Drayton Entertainment has unveiled its 2014 season which will span 10 months and include seven stages.
From Broadway hits to kid-friendly shows, musical tributes to comedies, and some murder mysteries, officials say there is something for everyone on stage from March through December next year.
“With the tremendous success of our inaugural season in Cambridge, and the final components of our capital renovations at other theatres now complete, we are excited to build on our strong foundation and expand the unique Drayton Experience in 2014 to new audiences,” said artistic director Alex Mustakas.
He added a key element of the 2014 season is a major Broadway musical, which due to a strict licensing agreements will not be disclosed until 2014.
“The mystery and speculation has definitely created intrigue,” Mustakas said.
Tickets are on sale now exclusively to members and groups, followed by subscribers in November and the public at the end of the year.
Dunfield Theatre – Cambridge
The 2014 season commences with the rock ’n roll revue, Twist and Shout: The British Invasion, featuring classic songs by The Beatles, The Hollies, and The Rolling Stones, March 5 to April 28.
Next up is the British farce Run For Your Wife, April 16 to May 4, about an unfortunate event that threatens to reveal a cabbie’s double life.
The aforementioned yet-to-be-announced production is on stage June 11 to Aug. 2. Mustakas said the Broadway musical will be among the most ambitious in the organization’s history.
The comedy Boeing-Boeing, which jets into Cambridge Aug. 13 to 31, is about a Parisian bachelor’s love life soaring to new heights when his three fiancées, each a beautiful airline hostess, land in his apartment at the same time.
David Rogers, one of the original stars of The Phantom of the Opera, honours the legendary heroes of Camelot, Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma, Man of La Mancha, and more in Broadway Heroes, playing Oct. 1 to 18.
The season ends with a splashy Broadway spectacle for the entire family, with Drayton Entertainment’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid on stage Nov. 19 to Dec. 21.
St. Jacobs Country Playhouse
A couple’s dream of solitude in an old country farmhouse quickly becomes a nightmare when they learn about a resident ghost in the comedy thriller I’ll Be Back Before Midnight, playing March 12 to 30.
Legally Blonde, the blockbuster motion picture, also nominated for seven Tony Awards, is on stage from April 23 to May 18.
The Affections of May, a light-hearted look at life after marriage by Norm Foster, runs June 4 to 22.
Take a trip down memory lane with Wichita Lineman, featuring the songs of pop and country music legend Glen Campbell and friends from The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour show, from July 16 to Aug. 2.
On stage Oct. 8 to Nov. 2, Footloose, based on the beloved 80s movie, is the feel-good story about a young rebel who inadvertently heals the heart of a small town when he encourages the local youths to defy the rules and hold a rock ‘n roll party.
The holidays will sparkle with Snow White, on stage Nov. 19 to Dec. 21 – in the British Panto tradition where audiences cheer the hero and boo the villain.
St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre
Memories of a legendary performer are celebrated in the musical A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline, on stage Aug. 5 to Dec. 21 and featuring 21 of her greatest hits including Crazy, Sweet Dreams, Walkin’ After Midnight, I Fall to Pieces, and many more.
Drayton Festival Theatre
First on the playbill is the musical South Pacific, featuring the iconic score by Rodgers and Hammerstein and a love story about a spunky Navy nurse and mysterious French planter, runs May 14 to 31.
The thriller Deathtrap, running June 4 to 21, is about a writer concocting a plan to steal a brilliant murder mystery from one of his promising students.
The spy comedy Look, No Hans, on stage July 2 to 19, is about a secret agent’s plans for a quiet birthday going out the window (along with several of his guests) when his carefully crafted cover is threatened.
The Drayton Festival Theatre rolls out the red carpet for its final production of the season, celebrating musical moments from the silver screen in Hollywood Sings, a musical revue Aug. 5 to 23.
King’s Wharf Theatre, Penetanguishene
– Peter Pan, June 4 to 21;
– Run For Your Wife, June 25 to July 12;
– I’ll Be Back Before Midnight, July 16 to Aug. 2;
Twist and Shout: The British Invasion, Aug. 7 to 30.
Huron Country Playhouse, Grand Bend
– South Pacific, June 5 to 21;
– Damn Yankees, a musical comedy, June 26 to July 12
– Twist and Shout: The British Invasion, July 17 to Aug. 2;
– production to be announced Aug. 7 to 30.
Playhouse II, Grand Bend
– The Freddy Fusion Science Magic Show, May 26 to 30;
– Look, No Hans, June 11 to 28;
– I’ll Be Back Before Midnight, July 2 to 12;
– Run For Your Wife, July 16 to Aug. 2;
– Peter Pan, Aug. 7 to 30.
Drayton Entertainment offers flexible subscription packages to enable theatregoers to book tickets to any performance, at any theatre, for any date. When patrons buy tickets to four, five, six, or even seven different productions, they can save close to 25 per cent off the regular ticket price.
Regular performance tickets are $42 for adults; $25 for youths 20 years of age and under. Tickets for preview performances and groups of 20 or more are $34. For more information call toll free 1-855-DRAYTON (372-9866).
