romantic illusions, which lead her to reject the realities of life with which she is faced and which she consistently ignores. The pressure brought to bear upon her by her sister, with whom she goes to live in New Orleans, intensified by the earthy and extremely "normal" young husband of the latter, leads to a revelation of her tragic self-delusion and, in the end, to madness. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
June 9, 2017 - July 2, 2017
Written by Neil Simon
Dreaming of baseball and girls, Eugene must cope with the mundane existence of his family life in Brooklyn: formidable mother, overworked father, and his worldly older brother Stanley. Throw into the mix his widowed Aunt Blanche and her two young (but rapidly aging) daughters and you have a recipe for hilarity, served up Simon-style. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
April 28, 2017 - May 28, 2017
Book & Lyrics by Steven Sater
Music by Duncan Sheik
Based on the play by Frank Wedekind
The winner of 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical - told by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater through "the most gorgeous Broadway score this decade" (Entertainment Weekly) - Spring Awakening explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with poignancy and passion that is illuminating and unforgettable. The landmark musical is an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock & roll that is exhilarating audiences across the nation like no other musical in years. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
February 17, 2017 - March 12, 2017
Written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield
All 37 plays in 97 minutes! Three madcap actors weave their wicked way through all of Shakespeare’s comedies, histories, and tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter. An irreverent, fast-paced romp through the Bard’s plays, Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) was London’s longest-running comedy. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
October 28, 2016 - November 19, 2016
Book, Music and Lyrics by Richard O'Brien
This cult classic horror/sci-fi parody -- which inspired the 1975 long-running midnight movie beloved by millions -- takes place on a dark and stormy night, as clean-cut sweethearts Brad and Janet find themselves stranded on a lonely road. The innocent couple seeks refuge at the castle of gender-bending mad scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter. Once inside, they have their eyes opened to a whole new world of sex, science -- and maybe even love. Come dance the "Time Warp," and hear all your favorite Rocky Horror hits. It's the perfect way to celebrate the Halloween season. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
September 23 - October 9, 2016
Written by Tom Stoppard
Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is the fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm's-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare's play. In Tom Stoppard's best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
August 19-September 4, 2016
Music & Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Though still quite young, composer Jason Robert Brown is behind a string of big musicals, including Parade, The Last Five Years and 13. This is your chance to see his first major work, Songs for a New World, which mixes pop, gospel, jazz and classical styles to capture the lives of its characters over the years -- from Columbus' first voyage in 1492 to the present day. Through exquisitely-crafted songs, the musical revue reflects the many changing visions of the American dream. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
June 10 - July 3, 2016
Written by Ira Levin
The long-running Broadway hit Deathtrap has been slaying audiences for years with its mix of laughs and edge-of-the-seat suspense. Written by Ira Levin (The Stepford Wives, Rosemary's Baby), it's the story of Sidney Bruhl, a once-successful playwright struggling to overcome a "dry" spell that has resulted in a string of failures and a shortage of funds. Fortuitously, he receives a script from a student at one of his college seminars and instantly sees a potential Broadway hit. Once the two start collaborating, suspense mounts steadily as the plot begins to twist and turn with devilish cleverness, and with such an abundance of thrills and laughter that you'll be enthralled until the show's final, startling moments. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
April 29 - May 22, 2016
Written by Neil Simon
Newlyweds Paul and Corie are just starting their life together in a tiny fifth-floor Manhattan apartment. He's a straight-laced lawyer and she's a free spirit who's always looking for the latest adventure. Paul doesn't understand Corie's relaxed ways, and she wants him to be just a little more spontaneous. Something as simple as running "barefoot in the park" would be a start. Throw in a New York brownstone in disrepair, an eccentric neighbor and a surprise visit from Corie's mother, and watching the ups and downs of married life has never been so enjoyable. This Tony-nominated comedy from Neil Simon is filled with the playwright's trademark witty repartee and hilarious characters. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
March 4 - April 3, 2016
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Argentina's controversial First Lady is the subject of this dynamic musical masterpiece. Driven by ambition and blessed with charisma, she was a starlet at twenty-two, the president's mistress at twenty-four, First Lady at twenty-seven, and dead at thirty-three. Eva Peron 'saint to the working-class, reviled by the aristocracy and mistrusted by the military' was destined to leave a fascinating political legacy unique in the 20th century. Told through a compelling score that fuses haunting chorales with exuberant Latin, pop and jazz influences, EVITA creates an arresting theatrical portrait as complex as the woman herself. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
January 29 - February 14, 2016
Book, Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
