THEATRE
Riverwalk Theatre Announces Season Lineup
| by Nicole Rico R
IVERWALK’S 2011-2012 season is across the board – from The Three Little Pigs to Nazis, this upcoming batch of productions are a mixed bag of plots. According to Gary Mitchell, Riverwalk’s
chair of the marketing committee, the diverse calendar is a concerted effort to constantly ex-
pand the repertoire of the company. “One of our goals is always to try to grow as Lansing’s
premiere community theatre,” Mitchell said. “We’re always looking for ways to expand, and not only to expand our market, but to recruit people into our productions.” Mitchell says despite the economy, Riverwalk continues to
grow and keep its productions affordably priced. “Riverwalk really is flourishing,” Mitchell said. “We virtu-
ally have something going on in that theatre almost every week. There are rehearsals and shows overlapping one another all the time – that’s by design. Riverwalk is fortunate to have the resources and capacity to put on a wide variety of shows at an affordable price.”
Here’s a rundown of what to expect from the theater’s latest season: The first play of the season is The Flaming Idiots and it runs
from July 21-31. It’s a farce by Tom Rooney about two unem- ployed postal workers who decide to open their own restaurant. As their business flounders, they realize that a neighboring restaurant has been popular ever since a mobster was killed in
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the dining room years ago. In an attempt to scare up business they stage a murder in their restaurant. Another comedy, Laughing Wild, takes place from Aug.
4-14 on Riverwalk’s Black Box Stage. Written in 1987, the play features one actress and one actor and tells of their modern day struggles. When the two characters experience a chance encoun- ter with one another over tuna fish, they begin to start sharing daydreams and realize that their fears are not that different. The musical Annie is featured Sept. 8-18. Based on Harold
Gray’s popular comic strip, this play follows orphan Annie as she tries to find her parents and ends up getting adopted by a billionaire businessman along the way. This will be featured on Riverwalk’s Rotary Main Stage and is expected to be one of their most popular plays of the season. From Oct. 20-30, Riverwalk takes a darker turn with
Conspiracy. According to Mitchell, this play is a joint endeavor with Michigan State University and also, the play originated as an HBO movie. “Riverwalk Theatre and Michigan State University bought
the copyright to bring this to the stage for the first time, it’s a premiere,” Mitchell said. “It’s an HBO film that deals with a Nazi conference that took place in the ‘40s and dealt with cleansing out the concentration camps. It’s pretty grim, but it’s an absolutely fascinating script.” On a lighter note, the child’s play The Surprising Story of
the Three Little Pigs takes place Nov. 25 – Dec. 4. In this story, the Three Little Pigs cross paths with the Three Billy Goats Gruff and the Three Bears, exchanging their villains along the
way. This play features multiple chase scenes and plenty of familiar characters. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead begins the New Year,
running Jan. 12-22. This absurdist play by Tom Stoppard fol- lows the exploits of two childhood friends from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The play follows the events of Hamlet, but with these two characters at the forefront, and Hamlet as the background. The play focuses on the themes of existentialism and free will. Leiber and Stoller’s musical Smokey Joe’s Café runs from
Feb. 16-26. Featuring 39 pop standards – such as “There Goes My Baby,” “Stand By Me” and “Hound Dog” – this musical revue resurrects the favorites of baby boomers. The Little Prince, a collaboration with All-of-Us Express
Children’s Theatre, runs April 22-29. Written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, this play tells children “one sees clearly only with the heart.” The book, which was published in 1943, has been translated into more than 190 languages and is one of the best-selling books ever. The last event of the season is the musical Follies, taking
place May 31-June 10. Based on the Ziegfeld Follies, the story takes place as past performers have a reunion in a Broadway Theatre that is scheduled for demolition. The production features music and lyrics by Tony Award winning composer Stephen Sondheim. Many of its songs, such as “Broadway Baby” and “I’m Still Here,” have become standards. For more information visit:
riverwalktheatre.com. n
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