Musicals, comedies and dramas come to life for PCPA’s 2022 – 2023 season, presented in three venues on the California Central Coast. Season 59 features one Southern California premier, plays by three California playwrights and three chances to experience unforgettable music.
The return of a favorite holiday show for the whole family is a new Broadway adaptation of the classic musical, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, from November 10 through December 23 in the Marian Theatre. Last seen at PCPA in 2015 and back by popular demand for the whole family, this fresh, contemporary take on the classic tale is full of new surprises, familiar friends and Rogers and Hammerstein’s unforgettable music. Impossible things are happening every day!
A Latino folklore fairy tale – Once upon a time in a small Brazilian village along the Amazon River comes The River Bride by Marisela Trevino Orta. This story is swimming with mystery, family, true-love and unexpected visitors. Set in a fishing village along the Brazilian Amazon River. Folklore has it that River dolphins, or “botos”, at certain times are transformed into human forms and come on shore to seduce the women of the village in hopes of finding true love and a wife. All within three days or they must return to their life of solitary in the water. Plays in February and March in the Severson Theatre.
The Southern California premier of Emma a sparkling new stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved story of matchmaking, misadventures and misplaced confidence in Highbury Park. Join us for this Southern California premier and be the first audience to experience Josephs Hanreddy’s (PCPA’s Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility) charming new adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel, Emma. Emma attempts to marry off her young friend Harriet to all the wrong people, and she nearly misses out on true love herself. Catch this Romantic comedy playing in the Marian Theatre in March, then under the stars in the Solvang Festival Theater in June and July.
Fall in love with the powerful and heartfelt Bluegrass Musical based on an inspiring true story, Bright Star. Inspired by a true story featuring the Tony-nominated score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Bright Star tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption in the backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and 1940s. A rich tapestry of deep emotion, beautiful melodies and powerfully moving performances unfold in two love stories set more than 20 years apart. Bright Star will play in the Marian Theatre in April and May, then under the stars in the Solvang Festival Theater in July.
Next up, a heartwarming and hilarious comedy with music, family, progress and the freedom to dream big In American Mariachi by Jose Cruz Gonzalez. Spending her days caring for her ailing mother, Lucha yearns to break her monotonous routine. Here’s a wild idea: an all-girl mariachi band! But it’s the 1970s, and girls can’t be mariachis….or can they? So Lucha and her cousin hunt for bandmates, dodge disapproving relatives, and bring Mom along for the ride, they wonder: will the band come together? American Mariachi will send your heart soaring and put a bounce in your step with a wave of vibrant, infectious live music. Plays in July at Marian Theatre and in August at Solvang Festival Theater.
In this charming and mad chase to save a legacy, by creating the First Folio of the Bard’s beloved writing comes The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson. William Shakespeare is dead. Bad Hamlet knock-offs and children’s acting troupes litter the stages of Elizabethan London. And the King’s Men are running out of time. Rooted in real events, The Book of Will is the witty and wonderful battle of how the Bard’s legacy came to be. Sure to be loved by Shakespeare fans and skeptics alike. They’ll just have to borrow, beg and band together to get it done. Amidst the noise and color of Elizabethan London, The Book of Will finds an unforgettable true story of love, loss, and laughter, and sheds new light on a man you may think you know. plays in the Marian Theatre in August and in Solvang’s Festival Theater in August and September 2023.
Tickets for Season 59 will go on sale this October.