(October 4 - 27, 2007) Based upon the 1973 play by Christopher Bond of the 19th century legend, it “tells the tale” of the former Benjamin Barker, who returns to London from prison where he has spent fifteen years on false charges. When he learns from Mrs. Lovett, whose meat pies are the worst in London, that his wife poisoned herself after being raped by Judge Turpin, and his daughter is the ward of Judge Turpin, he vows revenge. The two become conspirators in a dastardly plot that results in the finest meat pies in London…and a whole bunch of missing persons. Boasting Sondheim’s most impressive score to date, this grisly, inviting version has the tone and tenor of a black comedy. You won’t be disappointed with the appropriate “Halloween” production!

(November 29 - December 22, 2007 | Please note: There are two added matinee performances - Friday, December 21, and Saturday, December 22, at 2 pm) It’s Monday, December 21, 1942 at the New York radio studios of WOV, home of The Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade, a second-rate variety show. With a backdrop of World War II, The 1940s Radio Hour sets the stage for swinging big band music and situation comedy of a bygone era. The world is at war, but inside the studios of WOV the weekly broadcast of The Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade lifts the spirits of soldiers, marines and sailors as well as their wives and sweethearts at home.

The station’s roster of “stars” includes the hysterical Bromo-eating bandleader, announcer, general manager and head-of-everything, a station songstress veteran, a lead male vocalist, a sassy jazz diva from Kansas, a cab driver by day and WOV “wanna-be” by night, and an instrumentalist, who is leaving the show to go overseas as a fighter pilot.

This show has something for every generation. It is both a nostaglic glimpse at the past and a high-energy comedy.

(January 24 - February 16, 2008) “Bizarre Disease Makes Woman Eat Kitchen Sink!” “Mom Sells Twins To Buy Lottery Tickets,” and “Cannibal Cow Eats Hamburger.”

Six women speak directly to the audience in episodic conversations that dovetail and occasionally become simultaneous. Everything is included from press-on nails to the theory of gravity, showing that all things are possible and not possible at the same time. You’ll be welcomed to “the world of expiring minds - a snappy little revue about the collapse of culture, the demise of language and meaning, and the anxiety of lives cut loose from their moorings and set adrift on a sea of medical wastes.”

Six Women With Brain Death is a hard-rockin’, harder-talkin’ six-woman roller-coaster ride through the end of the millennium.

(March 13 - April 5, 2008) Based loosely on the real-life show-business sisters, Daisy and Violet Hilton, who were conjoined twins and stars of stage and screen, the historical Daisy and Violet led highly colorful and visible but precarious and violent lives in Depression-era vaudeville. In this musical, the sisters must negotiate the pitfalls of fame and romantic entanglements while attempting to live two very different lives in one body. Side Show combines an enchanting score by Dream Girls composer Henry Krieger.

Daisy and Violet are the main attraction of the sideshow. A talent scout happens to be in the audience and immediately spots the musical gift of the Hiltons. He and his friend contrive to meet the girls in an attempt to lure them to vaudeville. The twins are unsure about leaving the security of the sideshow, but Daisy’s dreams of fame leads them to take the plunge. As their success grows on the Vaudeville circuit, love begins to bloom between the girls and their mentors. But the pressures of society start to wear on the couples. Don’t miss this truly heartwarming musical that ponders how we treat others in our lives.

(May 8 - 31, 2008) In the sixteenth century, Miguel de Cervantes, poet, playwright, and part-time actor, has been arrested, together with his manservant, by the Spanish Inquisition. They are accused of presenting an entertainment offensive to the Inquisition. Inside the huge dungeon into which they have been cast, the other prisoners gang up on Cervantes and his manservant, and begin a mock trial, with the intention of stealing or burning his possessions. Cervantes wishes to desperately save a manuscript he carries with him and stages, with costumes, makeup, and the participation of the other prisoners, an unusual defense--the story of Don Quixote.

Featuring an award winning score, and The Impossible Dream, this “up from the ashes” metaphor is at times hilarious, horrifying, and inspiring. Artistic Director Jeff Kingsbury reprises the title role in our season closer.