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Orpheus Musical Theatre's 2023 - 2024 Season
Next year Orpheus Musical Theatre brings you a massive season with fun entertainment for the whole family! With glitz, glamour, magic, and music and characters you all know and love, the 2023 - 2024 Season has something for everyone while also featuring Orpheus' greatest technical achievements in its 117 year history.
Mary Poppins
November 17 - 26, 2023
Director: J.T. Morris
Music Director: Wendy Berkelaar
Choreographer: Laura Merani
About the Show
Based on P.L. Travers’ beloved book series of the same name, Bert, a jack-of-all-trades, invites us into the world of London, England in 1910 — and, specifically, into the dysfunctional home of the Banks family. Jane and Michael, the young Banks children, have sent yet another nanny packing, dismissing these children as hopelessly and irrevocably spoiled and misbehaved. With a father who works constantly and mother who is always distracted, Jane and Michael have suffered without strong caretaking forces in their lives. Then the magical Mary Poppins flies in on the wind, bringing with her a combination of whimsy, magic, and disciplined common sense to the children’s lives. Together, they go on memorable and magical adventures — and also learn the importance of a tidy nursery and of taking the medicine they need (with a spoonful of sugar, of course.) Mary Poppins’ transformational influence does not stop with the children — eventually, she teaches the grown-ups, as well, to open up and realize that “anything can happen if you let it.”
Director's Vision
"I think you’ll find that’s just the way I’ve drawn it. All that it takes is a spark, then something as plain as a park becomes a wonderland….‘Cause when you walk with Poppins, you go to places you’ve never dreamed of."
This production of Mary Poppins will beg the audience to join us on a journey that is wholly defined by, or reminiscent of, their own imagination. With the lines above uttered by Bert serving as the thesis, we will employ techniques to exploit the audience’s minds as readers of a novel as they watch a play.
While offering spectacular elements reminiscent of the film, the designs, blocking, and choreography are a framework set against sparse backdrops for the audience to fill in with their own imagination as Bert narrates the story.
Is Mary Poppins real or is she Bert’s creation, representing Mr. Banks’ need for order with relaxation, Mrs. Banks’ need for performance with discipline, and Jane and Michael’s need for an outlet with limits?
This is the story of Mary Poppins saving the Banks family, written by Bert.
Dreamgirls
March 1 - 10, 2024
Director: Micah Jondel DeShazer
Music Director: Sabrina Tang
Choreographer: Niamh Webber
Assistant Choreographer: Deborah Quaicoe
About the Show
Inspired by Motown and R&B legends of the 1960s-70s, Dreamgirls follows the rising stardom of the Dreamettes, an all-girl singing trio from Chicago. The three best friends—the phenomenally talented, but demanding Effie White, the beautiful and appealing Deena Jones, and the eager, romantic Lorrell Robinson—team up with driven, demanding manager Curtis Taylor, who is determined to see their—and his—star rise. As their careers begin to take off, changes are made to ensure their mass appeal to the pop market. Egos are bruised, tempers flare, and hearts are broken in pursuit of stardom. Inspired by the stories of groups such as The Supremes and The Shirelles and featuring many iconic classic songs, Dreamgirls is a love letter to American R&B music and the artists that make such music great.
Director's Vision
Dreamgirls is an intense, earnest, and incredible story about a marginalized community doing whatever it takes to make their way in the world. These are sharp, talented, passionate folk who do not settle for less and their drive was unmatched, finding whatever means possible to thrive in their limelight it all the way to the top.
Now, the hidden arc of the show is a cautionary tale of consequences derived from their relentless pursuit. It is a story of empowerment but also a warning to be diligent: the consequences faced here were due to greed and letting money overrule their passion for art, perverting those once pure intentions in the midst of found fame; hurting not only themselves but those they loved. This is a lovely ensemble piece that really highlights how Deena, Effie, Lorrell, Jamie, Curtis, and CC struggle to fight for their right to live and entertain as equals and how their respective pursuits end up being their ultimate turning points. With the idea of their constant discovery of these turning points and constant rise to the top, I want to support those themes through bold voices, vulnerable scenes, confident dances, and a clear arc and evolution of each characters rise (and occasional fall).
This show is all about change and the consequences of change, for better and worse and I would really love to collaborate with the a strong diverse creative team to create a show that highlights how that shared experience of change in the face of art uniquely affects each character and our story as a whole.
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The Wizard of Oz
May 31 - June 9, 2024
Director: Riley Stewart
Music Director: Paul Legault
Choreographer: Debbie Miller-Smith
About the Show
L. Frank Baum’s classic novel comes to life in The Wizard of Oz. Young Dorothy Gale is swept away by a tornado from her Kansas farm to the magical land of Oz. There, she encounters a host of whimsical characters: good witches, bad witches, animals that talk, scarecrows that walk, and things magical to behold. To find her way home, she must journey along the Yellow Brick Road to see the mysterious and all-powerful Wizard in Emerald City. Along the way, she makes new friends, but must also brave many dangers, including the Wicked Witch of the West, who will stop at nothing to get her hands on Dorothy’s magical ruby slippers. To make it home safely, Dorothy must learn an important lesson: there’s no place like home.
Director's Vision
An Oz that is fresh and complex, and yet still respects the important elements of the source material. In this production, we will begin with a world of mysterious nature and progress into a distinct, fully realized creation.
The journey begins on a scattered yellow brick road, progressively becoming more solid and defined as we reach an Emerald City filled with otherworldly methods of illumination and propulsion, with sets and costumes incorporating the look of the steam age. The characters, who begin as depression era relatable archetypes, will travel through an above ground Munchkinland and dwellings of increasing machinery and engineering as they become fully realized heroes and villains that teach us the importance of knowing who we really are and trusting in ourselves.
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