Performing Arts San Antonio Past Productions
"Watch your back, Matilda. Tina Denmark is in town! Book and lyrics by Joal Paley. Music by Marvin Laird.
Ruthless is the story of a naive 1950s housewife, Judy, and her adorable but sociopath 8-year-old daughter Tina. Encouraged by her manager, Sylvia, Tina will do ANYTHING to get the lead role in her school play ""including murdering the leading lady!"" In Act II, while Tina spends time at a reform school for psychopathic ingenues, Judy discovers from her adoptive mother that her birth mother was a famous actress. Judy decides that she should be famous as well and becomes a Broadway diva."
Ruthless is the story of a naive 1950s housewife, Judy, and her adorable but sociopath 8-year-old daughter Tina. Encouraged by her manager, Sylvia, Tina will do ANYTHING to get the lead role in her school play ""including murdering the leading lady!"" In Act II, while Tina spends time at a reform school for psychopathic ingenues, Judy discovers from her adoptive mother that her birth mother was a famous actress. Judy decides that she should be famous as well and becomes a Broadway diva."
Cue the lightning! Cue the thunder! It’s monster mayhem in this frightfully fun comedy! Transylvania High School is where the kids of all the classic monster movie villains go to learn the tricks of the trade. There are vampires, mummies, werewolves, zombies, witches, Frankenstein’s daughter, the Invisible Man’s son, and even the Phantom of the Opera’s kid, all of them struggling to live up to their parents’ legendary examples. From science fair projects to cliques, these monsters struggle with the same stresses as typical teenagers. When a group of human high school students stumbles upon the monster school thanks to a broken down bus, utter mayhem ensues. Far more silly than spooky, this comedy delivers both loads of laughs and a gentle message about befriending those who are different from us.
F. Scott Fitzgerald is interviewed in Purgatory by a modern interviewer who feels deep nostalgia for the era that Fitzgerald wrote about, even though she has never known it first-hand. Fitzgerald is forced to relive some moments--mainly those involving his wife, Zelda, and Ernest Hemingway, the admirer who ultimately turned on him.
Based on the story of Genesis, the age-old conflict of parents and children takes the stage in this epic, heartfelt Stephen Schwartz musical.
From musical theatre greats Stephen Schwartz and John Caird comes a joyous and inspirational musical about parents, children and faith... not to mention centuries of unresolved family business!
From musical theatre greats Stephen Schwartz and John Caird comes a joyous and inspirational musical about parents, children and faith... not to mention centuries of unresolved family business!
How do you do a Sherlock Holmes play with a bunch of kids? Focus on the group of kids who helped Sherlock, of course! First appearing in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes story A Study in Scarlet, the Baker Street Irregulars are a group of street urchins who assist Holmes from time to time. This time around, they may be Scotland Yard’s only hope. Upon investigating a mysterious murder at the Wainwright Circus, Sherlock Holmes mysteriously falls gravely ill and is unable to perform his usual duties. Luckily, the Irregulars show up and get the low-down from the acrobats, clowns, and animal trainers, as well as the circus owner and his daughter. With their snooping and clever detective work, the Baker Street Irregulars solve the crime and discover the mystery behind Sherlock’s sudden illness. With lots of unique roles, this fun period piece has all the familiar traits of a good Holmes mystery... without Sherlock Holmes!
An exciting new Pop/Rock Musical adapted from Hans Christian Andersen's fantastical coming-of-age adventure! Kooky characters, scary plotting and potent rock numbers make this an unforgettable production!! Before "Frozen" was "The Snow Queen"! Book by Kirsten Brandt and Rick Lombardo. Music by Haddon Kime.
Everyone’s favorite classic holiday tale gets the fractured fairy-tale treatment. All the famous fairy-tale characters take on all of the memorable roles of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. You’ll never know who will show up next as the Big Bad Wolf (as Ebenezer Scrooge) meets his old business partner Jacob Midas (Marley), who could turn anything to gold. Midas warns Big Bad that he’ll be visited by The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future (played by a Fairy Godmother, Old King Cole, and the Queen of Hearts respectively). The ghosts make Scrooge realize what a scoundrel he’s been to the Charming (or Crachit) family — including Prince Philip, Cinderella and their kids, Hansel, Gretel, and Tabitha, their Little Match Girl — and help him to remember what the Christmas spirit is all about. This fun-filled adaptation stays true to the warmth and heart of the classic.