This stirring stage musical was hailed as one of the 10 best shows of 2001 by Time magazine. Told through inventive and heartrending songs, The Last Five Years is a two-person show that navigates the ins and outs -- the ups and downs -- of a marriage. Written by Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, this Drama Desk Award winner is the story of a couple's five-year relationship, from the thrilling pangs of new love to their painful final separation. There is, however, a twist: The man relives the relationship from beginning to end, while the woman relates their story in reverse. The two characters' emotional timelines converge only once -- at their wedding in the middle of the show. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
December 4 - 23, 2015
Based on the Novel by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Mark Chenovick
Original music and arrangements by Terence Alaric Levitt
In its fourth year of production, this original adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is rich with traditional carols, alive with color and movement, and created to tell this enduring tale in a fashion that will appeal to people of all ages. Join the SSR family and celebrate this timeless seasonal classic right here in Redmond. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
October 23 – November 15, 2015
Book by Howard Ashman
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman | Based on the film by Roger Corman | Screenplay by Charles Griffith
It's everyone's favorite boy-meets-girl, plant-eats-world love story: Little Shop of Horrors. Take a musical journey through the streets of Skid Row to a struggling flower shop where a blood-thirsty plant from another world eagerly awaits its next victim. Seductive, tragic and full of delightfully demented humor, this long-running off-Broadway musical comedy is sure to deliver. Enjoy a night of bloody good fun with doo-wop inspired songs like "Skid Row," "Somewhere That's Green,""Feed Me" and "Suddenly, Seymour." Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
August 21 - September 6, 2015
Written by James Goldman
For King Henry II, Christmas in 1183 is the least wonderful time of the year. In James Goldman's scathing drama of strategic manipulation, The Lion in Winter, the English ruler is faced with choosing his successor as his three conniving sons gather for the winter holiday. Caught between his imprisoned wife Eleanor, released from jail for this special occasion, and his mistress Alais, Henry finds himself navigating a treacherous web of lies and one-upmanship, as each family member schemes after their own agenda. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
June 12 - 28, 2015
By Michael Frayn
Widely considered the funniest farce ever written, Noises Off reveals the hilarious backstage happenings during rehearsals and performances of a play dubbed Nothing's On. Award-winning English novelist and playwright Michael Frayn's comedy is a triumph of slamming doors, falling trousers and even flying sardines, and it remains a crowd pleaser more than 30 years after its 1982 debut. Watch a manic menagerie of itinerant actors as they try to stitch together a sex comedy that's a sure flop, as out-of-control egos, memory loss, and passionate affairs turn every performance into a high-risk adventure. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
May 8 - 31, 2015
Book by Heather Hach
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture
The humorous yet inspiring tale follows Elle Woods, a typical sorority girl who can't get enough pink in her wardrobe, whose main interests include shoes, shopping and her manicure appointment. But her superficial exterior hides a determined soul with the savvy to get her way and a surprisingly sharp wit. When her boyfriend dumps her for a more intellectual woman, Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. This unlikely academic ends up teaching the intellectual elite a thing or two, and finding true love along the way. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
April 3 – 18, 2015
Featuring the authors: Eva Moon, Jesse Putnam, and Christopher Bailey
Three plays written by three local writers taking place over the course of three weekends. Come and join SecondStory Repertory as we support local talent by bringing these new works to the stage. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
February 20 – March 15, 2015
Music by Tom Kitt
Book and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey
Dad’s an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens, appearing to be a typical American family. And yet their lives are anything but normal, because the mother has been battling manic depression for 16 years. NEXT TO NORMAL takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting their family’s story with love, sympathy and heart. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
January 16 – 31, 2015
By Norm Foster
In this sidesplitting and thought-provoking new comedy, Leon and Bill concoct a list of attributes of the ideal woman - the top ten best qualities in a mate. When this allegedly "Ideal Woman" actually arrives on the scene the men quickly learn that their list could use a few revisions. Be careful what you wish for - especially in choosing a mate. This old adage leads to hilarious results in Foster's sparkling comic hit. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
December 5 – 20, 2014
Based on the Novel by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Mark Chenovick
Original music and arrangements by Terence Alaric Levitt
In its third year of production, and with new music and arrangements by Terence Alaric Levitt, this original adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is rich with traditional carols, alive with color and movement, and is created to tell this enduring tale in a fashion that will appeal to people of all ages. Join the SSR family and celebrate this timeless seasonal classic right here in Redmond. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
November 7-22, 2014
Book, Lyrics and Music by Jonathan Larson
Script Consultant David Auburn
Vocal Arrangements and Orchestrations by Stephen Oremus
Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical tale about a composer living the bohemian lifestyle and taking a hard look at his life on the eve of his 30th birthday. His girlfriend's desire to marry and leave New York City for the suburbs, possible career changes and all sorts of other pressures cause him to question his ultimate dream -- writing the great American musical. Containing the kind of powerhouse musical numbers that helped make Rent a smash hit, tick, tick... BOOM! is an endearing, engaging look at persevering to make your dreams a reality. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com.
