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Marx Theatre Season
Presented by:
The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
By Anthony Shaffer
September 5 – October 3, 2009
One of the greatest stage thrillers and a masterpiece of suspense, Sleuth won the Tony Award for Best Play and inspired two film versions. When an aging mystery writer lures his wife’s lover to his manor house, the younger man becomes unwittingly drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and gamesmanship, where nothing is quite what it seems. This edge-of-your-seat mystery full of cunning plot twists is not only an exciting “whodunit” but a fascinating “whodunwhat.”
-“The most fiendishly clever thriller ever written for the stage.” – The Times, London
By Anton Chekhov
A new version by Sarah Ruhl
October 24 – November 21, 2009
Chekhov’s poignant tale of love and dreams gets an exciting premiere production from the Tony Award-winning director of Company, John Doyle, and Sarah Ruhl, one of America’s most acclaimed young playwrights and author of The Clean House. Love lies deep and untapped for schoolmistress Olga, married Masha and idealistic Irina. Stuck in a backwater town, the sisters long to get to Moscow where they imagine their lives will be transformed and fulfilled. It is a story of desire, denial and the never-ending pursuit of happiness.
By Walter Mosley
Based on his novel The Tempest Tales
January 23 – February 20, 2010
A hip and inventive new play by Walter Mosely, best-selling author of more than 25 books and most widely known for his popular Easy Rawlins mysteries, including Devil in a Blue Dress. Tempest Landry, a street-wise young man living in Harlem, unexpectedly finds himself at the Pearly Gates. When Saint Peter orders him to hell, the quick-witted Tempest refuses to go. A technical loophole forces heaven to send Tempest back to Earth with an angel in tow to keep him out of trouble. The resulting battle of wills takes an intriguing look at good versus evil and what it means to be human.
Based on the novel by Jean Webster
Book by John Caird
Music and Lyrics by Paul Gordon
March 13 – April 10, 2010
Charming and lighthearted, this new musical about falling in love with life begins when an orphanage trustee offers a college education to an 18-year-old girl. His only request is that she must never know who he is and that she write to him monthly, though he will never respond. Her letters paint a moving portrait of her life in the orphanage and her exhilaration as she blossoms into a young woman, causing him to fall in love with her. A new musical from Paul Gordon, the creator of last season’s Emma, and John Caird, the Tony Award-winning co-director of Les Miserables.
The Fats Waller Musical Show
Conceived and originally directed by Richard Maltby, Jr.
May 1 – 29, 2010
A supercharged sizzle of song and dance, the joint will be jumping for this
fun-filled, joyous revue showcasing the irresistible music of jazz great Fats Waller. From the comedy of “Your Feet's Too Big” to “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now,” this Tony Award-winning, Broadway favorite features more than 30 toe-tapping songs and promises an evening of high energy, crowd-pleasing entertainment.
"A stompin', struttin', high-hattin' smash”
– Time Magazine
Thompson Shelterhouse Season
Presented by:
Heidelberg Distributing Company
By Michele Lowe
September 26 – October 25, 2009
A fast-moving story of suspense unfolds when a world-famous cellist dies, and a music critic begins to question her legacy and suspect that her extraordinary recordings are all frauds. Sacrificing his own career to find the truth, he uncovers the cellist’s past as a young, struggling artist and discovers how her music and marriage fit into the puzzle. This world premiere from the author of The Smell of the Kill is a mysterious journey into the heart of an artist and the nature of fame.
By Connie Ray
Conceived by Alan Bailey
November 7 – December 31, 2009
The Sanders family is back! The sequel to one of the Playhouse’s most popular and beloved comedies, Smoke on the Mountain, returns after 10 years to make your holidays truly memorable. This heavenly evening of laughter, tears and music features 28 standard Christmas carols and gospel songs. Vera, Burl, Stanley, June, Dennis and Denise will make you feel right at home, again, with their brand of faith, family and old-fashioned fun.
“Sanders family back for fun – and that’s gospel truth” – The Cincinnati Enquirer
By Kevin Kling
February 13 – March 14, 2010
Popular National Public Radio humorist Kevin Kling performs his play exploring the difference between the trip you plan and the trip you take in life. He says trauma can’t be cured, but it can be healed, and Kling’s method of healing is laughter. In recounting the events following a debilitating motorcycle accident, Kling uses his great skill for riveting and hilarious storytelling to examine how tragedy can positively define a person’s life. Don’t miss this touching and transcendent event that beautifully weaves humor, heart and the human spirit. 
By David Bar Katz
April 3 – May 2, 2010
Superman - the man of steeI – is invulnerable. Jerry Siegel - the creator of Superman – was far more vulnerable. Siegel was one of a number of Jews who created the cartoon superheroes of the 1930s and 40s in response to the rise of Nazi Germany. Siegel’s own tumultuous story intertwines with the tragic events of a world on the edge, a place where even Superman has his limits. A remarkable new play about fantasy and the reality of the 20th century.
Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
May 15 – June 20, 2010
The longest running musical in history, this enchanting and funny show tells the story of a young man and the girl next door, whose parents have built a wall to keep them apart. Nevertheless, the youngsters conspire to meet and fall in love. Their parents, meanwhile, are congratulating themselves, for they have erected the wall and have succeeded in staging a feud to achieve a marriage between their willfully disobedient children. Filled with moonlight and romance, The Fantasticks is the perfect way to spend an early summer evening.
“A musical phenomenon.”
– The Washington Post