Now Playing the Altarena Playhouse...
Hay Fever
A play by Noel Coward
Directed by Frederick L. Chacon
July 11 - August 9, 2008
Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm
Sunday Matinees at 2:00pm
(7/20, 7/27, 8/3)
"A comedy of deliciously bad manners." - Variety
Noel Coward's name is synonymous with sophisticated comedy and uniquely British wit. In this most theatrical of plays, he pulls out all the stops and delivers a dizzy mixture of manners, misunderstandings, and absolute madness. Hay Fever centers around the four members of the eccentric Bliss family, who each invite a guest to stay at their country house for the weekend. As the guests arrive, it becomes apparent that a weekend in the country with this unhinged family is anything but "bliss." Hay Fever is a loopy, light-hearted farce guaranteed to get you through the summer with a smile.
[Suitable for all ages.]
Read More | Performance Schedule | Buy Tickets
Altarena News:
Posted on November 30 2007 by Daniel Zilber
Christmas comes early to Alameda this year as Ron Lytle’s family musical The Man Who Saved Christmas opens this evening at the Altarena. There’s been a lot of buzz about ‘The Man’ around town recently, and ticket sales are off to a brisk start. If you haven’t picked up the local papers lately you may have missed several terrific articles about the show, like the Alameda Journal’s profile of writer/director Ron Lytle, and the The Alameda Sun’s preview. ‘The Man Who Saved Christmas’ was also featured this week as the East Bay Express ‘Critic’s Choice.’
There are still tickets available for The Man Who Saved Christmas, but with the limited 3-weekend run, they won’t last long. Buy your tickets today by calling our box office at (510) 523-1553… or use our secure, online ticketing system.
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Posted on November 30 2007 by Daniel Zilber
We’re very excited to announce that we’ve expanded our box office phone hours and will now have a live agent available to answer your calls every Tuesday - Saturday from 1:00 - 6:00pm and Sundays from 10:00am - Noon (on show days only).
If you call outside of business hours, or we’re on the phone with another customer, you’re still welcome to leave a voicemail message and we’ll return your call as soon as possible.
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Posted on October 26 2007 by Daniel Zilber
The reviews are rolling in for our current production of Morning’s At Seven, and we’re thrilled to see that the critics love this play as much as our audiences.
Ken Bullock, in his review for the Berkeley Daily Planet, writes:
“…Morning’s at Seven gives audiences a chance to see a finely tuned ensemble show and to witness a compelling interpretation of a prewar family stage comedy.”
“…Morning’s at Seven holds hidden delights and entertainment, thanks to the sensitivity of Sue Trigg’s direction and the wonderful ensemble’s ongoing discovery of their characters’ true interrelationship.”
“It’s a great evening, a great celebration of seven decades of Altarena Playhouse and of a perennially pleasing American comedy.”
Alice Chalip’s review for the Alameda Journal can be summed up by the headline:
Cast does ’superb’ job in ‘Mornings at Seven’
Morning’s At Seven runs through November 11th. Be sure to buy your tickets soon, before word gets out about this hidden gem of a comedy at the Altarena.
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Posted on October 25 2007 by Daniel Zilber
Attention all Bay Area singers, dancers, and actors: We’ve just announced auditions for the first two shows of our 2008 season. Auditions for the thriller Wait Until Dark will be held on November 14th, with callbacks on the 18th. Auditions for the musical Chicago will be held on December 9th & 10th, with callbacks on the 12th. Click the links for all the details.
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Posted on October 19 2007 by Daniel Zilber
Rehearsals are over, the paint’s dry(ing) on the set, and we’re thrilled to be opening Paul Osborn’s family comedy Morning’s At Seven tonight at the Altarena. At the end of a very musical season, it’s such a delight to sit back and watch this subtle, small-town play unfold on our intimate stage. Morning’s At Seven premiered on Broadway in 1939 and it truly transports you to another time and place. When people say “They don’t write ‘em like that anymore,” this may be the play they’re talking about. Equal parts comedy and drama, it has an almost magical way of pulling you into the lives of the families onstage. We look forward to sharing some of that magic with you.
Many thanks to Patrick Tracy, who has taken some beautiful photographs of our production. You can see the full photo album here.
Morning’s At Seven runs through November 11th. Click here for ticket information.
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Posted on September 26 2007 by Daniel Zilber
Our 2008 season just happens to be the Altarena’s 70th anniversary, and we’re thrilled with the ambitious and exciting line-up that we’ll be presenting. There’s truly something for everyone, and each show will take good advantage of the Altarena’s unique and intimate setting. If you haven’t clicked over to to see our 2008 season schedule yet, now’s as good a time as any (just be sure to come back and finish reading this post).
The real news here, however, is that today marks the start of our 2008 Season Subscription campaign. Our subscribers (also known as season ticket holders) are the backbone of the Altarena Playhouse. Without the income and ‘guaranteed audience’ that our subscribers provide, it would be very difficult for us to make the up-front commitments necessary to produce such an ambitious season. Honestly, we love everyone who buys a ticket to one of our shows, but it’s our subscribers who really make it possible for us to do what we do.
