MACKEY MAIN STAGE
Unless otherwise noted, Main Stage Shows are Thursday, Friday, & Saturday 8:00 p.m. & Sunday 3:00 p.m.

Disney's Aida
July 15 - Aug. 14
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PICTURE GALLERY

Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Tim Rice

Directed by Scott Spence
Musical Staging and Choreography by Martin Cespedes Music Direction by Larry Goodpaster
In the cast:
Colleen Longshaw as Aida
Laurel eld-Posey as Amneris
Ian Atwood as Radames
Kevin Joseph Kelly as Zoser

"Spectacular spectacle"
Read Tony Brown's PD review

Based on Verdi's opera, Aida is a musical bursting with energy that tells of the love triangle between Aida, a Nubian princess stolen from her country, Amneris, an Egyptian princess, and Radames, the soldier they both love. Aida is an epic and classic tale of love, loyalty, betrayal and courage. More info...

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By Jeeves
Sept. 17 - Oct. 10

Andrew Lloyd Webber & Alan Ayckbourn

Director: Michael Rogaliner
Musical Director: Larry Goodpaster
Dana Hart as Jeeves
Larry Nehring as Bertie Wooster
Sharon Shaffer as Honoria Glossop

Produced through a special arrangement with the Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatre Library

Plain Dealer review...

A musical comedy from the classic P.G. Wodehouse stories. Jeeves the butler is the brains behind English buffoon, Bertie Wooster. A tale of escalating chaos unfolds to the musical accompaniment of one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most vivacious and lively scores. By Jeeves is a refreshing alternative to the larger and louder musicals.

Seussical!
Dec. 3 - Jan. 2

Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Music by Stephen Flaherty

Marc Moritz as the Cat in the Hat and Patrick Carroll as Horton the elephant

"After all those years being stuck on a page,
Did you ever imagine you'd see me on stage?
Now, I'm here, there is no telling what may ensue!
No, there's no telling what! But I'll give you a clue..."

So says the mischievous Cat in the Hat at the onset of this fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza!

Marc Moritz as the Cat in the Hat and Christopher Gaertner as Boy & Jojo

A Raisin in the Sun
Feb. 4 - 27

Written by Lorraine Hansberry
Directed by Margaret Ford Taylor
Cast:
Conni Blair as Mama (appears courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association)
Michael May as Walter Lee Younger
Evelyn Stewart as Beneatha
Sonia N. Bishop as Ruth
Jonathan Wray as George
Doug Pratt as Bobo
John Polk as Lindner
Jason Samuel as Asagai
Major Fisher as Asagai (understudy)
Anthony Nickerson as Travis.

...one of the highlights of this theater season...
Linda Eisenstein, PD review

The certainty that the ideals of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" can beome reality for anyone willing to work for them is what we call the American dream. For many, the dream does come true. For many it does not. On of the most produced plays of all time, A Raisin in the Sun is the epic story of the Younger family struggling to realize "the dream" by escaping ghetto life.

more info...

On the Town
March 18 - April 10

Music by Leonard Bernstein
Directed by Fred Sternfeld
Musical Staging and Choreography by Martin Cespedes Music Direction by Larry Goodpaster
Cast:
Joe Fornade as Ozzie
Colin Cook as Chip
Sean Szaller as Gabey
Maggie Stahl as Claire
Amiee Collier as Hildy
Katelyn Blockinger as Ivy

It's New York City, and three all-American sailors are on leave from their ship docked in this fabulous city. On the Town is an uplifting, fun adventure with memorable musical numbers including "Come Up to My Place," "Lucky to Be Me," and "New York, New York." More...

Sponsored by Newsradio WTAM 1100 and LakewoodBuzz.com

Here’s what the critics are saying about this musical extravaganza.

“On The Town is something to celebrate…It’s a celebration of youth, written by and about young people full of innocence and hope and on the cusp of life in uncertain times. It’s a celebration of the rich canon of musical theater, which director Fred Sternfeld and a dedicated ensemble bring to vivid life at the Beck Center for the Arts…Like its youthful creators, ‘On The Town’ is a young piece that hints at the future greatness of its innovators. Full of zaniness, cornball humor, and a storyline as improbable as it is fanciful, the show nonetheless offers nonstop entertainment…Thanks to Beck’s artistic director, Scott Spence, and director Fred Sternfeld for bringing this effervescent classic to the forefront.”

- Fran Heller, Cleveland Jewish News

“…There are several tasty performances, including one from the silk-throated and take-charge Aimee Collier as a playfully randy Hildy Esterhazy…a number of performers prove worth writing home from the Big Apple about. Joe Fornadel, Colin Cook and Sean Szaller add up to a happy threesome as sailors Ozzie, Chip and Gabey, particularly in their ‘New York, New York’ trio. Maggie Stahl has zanily toothsome allure as Claire De Loone and Katelyn Blockinger killer gams as the subway’s ‘Miss Turnstiles,’ Ivy Smith. Several dancers in the ensemble turn heads…Collier’s rarin’-to-go, taxi-driving Hildy has the vocal prowess and bubbly presence the show could use more of…It’s lovely hearing all those fetching Bernstein tunes…”

- Tony Brown, The Plain Dealer

“…Song and dance still appropriately supply the work’s central charms… Sternfeld deftly employs a company of nearly 40 to carry out a string of his patented, admirably detailed crowd scenes, and he’s engaged several attractive lead performers…choreographer Martin Cespedes has devised several gracefully retro recreations that are always stylish and occasionally radiant.”

- James D’Amico, Cleveland Free Times

The Imaginary Invalid
May 20 - June 12

Written by Moliere
Adapted and Directed by Timothy Mooney
Cast:
Matthew Wright as Argan
Tracee Patterson as Toinette
Michelle Ehrman as Angelique
Robert Hawkes as Beralde
Mark Genszler as Cleante
Noah Varness as Thomas

Linda Eisenstein, Cool Cleveland 05.25.05:
What: A witty adaptation of the classic Moliere comedy about a hypochondriac and his obsession with doctors – in rhymed couplets, no less.
Reasons to go: Costumes and sets are sumptuously professional, Tim Mooney’s new translation is funny and easy to follow, and there are several engaging performances. Looking tall and healthy as a horse, Matthew Wright plays Argan as an overgrown baby who craves constant attention, and Tracee Patterson sparks as his mischievous servant Toinette. The second act is particularly good, when the able Robert Hawkes shows up as Argan’s sensible brother, Jeffrey Grover thunders as his doctor, and Allen Branstein convulses in a cameo as an apothecary wielding an enema bag the size of a vacuum cleaner.
Backstory: Mooney is one of the country’s foremost Moliere experts, and his rhymed adaptations have been seen on national stages. He also tours with his one man show "Moliere Than Thou".
Target audience: General audiences -- especially anyone who thinks doctors or drug companies deserve a roasting.

The Imaginary Invalid (1673) may be considered another of Moliere's great character plays, in which the entire development of the action, like in The Miser, centered around a single trait of character upon which everything turns, in this case, that of the hypochondriac. As created by Moliere, the hypochondriac is someone who wants to be sick. To tell Argan that he is looking well is considered a rude offense in this household.

Left to right: Michelle Ehrman as Angelique, Matthew Wright as Argan and Tracee Patterson as Toinette

"...captivating..."
Review by Christine Howey, Cleveland Scene