"Herod was insane and the country suffered from bloody murder and unspeakable evil. Before this backdrop of iniquity we embark upon a journey shrouded in the mystery of prophecy, where a young girl and a man not yet her husband, are destined to collide with the moral authority of the day. Betrayal, shame, punishment, and the threat of a searing death in the unforgiving desert heat await Mary and Joseph in this gripping story of love and faith. Before Christmas there were.. Whispers.
The manger came later! "
The manger came later! "
Edmond Dante's future appears promising in this action packed musical, but he is victimized by former friends plotting against him. Can he escape from imprisonment and foil the plans of his evil enemies? Gorgeous songs and breathtaking action combines with romance and comedy to bring Alexandre Dumas' stunning classic novel to life. This production is the Texas premier of this wonderful new musical, The Count of Monte Cristo.
This hilarious play is wonderfully easy to produce with loads of humor for both kids and their parents. The Fairy Tale Network is a television network that needs to improve its viewership ratings with exciting new programming. The three mice working as creative consultants for the studio each must come up with a story idea to pitch to their new chief, the Cat. And they need to pitch their ideas fast before they become a fancy feast! They retell the well-known tales of Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Pigs, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but now with new, unexpected twists. The crew of Busy Bees racing on props and sometimes even becoming the set pieces themselves makes this play fast-paced, super-easy to stage and fun!
"Make Me a Musical" is a modern backstage parody musical with a Faustian twist and a cynical view of showbiz. The show is set in the context of a "backstage musical" in New York and embraces many clichés. This high-energy show has high kicking chorus numbers, beautiful tender ballads, and jazz numbers which reflect the story's New York setting.
Gangway, Pirates of the Caribbean — here come The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree! When his crew jumps ship upon sighting the pirates in the distance, Captain Jennings is left with a makeshift crew of motley prisoners and Fergus, a sailor who can’t swim, to protect his wealthy passengers, the Prescots, from the inevitable attack. As the lady pirates take over the defenseless Kayla May, you’re in for swashbuckling musical comedy with a host of hysterical characters on deck and a spectacular Bill Francoeur score.
The hysterical meets the historical in this comic romp through the wackiest wax museum in history! School’s out for summer, but not for six unlucky students who don’t know much about history — they have to re-take the class in summer school. First year teacher Heather Fairchild has arranged for them to help her two aunts set up a new wax museum as a class project. Though the students’ eyes glaze over with boredom, there’s a twinkle in the wax figures’ eyes when a mysterious incantation from the back of Cleopatra’s bracelet brings them to life! King Henry VIII finds himself smitten with Cleopatra, making his queen, Anne Boleyn, furious. If she can just not lose her head, John Adams is there to serve as her divorce attorney! When Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Blackbeard and a bevy of lady pirates show up, everybody’s out for one thing — treasure! Supposedly, there’s a mighty valuable one hidden in the museum! It’s a wild goose chase to find it, with a greedy museum landlord and her bumbling son joining in the mad search. And why is Lizzie Borden lurking in the shadows, since the aunts say they never had a wax figure of her?! The magic of history comes alive — literally! — when spiced with Bill Francoeur’s cinematic score, including ’Egyptian Love,’ ’Summer School’ and ’Glory Days.’
A dead body can be so inconvenient... especially when its the corpse of the meetings guest of honor, who drops dead after eating the pasta salad at the potluck lunch! Is this the worst gluten reaction ever? Was he murdered? Unable to decide what to do, the ladies try to hide the body. Non-stop hilarity begins as they try to keep the corpse out of sight from their unexpected guests. The victim was scheduled to be the Grand Marshal of the Founders Day parade, so all sorts of crazy characters come searching for him the mayor, the snoopy newspaper reporter and his girlfriend, Mimi Monroe. Was Burdett murdered for his grandfathers secret diary? After all, Mimi reveals that the journal exposes the shady dealings of everyone in town!