Now, we understand that the idea of “supporting local theater” isn’t quite enough to get everyone off the fence and into a warm pair of season tickets. That’s why we offer a wide range of valuable and exclusive benefits to our subscribers. They’re all described in detail here, but let me take a minute to point out my favorites:
Priority Seating. How many times have you been in the Altarena’s lobby when we begin seating, only to watch our red-ticket-holding subscribers walk right past you and into the theater first? All you can do is look down at your white ticket and wait your turn. I’m at every performance, and I’ve seen the look in your eyes. If you were a subscriber, you’d be holding those red tickets. You’d be walking past the crowd and into the theater. And you’d be able to choose seats in any section… even the reserved-for-subscribers “section B”. Could life get any sweeter?
Flexible reservations. When you buy a subscription at most theaters, they make you choose something like “Third Friday” or “Second Sunday” and you’re assigned dates based on your choice. And if you want to change your reservation from a Wednesday to a Saturday, be prepared to pay an extra charge. Who knows what our schedules will be next January, much less next August? At the Altarena, subscribers can make their reservations as early or as late as they wish. Of course, last minute reservations are subject to availability, but our shows usually don’t sell out much more than a week in advance. Plenty of time for most folks to arrange their calendars.
And lastly…
Big Savings. Several months ago, Fred Chacon and I sat down with the Board of Directors and expressed our desire to offer a 20% discount on season tickets, across the board, in order to encourage as many people to subscribe as possible. The Board loved the idea. However, as this week approached, I started thinking “Am I crazy? $80 for 5 shows? $68 for seniors and students? An additional 10% off for renewing subscribers (before October 31)?? Who in their right mind sells tickets that cheap?” Well, the jury’s still out on whether we’ve completely lost our marbles or not, but there’s one thing I’m sure of… if you love live theater, you’d be crazy not to take advantage of this incredible value. 
There’s still a lot of great stuff coming up this year at the Altarena, and we hope to see you at the theater at least a couple more times before year’s end. But it’s also not too early to start thinking about 2008 and becoming an Altarena subscriber. If you’re interested, please don’t put it off. The sooner you purchase your season tickets, the easier it is for us to begin working on next season.
Ready to pull the trigger? You can click here to purchase season tickets online. It’s the quickest and easiest way to subscribe. If you’re more of a “check’s in the mail” kind of person, we haven’t forgotten about you. We’ll be mailing out brochures and order forms in the next few weeks. You’ll be able to sign up and send in payment at that time.
Many thanks to all of our past, present, and future subscribers. We hope to keep you coming back for more.
Daniel Zilber
Managing Director, Altarena Playhouse
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Posted on September 18 2007 by Daniel Zilber
In response to the overwhelming demand for tickets to Urinetown, The Musical, we’ve added an extra matinee performance on Saturday, October 6 at 2:00pm. Tickets are on sale now. The quickest and easiest way to purchase tickets is through our online ticketing system. It only takes a few minutes, there are no service fees added, and every online order is confirmed by email.
As always, be sure to buy your tickets well in advance. All of our performances so far have been “waiting list only” at the box office.
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Posted on September 14 2007 by Daniel Zilber
Tom Billings, writing for today’s Alameda Journal, weighs in with his review of the Altarena’s Urinetown, The Musical. One quote sums it up:
“So far, this is the most must-see show of the Alameda theatrical season. Don’t miss it.”
What can we say? We agree with Tom completely.
Read the full review | Buy tickets
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Posted on September 13 2007 by Daniel Zilber
The Oakland Tribune published a glowing review of Urinetown in today’s paper. Alice Chalip writes:
“URINETOWN, THE MUSICAL, now at Altarena Playhouse in Alameda, is like nothing you’ve ever seen and like everything you’ve ever seen.
It is a strange, but fascinating, and superbly done show.
This is possibly one of the most successful musicals Frederick L. Chacon has directed.”
Chalip’s review goes on to give a great overview of the story, characters, and music, and closes with another quote for our scrapbook:
“Urinetown, The Musical is a thoroughly enjoyable show — like an old friend in some ways, but remarkably different in others.”
Read the full review here.
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Posted on September 09 2007 by Daniel Zilber
We just wrapped up the opening weekend of our big new musical comedy Urinetown, and we’re thrilled to report that both performances were completely sold out. Many thanks to everyone who came out and shared this exciting time with us. We heard a lot of very positive feedback, so it looks like we may have another hit on our hands.
Now, we’re not just mentioning this in order to pat ourselves on the backs (ok, maybe a little). Consider it a reminder that if you’re planning to see this truly original show, you should buy your tickets early. Urinetown runs through October 6th and there are still plenty of seats available for our remaining performances… but that probably won’t last long. Visit our tickets page for more information about buying tickets to Urinetown.
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