October 3 – 18, 2014
By Martin McDonagh
With echoes of Stoppard, Kafka, and the Brothers Grimm, The Pillowman, centers on a writer in an unnamed totalitarian state who is being interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a series of child murders. The result is an urgent work of theatrical bravura and an unflinching examination of the very nature and purpose of art. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
August 29 – September 14, 2014
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson
Two of the world's greatest chess masters battle it out at the world chess championship but their greatest contest lies beyond the boundaries defined by their ancient game. Amidst political intrigue and international conspiracies, the American and the Russian fight to win the heart of Florence Vassy in a romantic triangle mirroring the heightened passions of the Cold War all set to an explosive score by the composers of Mamma Mia and the lyricist of Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
June 6 – 22, 2014
Music and Lyrics Jerry Herman
Book Harvey Fierstein
A boisterous and uplifting portrait of love in a nontraditional family, La Cage aux Folles has been one of the stage's biggest hits for over 30 years. In this hilarious musical comedy, Georges and Albin, a gay couple who run and star in a popular drag show, find their domestic peace shattered when their son brings his fiancée’s conservative parents home to meet them. This lively and glittering spectacle celebrates family values, unconditional love and, above all, the need to be proud of who we are. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
May 9 – 25, 2014
By Jane Martin
Keely, a pregnant rape victim planning an abortion, awakes in a locked room with no memory of how she got there. She learns from her elderly companion, Du, that she has been kidnapped by a pro-life group intent on forcing Keely to have her baby. What unveils is a beautiful character piece about the ongoing abortion dispute in America. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
March 28 – April 13, 2014
Book by Terrence McNally
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Based on the novel by Manuel Puig
The story of two cell mates in a Latin American prison -- Valentin, a Marxist revolutionary, and Molina, a gay window dresser. As the friendship between the two men deepens, Molina escapes to a fantasy world of the movies he loved as a child, conjuring a beautiful and beguiling screen enchantress named Aurora to pass the time. The lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur -- and the danger mounts -- in this mesmerizing classic from the songwriting team that created Chicago and Cabaret and the four-time Tony Award-winning author of Love! Valor! Compassion! Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
February 21 – March 9, 2014
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
The romantically beautiful A Little Night Music deals with middle aged lawyer Fredrik Egerman’s search for love. His teenage trophy wife, Anne refuses to have sex with him and, as a result, Fredrik’s eyes begin to wander as he searches for meaning and fulfillment elsewhere. Sophisticated, literate and stylish, A Little Night Music is also disarmingly warm, funny, charming and very human exploring the complexities of love and heartache as the summer night "smiles on the young, the fools and the old." Photos by Tim Poitevin.
January 17 – February 1, 2014
by Steve Martin
Written by comedy legend Steve Martin, Picasso at the Lapin Agile imagines a meeting between two of history's greatest minds, Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, in a Paris cafe in 1904. The provocative, absurd comedy pits art and science against commercialism in a debate on the nature of genius that's both thought-provoking and funny. The play premiered in 1994 to rave reviews, and has since become a staple of modern American theater. Photos by Tim Poitevin.
December 13 – 22, 2013
Adapted from the Charles Dickens novel by Mark Chenovick
Music Arrangements by Paul Linnes
Directed by Ken Michels
Music Direction by John Allman
In its second year of production, this original adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is rich with traditional carols, alive with color and movement, and is created to tell this enduring tale in a fashion that will appeal to people of all ages. Join the SSR family and celebrate this timeless seasonal classic right here in Redmond. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
November 8 - 24, 2013
By Christopher Bailey
October 11th of 2013 marked the 44th anniversary of a still unsolved San Francisco shooting death, which put the exclamation point on the tumultuous summer of 1969. In the span of mere months Americans had witnessed Woodstock, Stonewall, the moon landing, and the Manson murders. On that foggy October night two men lounge in the bedroom of a Presidio Heights mansion, not far from a crime scene – a homicide. As police search the nearby Presidio, one of these men will come to realize the other is a killer. Photos by Mark Chenovick.
