SecondStory Repertory Announces 2013-2014 Season Lineup

SecondStory Repertory has announced the shows for its upcoming theater season.

Season tickets are on sale now; purchases before Oct. 20 are discounted 20 percent. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. the last Saturday and Sunday of the run, except where noted.

Here is a list of the upcoming productions and a short description of each, directly from SecondStory Rep:

The Mystery of Irma Vep (Oct. 4-20, 2013)

By Charles Ludlam

Directed by Danny Miller

Featuring Sean Mitchell and Buddy Mahoney

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.

Unfound Fossils** (Nov. 8-24)

By Christopher Bailey

Directed by david alan morrison

October 11th of 2009 marked the 40th 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.

A Christmas Carol* (Dec. 13-22)

Adapted by Mark Chenovick

Music Arrangements by Paul Linnes

Directed by Ken Michels

Featuring John Clark as Ebenezer Scrooge

Running Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.

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 SecondStory Repertory family and celebrate this timeless seasonal classic right here in Redmond. 

Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Jan. 17-Feb. 2, 2014)

By Steve Martin

Directed by Dan Posluns

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.

A Little Night Music (Feb. 21-March 9)

Book by Hugh Wheeler

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Directed/Choreographed by Chris Nardine

Music Direction by Paul Linnes

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."

Kiss of the Spider Woman** (March 28-April 13)

Music by John Kander

Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Book by Terrence McNally

Directed/Choreographed by Troy Wageman

Featuring Crystal Dawn Munkers as Aurora

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!

Keely and Du** (May 9-25)

By Jane Martin

Directed by Rick Wright

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.

La Cage aux Folles (June 6-22)

Music and Lyrics Jerry Herman

Book Harvey Fierstein

Directed/Choreographed by Crystal Dawn Munkers

Music Director: Paul Linnes

After twenty years of un-wedded bliss Georges and Albin, two men partnered for better-or-worse get a bit of both when Georges' son (fathered during a one-night fling) announces his impending marriage to the daughter of a bigoted, right-wing politician. Further complicating the situation is the “family business:” Albin and Georges run a drag nightclub in St. Tropez, where Albin is the “star” performer “Zaza.” Georges reluctantly agrees to masquerade as “normal” when he meets the family of the bride-to-be. But Albin has other plans, with hilarious results.

*A Christmas Carol schedule differs from other Mainstage productions.

* *These shows contain mature subject matter and may not be suitable for all audiences.

Theater for Young Audiences

These one-hour, family friendly, musicals are perfect for school aged children. Show times are Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Join us at 7 p.m. on the first night, the first Friday, of every run for the Opening Night Gala. 

Bunnicula (Sept. 27-Oct. 13, 2013)

Director: Samuel Pettit

Music Director: Julia Thornton

A dancing cat, a howling dog, and a vampire bunny. The perfect pet combination for any family. It's a dark and stormy night and Chester (the family cat) and Harold (the family dog) sit waiting for their owners to return home from the movies. Chester and Harold are more than just pets, they're good friends too. When the Monroes finally get home, they come bearing a surprise: they've found a bunny in the movie theater. But this is no ordinary rabbit ... this is the extraordinary Bunnicula. When the family's produce starts losing its juice, Chester thinks he knows what's causing the fantastic phenomenon. Bunnicula is a vampire! Or maybe Chester's imagination is getting the better of him. Singing and dancing their way through this hilarious mystery, the furry friends find room in their hearts, and in their home, for one very unique bunny.

Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary musical (Nov. 1-17)

Director: Kate Swenson

Music Director: Paul Linnes

The story: girl loves stuffed animal. Girl loses beloved animal. Girl fights to get animal back. But throw adventure, song and dancing laundry into the mix and you get an instant children's classic! Six-time Emmy Award winner Mo Willems teams up with Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Silversher to create this heart-warming and hilarious musical.

A Christmas Carol Jr. (Dec. 6-22)

Director: Ken Michels

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.

Bayou Bugs (Jan. 10-26, 2014)

Director: John Clark

Bayou Bug Tales is based on the fable of the ant and the grasshopper, but includes many other buggy creatures from the bayou.  The score is full of fun and toe-tapping songs and colorful characters. The main theme of the show is about change and how, even though change can be scary, it is part of growing & living.

Little Red Riding Hood (Feb. 14-March 2)

Director: Alicia Mendez

Little Red Riding Hood lives on the outskirts of the woods with her protective Mother. She's a good girl, but she doesn't always take her Mother's instructions to heart. The only people she sees with any regularity are her mother and the Huntsman. She often daydreams of curious things, but with no playmates she has to be satisfied with her closest companions -- the trees. When Grandma comes for a visit, everyone is excited because Grandma is so much fun to be with ... and Grandma thinks Little Red is old enough now to visit her on the other side of the forest alone. One day Grandma takes ill, and Mother reluctantly allows Red to carry a basket of goodies to Grandma's house. Mother warns Red not to talk with strangers on the way, and she heads off down the path. As she enters the woods she meets up with a Wolf. He is down on his luck, and makes it his mission to discover where the little girl is going and what's in the basket.

Charlotte's Web (March 21-April 6)

Director: Stephanie McBain

Charlotte's Web was named "the best American children's book of the past two hundred years," by The Children's Literature Association. Wilbur has a problem: how to avoid winding up as pork chops! Charlotte, a fine writer and true friend, hits on a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman -- she will create a "miracle." Spinning the words "Some Pig" in her web, Charlotte weaves a solution that not only makes Wilbur a prize pig, but also ensures his place on the farm forever. This treasured tale, featuring madcap and endearing farm animals, explores bravery, selfless love, and the true meaning of friendship.

Rapunzel (May 2-18)

Director: Pat Haines-Ainsworth

Martin and Etta Sue are a poor and childless peasant couple living beside the tower of a witch named Miranda. As the years go by the couple makes an unfortunate bargain with Miranda when they think it may be their last chance to have a baby. Miranda will raise the little girl as her own in the isolated tower. As Rapunzel grows, her only contact with the world outside is through her "Witch-mother" who gains access to the tower by climbing Rapunzel's magnificent golden braids. One day a passing Prince hears Rapunzel's song and climbs her braids himself. After several of these secret visits, they fall in love. When Miranda learns of this, she cuts off Rapunzel's golden hair and casts her out. When the Prince returns, the Witch has taken Rapunzel's place, and the Prince is blinded in his escape. Wandering the countryside, they meet and Rapunzel's tears fall into her Prince's eyes, restoring his sight. She is reunited with her real parents and all live happily ever after.

For more information or to puchase tickets, visit SecondStory Rep's website or call 425-881-6777.