‘In the Heights,’ ‘Amadeus’ headline Cleveland Play House’s 2023-24 season
Published: Jun. 02, 2023, 10:22 a.m.
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"Well-known titles and vivid personalities will come to life, with towering performances and signature stage designs, welcoming community and cultural partners to celebrate CPH’s 2023-2024 season in the heart of Playhouse Square," Cleveland Play House wrote in an announcement of its upcoming lineup of shows.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Play House’s 2023-24 season promises something for everyone, from compelling dramas and haunting thrillers to entertaining comedies and rousing musicals.
Highlights of the seven-show lineup include a “sensual and poetic” reimagining of “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” a production of the Tony award-winning play “Amadeus” and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical, the groundbreaking “In the Heights.” For the second consecutive year, CPH will present Karamu House’s annual holiday production of “Black Nativity,” too.
The seven shows of the Cleveland Play House's 2023-24 mainstage season.Cleveland Play House
The theater’s 108th season kicks off with “Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End.” Running Jul. 29–Aug. 20, the comedy explores the work of beloved newspaper columnist and American humorist Erma Bombeck, played by nationally syndicated columnist Pam Sherman, also known as the “The Suburban Outlaw.”
Next is “Thurgood” (Sept. 9-Oct. 1), an inspiring biographical play examining the nearly 60-year career of Thurgood Marshall, the country’s first Black Supreme Court Justice. He’s portrayed on stage by film, TV, and regional theatre veteran Lester Purry.
“Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” (Oct. 21-Nov. 12) arrives just in time for Halloween. Staged in the round, David Catlin’s inventive approach to the classic tale has been described as “highly immersive” by the Chicago Tribune.
The holiday season brings Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity” (Dec. 1-16) back to the Allen Theatre. Produced by Karamu House, the oldest Black-producing theater in the United States, the uplifting show tells the story of the birth of Jesus from a culturally inclusive point of view, combining gospel music and dramatic dance with the biblical narrative.
The first production of 2024 is “The Play That Goes Wrong” (Feb. 10-Mar. 3, 2024), a hilarious international hit that takes the audience behind the scenes of a disastrous opening night of a 1920s whodunnit.
Jealousy, revenge and musical selections from the Cleveland Orchestra are on the menu for “Amadeus” (Apr. 6-28, 2024). The play, also the basis of the 1984 Oscar-winning film, presents a fictionalized account of the rivalry between renowned Italian composer Antonio Salieri and the brilliant but rowdy young prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The 2023-24 season concludes with a bang in the form of “In the Heights” (May 11-Jun. 9, 2024). Debuting seven years before “Hamilton,” Miranda’s high-energy musical tells the story of a tight-knit Latino community in Upper Manhattan whose way of life is being threatened by the onset of gentrification. You could say they’re not throwing away their, ahem, block.
Performances take place at the historic Allen Theatre or the more intimate Outcalt Theatre, both in Playhouse Square. Season ticket packages are available now at clevelandplayhouse.com. The on-sale date for tickets to individual shows will be announced later.
The original story can be found here: Cleveland.com