The Altarena Playhouse 2009 Season
Season Subscriptions Now On Sale
As an Altarena subscriber, you’ll receive tickets to all five exciting shows in our 2009 season. Subscribing guarantees that you won’t miss any of the laughs, music, drama, or thrills that can only be found in the Altarena’s intimate setting. Buy a subscription today and support one of Alameda’s oldest and most cherished arts organizations (and save 20% off the regular ticket price while you’re at it).
At just $80 for adults and $68 for students and seniors, an Altarena season subscription is still the best entertainment value in the Bay Area.
‘Art’
A play by Yasmina Reza
Directed by Stewart Lyle
January 9 - February 7, 2009
This 1998 Tony Award winner is a fiendishly clever comedy that dares to ask the question, “What is art?” Three old friends square off over the merits of a recently purchased painting. Their friendship is put to the test as the arguments quickly go from theoretical, to personal, to confrontational. ‘Art’ is a heady and hilarious look at the bonds of friendship. It’s been called “A nonstop cross-fire of crackling language… a marriage of Moliere and Woody Allen.” Decide for yourself if it’s ‘Art.’
[May not be suitable for children under 13]
Gypsy
Book by Arthur Laurents
Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Christina Lazo
February 27 - April 5, 2009
Gypsy is one of Broadway’s most popular and enduring musicals, often cited by critics as one of the all-time greatest. Inspired by the life of burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee, it’s the story of the ultimate showbiz stage mother trying to raise two young daughters on the Vaudeville circuit while struggling to make it to the ‘big time.’ Gypsy is brimming with memorable characters, great songs, and plenty of heart. Directed and choreographed by Chicago director Christina Lazo, Gypsy at the Altarena is sure to be the hottest ticket in town.
A Streetcar Named Desire
A play by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Sue Trigg
May 8 - June 7, 2009
Tennessee Williams’ steamy and sensual A Streetcar named Desire is best known as the landmark American drama that introduced Marlon Brando to the world. But there’s so much more to this vivid story of Blanche DuBois and her tragic struggle with fantasy and reality. Rediscover Streetcar’s smoldering poetry and shocking intensity in our intimate, ‘in-the-round’ production. Notably, this is the very first production of a full-length Tennessee Williams play in the Altarena’s history. [May not be suitable for children under 13.]
The Spitfire Grill
Music and Book by James Valcq
Lyrics and Book by Fred Alley
Directed by Frederick L. Chacon
July 10 - August 16, 2009
The Spitfire Grill is one of the most heartfelt and uplifting musicals to come along in recent years. When a young woman is released from prison and decides to start a new life in a small midwestern town, she finds a place for herself working at the Spitfire Grill. But she - and the town - have old wounds that need healing, and it takes an unusual contest to begin pulling everyone together. A tuneful and stirring tribute to small town life, The Spitfire Grill is homespun, honest, and hard to resist.
The Nerd
A Play by Larry Shue
Directed by Richard Robert Bunker
September 18 - October 25
Widely considered one of the funniest plays ever written, The Nerd centers on the hilarious dilemma of a young architect who is visited by a man he’s never met but who saved his life in Vietnam. The visitor turns out to be an incredibly inept, hopelessly stupid “nerd” who overstays his welcome with a vengeance. Directed by Richard Robert Bunker, who directed our sold-out production of Shue’s The Foreigner in 2006, The Nerd is sure to be the hysterical highlight of the 2009 season.
