PHILADELPHIA, PA Walnut Street Theatre, America's oldest theatre and the State Theatre of Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce its landmark 203rd season of live entertainment and its 29th season as a not-for-profit producing theatre company. Boasting over 56,000 subscribers, the Walnut is not only the most popular theatre company in Philadelphia, but also the most subscribed theatre company in the world!
Bernard Havard, Producing Artistic Director, is proud to announce the 2011-2012 Mainstage season. The upcoming season will include three Broadway musicals - audiences will by treated to Andrew Lloyd Webber's ASPECTS OF LOVE, Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE KING AND I and BUDDY - THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY. In addition, they'll experience Agatha Christie's classic thriller, THE MOUSETRAP, as well as the Tony Award-winning comedy, GOD OF CARNAGE.
THE SEASON
The Walnut opens its 203rd season with Andrew Lloyd Webber's romantic musical, ASPECTS OF LOVE (September 6 - October 23). This musical is filled with passion, love and loss across three generations of a family and their companions, and is set against the background of 1940's France and Italy. Alex Dillingham, a young student traveling through France, falls in love with the alluring actress Rose Vibert. As the pair embark on a passionate affair, the unexpected arrival of Alex's uncle changes their lives forever. This is a love story spanning twenty years binding six people and three generations as they come to appreciate that "love changes everything." Andrew Lloyd Webber's (The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita) soaring melodies will touch your heart and make this a thrilling opening to our season!
The Walnut will have you "whistling a happy tune" this holiday season with Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE KING AND I (November 8 - January 8). This classic musical has captured the hearts and minds of millions with its charming story of the British governess brought into the court of Siam to tutor the King's many children. Once within the splendor of the Royal Palace, Anna and the King grow to understand one another and learn about each other's cultures. This unique love story is told with one of the most glorious and unforgettable scores ever written. The much-loved songs and sweeping melodies from the show include: "The March of the Siamese Children," "Getting to Know You," "I Whistle a Happy Tune," "Hello Young Lovers" and the unforgettable "Shall We Dance." This spectacular new production promises to be the musical event of the holiday season!
Agatha Christie, the mistress of mystery, brings you her most popular creation, THE MOUSETRAP (January 17 - March 4). When a group of strangers are trapped together at a manor house during a snowstorm, they soon discover one of them is a murderer! Is it the newlyweds whose rampant suspicions nearly wreck their marriage? Maybe it's the spinster with the curious background. It could be the architect, the retired Army Major or maybe the odd man who claims his car overturned in a snow drift. We'll never tell"
