"I fought like hell to get the rights for 'Wizard of Oz' (coming this year),"said Chad Rabinovitz, artistic director at Bloomington's Constellation Stage & Screen.
Theater-goers are in for an armrest-grabbing spin as Constellation announces its new season of plays and musicals. Both new and previously produced works, including plays (such as the jaw-tensing Stephen-King-based "Misery" and that L. Frank Baum's "Wizard of Oz") are on the schedule. Families will go for the two Constellation for Kids shows.
"The King's Wife: A New Musical" earned 10-out-of-10 from the first readers (people who volunteer at Constellation to read and evaluate new plays). Then, the other readers ranked it highly, too.
"Usually you get inconsistencies," Rabinovitz said over the phone. "Rarely do you get a play where everyone agrees." Associate artistic director Daniella Wheelock helps read, although Rabinovitz has final say. "That's part of my job description," he said.
"I read the plays and figure out who's right."
A season ticket seems a good idea this year, if one wants to ensure a seat for shows that sound as though they will sell out.
Readers' top choice, 'The King's Wife,' is musical drama
Grammy-nominated Nashville songwriter Jamie Floyd and award-winning playwright Melisa Annis wrote "The King's Wife," a musical drama about secrets concerning the first wives of Henry VIII. A friendship between Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon? See it as observed by their lady-in-waiting. Apparently that Boleyn-Aragon bond enabled the future reign of Queen Elizabeth.
Tamilla Woodard will direct it. Among other accomplishments, she graduated from Yale's David Geffen School of Drama Acting program in 2001 and co-founded the site specific international partnership, PopUP Theatrics, served as co-artistic director of a theater in New York and was the associate director of Tony Award-winning "Hadestown"on Broadway in its first season. She's also resident director at Yale Repertory Theater and chair of the acting program at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale.
Women in their 70s learn to surf in 'Wipeout'
Three 70-something women will learn to surf — and age — in "Wipeout." Retirees, besties and a surfboard instructor tackle the Pacific Ocean — and other things — in this comedy about friends and loss.
In some ways, "Misery" might evoke Bloomington Playwright Project's eerie and successful thriller "Make Me Bad." Rabinovitz directs this one, too, so yes, it will scare. The "Misery" play, by the way, is very similar to the movie.
Rabinovitz saw "Maple & Vine" at a new play festival and coveted it. This dark and clever fairytale that travels back to the '50s asks, What might you give up for a chance at being happy?
Two kids' productions will thrill the next generation of theater folk. Rabinovitz hinted that the director for "Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical" may be a big name. "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" blows in around Halloween time, and at last, the wolf gets to explain his side.
Rabinovitz said playwrights submitted about 2,300 new plays this year and that's in addition to the thousands of established plays he and the readers consider. "We just keep talking about them and see what clicks," he said.
With a new play, he said, the audience often doesn't know how much it has been wanting to see a certain subject covered. Then, voila, there comes that moment of discovery.
"We're in a mini renaissance of new theater here in Bloomington," said Constellation's managing director Gabe Gloden over the phone.
The 7 shows, in order, from Sept. 5 through May 11, 2025
In order, the five main stage shows are "Wipeout," "Wizard of Oz," "Misery" (during the dead of winter, of course), "Maple & Vine" and "The King's Wife: A New Musical."
The two Constellation for Kids shows are "Polka Dots: The Cool Kids Musical,"where all kids are cool, and acceptance is honored, and "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs," where the wolf goes to court to describe his (very funny) side of the story.
The venues are Constellation Playhouse (formerly known as the Ted Jones Playhouse), 107 W. Ninth St.; the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave.; the Waldron Arts Center Auditorium, 122 S. Walnut St.
The season begins Sept. 5 and runs through May 11, 2025.
Go to https://seeconstellation.org for dates, times and more information.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Newly announced season at Constellation Stage includes 'Wizard of Oz'