October 4 - 20, 2013
By Charles Ludlam
If you loved The 39 Steps you will adore The Mystery of Irma Vep. A sympathetic werewolf, a vampire and an Egyptian princess brought back to life all join in the fun of The Mystery of Irma Vep, a hilarious parody of Victorian melodrama, gothic horror stories and Hitchcock-style suspense -- with all of the characters portrayed by just two actors. The campy, creepy fun starts on a dark and stormy night as the newly wed Lady Enid arrives at the eerie estate of her new husband. Strange things begin to happen as she investigates the mystery of Irma Vep, whose portrait looms dramatically over the fireplace. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
June 14 - 30, 2013
By Ken Ludwig
Charlotte and George Hay, an acting couple not exactly the Lunts are on tour in Buffalo in 1953 with a repertory consisting of Cyrano de Bergerac "revised, one nostril version" and Noel Coward's Private Lives. This backstage farce by the author of Lend Me a Tenor brought Carol Burnett back to Broadway co-starring with Philip Bosco as her megalomaniac, drunken husband and leading man. Fate has given these thespians one more shot at starring roles in The Scarlet Pimpernel epic, and director Frank Capra himself is en route to Buffalo to catch their matinee performance. Will Charlotte appear or run off with their agent? Will George be sober enough to emote? Will Capra see Cyrano, Private Lives or a disturbing mixture of the two? Hilarious misunderstandings pile on madcap misadventures in this valentine to Theater Hams everywhere. Photos by Michael Brunk | NWlens.com
April 12 - May 5, 2013
Book and Music by Jonathan Larson
Based loosely on Puccini's La Boheme, Rent follows a year in the life of a group of friends struggling to make it in the big city. They include Mark, a filmmaker and the narrator of the story; his former girlfriend, Maureen, a performance artist; Maureen's lover, Joanne, a public interest lawyer; Mark's roommate Roger, a musician; Mimi, an exotic dancer, with whom Roger falls in love; Tom Collins, a computer genius; Collins' lover, Angel, a street musician and drag queen; and Benny, a former member of the group who, after marrying into a wealthy family, has become their landlord. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical. Photos by Tim Poitevin and Ricardo Cook.
February 8 - March 3, 2013
Book by Abe Burrows and Jack Weinstock
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Power, sex, ambition, greed... it's just another day at the office. From the authors of Guys and Dolls comes one of the most delightfully irreverent musicals of all time. A satire of big business and all it holds sacred, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, who uses a little handbook called "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered executive, tackling such familiar but potent dangers as the aggressively compliant "company man," the boss' whiny, nepotistic nephew, the office party, backstabbing co-workers, caffeine addiction and, of course, true love. Photos by Tim Poitevin and Ricardo Cook.
December 7 - 23, 2012
Based on the Novel by Charles Dickens
Adapted for the Stage by Mark Chenovick
Original Music and Arrangements by Terence Alaric Levitt
In its first year of production, this original adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is rich with traditional carols, alive with color and movement, and created to tell this enduring tale in a fashion that will appeal to people of all ages. Join the SSR family and celebrate this timeless seasonal classic right here in Redmond. Tim Poitevin.
October 12 - 28, 2012
Music by Dana P. Rowe
Book and Lyrics by John Dempsey
Based on a story by John Dempsey & Hugh Murphy
This "girl loves ghoul, rock-and-roll, Off Broadway musical" is set in the atomic 1950s at Enrico Fermi High, where the law is laid down by a zany, tyrannical principal. Pretty senior Toffee has fallen for the class bad boy. Family pressure forces her to end the romance, and he charges off on his motorcycle to the nuclear power plant. He returns undead, glowing, and determined to reclaim Toffee's heart. He still wants to graduate, but most of all he wants to take Toffee to the prom. The principal orders him to drop dead while a scandal reporter seizes on him as the freak du jour. History comes to his rescue while a tuneful selection of original songs in the style of 50s hits keeps the action rocking across the stage. Photos by Tim Poitevin and Ricardo Cook.
August 17 - September 2, 2012
Book by Joe Masteroff
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
The scene is a night club in Berlin, as the 1920's are drawing to a close. The Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience to the show and assures them that, whatever their troubles, they will forget them at the Cabaret. His songs provide wry commentary throughout the show. On the train to Berlin we find Cliff, a young American writer, and Ernst, a German who surprises Cliff by putting his briefcase among Cliff's luggage at the German border. History is in the process of being made. Musical numbers include It Couldn't Please Me More, Willkommen, Cabaret, Don't Tell Mama and Two Ladies. We find Cliff on the train again, now leaving Berlin alone. He writes about Sally and the people of Berlin leading up to the Third Reich. It has been a tumultuous and heartbreaking era. Photos by Ricardo Cook and Tim Poitevin.
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