Four generations of women coming together for Christmas which, thank goodness, comes but once a year. As they gather to celebrate the holiday hidden secrets raise their ugly heads, and reveal the hilarious, foolish and sometimes painful mistakes of the past. That is until a little known female health issue brings all four face to face with mortality. The only thing worse than being with each other is being without each other as the term "just like mom" takes on new meaning.
This hilarious comedy takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, some you'll recognize and the rest, well, just be thankful.
This hilarious comedy takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, some you'll recognize and the rest, well, just be thankful.
In this wickedly funny adaptation of Washington Irving's classic tale of superstition and village rivalry, gawky schoolmaster Ichabod Crane fancies himself a dashing, worldly man of learning, capable of winning the heart of Katrina Van Tassel. Will this beautiful daughter of a wealthy local farmer return Ichabod's affections, or does she have other ideas? What will be the outcome when Ichabod confronts his desires, fears, and of course, the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow?
Finally, here's a boppin' nifty fifties musical that steps away from the world of malt shops and sock hops! Peggy Sue used to be the best of the street racers, but now her aspirations run toward college. Trying to keep her old gear-head friends away from the new preppy crowd she hangs out with at the record store whe she works is hard for Peggy Sue. But that's just the start of her troubles!
Inspired by the life of Bat Masterson. After a violent war has broken out between the Cowboys and Native Americans, Bat finds himself lying on the ground, badly wounded, after a heroic showdown. Shot and on the brink of death he is visited by Mobius. As Mobius consoles him they revisit Bat's choices and how they have defined his life. He'll be left to make his toughest one yet, whether to live and fight or die.
Ug and his feisty Neanderthal tribe are feasting on a tasty dinner of wild boar when he decides to reenact one of his many feats of bravery. "Pretend it isn't now," he says. "Pretend it is then." And so, without knowing it, Ug invents theatre. When the tribe decides to perform their play for a rival tribe, rehearsals cause nothing but friction. Ug dumps his woman and moves the tribe's babe into her role, the director and costume designer are unhappy, and rewrites are driving Ug mad. The roots of modern-day theatre problems? You betcha!
The Roaring Twenties was such a colorful decade that the unbeatable team of playwright Tim Kelly and musician Bill Francoeur couldn’t resist it! Come celebrate the era with them and meet Polly Pepper, a young flapper who really knows how to live in the time of Stutz Bearcat automobiles, Ziegfield girls, raccoon coats, ukuleles, beauty contests, goldfish swallowers, and gangsters. Polly’s about to turn 18 and will then inherit a fabulous diamond necklace called the ’Ice Garden.’ She’s planning a madcap birthday party and inviting all her pals. However, with a friend like Susan Stuyvesant-Fish, she doesn’t need any enemies!
Combine the greatest show tunes of George M. Cohan with a sparkling story and you have the most entertaining, charming, toe-tapping musical of the season. Dick Foster is opening a Broadway show but is having problems with both money and his leading lady. Enter Mary Collins, an aspiring actress from New Rochelle, plus ’Legs’ Ruby, a Damon Runyon-type bookie who is on the run from the mob. Just as all appears lost, a financial ’angel’ appears with the money to do the show, and Mary gets her big chance at stardom. The play is filled with fascinating character roles, including the ’Donald O’Connor-type’ pianist, Betty, the Virginia belle in the chorus, along with a bevy of chorus girls, gangsters and other assorted characters. The set, (mostly on an empty stage) is a snap. The Cohan songs are among his most memorable: ’Give My Regards To Broadway,’ ’You’re A Grand Old Flag,’ ’Mary’s A Grand Old Name’ and many more. And the cast is completely flexible with room for an additional chorus of any size, plus optional choreography if desired. Here’s a show in the true tradition of 42nd Street and the great Broadway musicals — an audience pleaser for sure.
The show sits on the boundary between musical and song cycle, but it is neither; it is an abstract musical, a series of powerful and touching songs all connected by a theme: "the moment of decision." Composer Jason Robert Brown has said of his show, "It's about one moment. It's about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back."