TWO PHILLY PREMIERES AND 'LES MIZ' HIGHLIGHT MEDIA THEATRE'S 2014-15 SEASON

The Media Theatre has a 2014-15 Broadway Series season which mingles the old with the new--contemporary musicals which have a wide-ranging appeal and classics which demonstrate strong staying power. 

Two Philadelphia professional premieres are among the five productions which Media Music Theatre Company (MMTC) will bring to the historic venue. Both titles are fresh from Broadway runs which recently wrapped; MMTC will be the first Actors Equity member theatre company in the Philadelphia/ Wilmington region to produce the shows following their national tours. 

The season starts out September 24 through November 2 with "The Addams Family", based on the bizarre comic strip characters created by Charles Addams. With music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, the humorous show focusing on the family who adore the macabre will feature two of Philadelphia's well-known talents: Jeff Coon and Jennie Eisenhower. Both Barrymore Award winners, they'll portray Gomez and Morticia in the regional premiere. 

During the Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas season "Les Miserables" (November 19, 2014 to January 11, 2015) brings its power to Delaware County's only professional music theatre. It's based on Victor Hugo's legendary novel focusing on Jean Valjean, the French peasant who steals a loaf of bread and spends almost two decades in prison. He is tracked down obsessively by police inspector Javert after he breaks his parole. The Tony winner has one iconic anthem after another in the Claude-Michel Schonberg score with lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel.  While set during the French revolution, the musical reaches beyond the narrative of its story into the hearts of theatre-goers with titles such as "I Dreamed A Dream", "Castle On A Cloud", and "On My Own". 

January 28 to February 15 brings the play "The Miracle Worker", based on the true story of Helen Keller's relationship with her governess Anne Sullivan. Keller was rendered blind, deaf, and mute due to a childhood illness. William Gibson's play highlights the struggles of her family to control her wild behavior and their subsequent hiring of teacher Sullivan in an effort to assist their cause. The moving, triumphant show is a testament to the power of the human spirit. 

"Ghost: The Musical" has its Philadelphia regional premiere March 4-29, 2015. Based on the extremely popular film from 1990 which had fans swooning over Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore (and an Oscar winning performance from Whoopi Goldberg), it's as romantic as a musical can be. With a book by Bruce Joel Rubin and music from the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, with assistance from Glen Ballard, the show maintains its narrative focus on Sam and Molly, the two lovers who are attacked upon returning home one evening causing Sam's death. An eccentric medium does what she can to help Sam get back in touch with his dear Molly. An interesting combination of our world and the afterlife, "Ghost: The Musical" is a touching tribute to love.

Jerry Herman's "Hello Dolly!" greets the spring April 15-May 17, 2015. Based on Thornton Wilder's "The Merchant Of Yonkers" (later revised to "The Matchmaker"), it won Best Musical, Best Book of A Musical, Best Score, and seven other Tony Awards in 1964. It's all about sassy and brassy Dolly Levi who travels to Yonkers searching for Horace Vandergelder. She stirs up the lives of his niece and his two store clerks as she manipulates the proceedings. Songs include "Before The Parade Passes By", "It Takes A Woman", "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" and the familiar trumpet-laced title tune. 

Media Music Theatre Company is the non-profit producing arm of award-winning professional productions at The Media Theatre. For two decades, the venue has offered both classic and contemporary titles. Subscriptions are available for the 2014-15 Broadway Series season by phone call only until February 17. 
After President's Day subscriptions will be available online at www.mediatheatre.org. Call 610-891-0100 for information. Jesse Cline is the Artistic Director.