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"Bridges of Madison County" adapted by Marsha Norman and Jason Robert Brown from Robert James Waller, at Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles in 2016. Pictured: Elizabeth Stanley and Andrew Samonsky. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)
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SpeakEasy Stage Announces Regional Premieres for 2016–17 Season

The season’s shows explore faith, family, and finding purpose.

By American Theatre Editors

BOSTON: SpeakEasy Stage Company has announced its 2016–17 season, featuring contemporary musicals and plays.

“I am thrilled to begin the next chapter in SpeakEasy’s history with such a diverse and entertaining lineup that so clearly demonstrates our commitment to championing contemporary American plays and musicals,” said artistic director Paul Daigneault in a statement.

The season will begin with the regional premiere of Joshua Harmon’s Significant Other (Sept. 10–Oct. 8), a comedy about a man’s journey for love after his friends start to get married. Greg Maraio and Kathy St. George will star, and Daigneault will direct.

Next will be the regional premiere of The Scottsboro Boys (Oct. 22–Nov. 26), with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and book by David Thompson, about the shocking true story of nine African-American boys jailed in Alabama in 1931 for a crime they did not commit.  The cast will feature Maurice Emmanuel Parent, and Daigneault will direct.

Following will be the regional premiere of Hand to God (Jan. 7–Feb. 4, 2017), by Robert Askins, a dark comedy about a troubled teenager and his foul-mouthed sock puppet. Marianna Bassham will star, and David R. Gammons will direct.

The season will continue with the regional premiere of Heidi Schrek’s Grand Concourse (March 11–April 8, 2017), about a religious woman whose beliefs are challenged when a college dropout begins volunteering at the same soup kitchen in the Bronx. The cast will feature Melinda Lopez and Thomas Derrah, and Bridget Kathleen O’Leary will direct.

Next up will be the regional premiere of The Bridges of Madison County (May 6–June 3, 2017), with a book by Marsha Norman, and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, based on the novel by Robert James Waller. The musical follows a chance meeting between an Italian-American farm housewife and a photographer. The cast will feature Jennifer Ellis and Kerry A. Dowling, and M. Bevin O’Gara will direct.

SpeakEasy Stage Company, founded in 1992, brings cutting-edge musicals and plays to New England.

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