Elmira Little Theatre has announced the four of the five shows that will comprise its 2006-2007 season. A mixture of music, drama, and comedy featuring new and familiar shows, it is a season that is bound to delight all lovers of live theater. The first four shows for the coming year are: The Spitfire Grill, a musical based the movie of the same name that won the Audience Award at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival; Play It Again, Sam, the popular comedy by Woody Allen; the 20th anniversary edition of A Visit to the Golden Age of Radio; and Neil Simon's autobiographical comic romance Chapter Two. The fifth show that had been announced, Quarry Farm Tonight!, recently had to be withdrawn from the schedule. The May production will be announced soon on this site.

To coincide with this exciting season, ELT has developed a new Flex Subscription that allows subscribers to purchase five tickets that may be used in any quantity for any performances during the season at a significant discount off regular ticket prices.

The season kicks off in August with the annual musical that will be directed by Will Wickham who provided musical direction for this season's A Visit to the Golden Age of Radio. "The Spitfire Grill is a musical about change. It is the story of several residents of a village that is becoming a modern ghost town after the major industrial employer closes down," said Wickham. "It is a touching and powerful story that reflects on individual as well as community lives. It's a story that will resonate with audience members as well as hometowns everywhere."

The Spitfire Grill is a recent show that opened off-Broadway in the wake of 9/11 and may not be familiar to many people. Adapted from Lee David Zoltoff's award-winning film by James Valq and Fred Alley, its positive message was welcome following the events of the terrorist attack and the show was warmly received. When asked why he proposed this show to Elmira Little Theatre, Wickham replied, "Musicals to be thought of as lighter entertainment. As a director, The Spitfire Grill offers a unique opportunity to present not only fully realized and deeply emotional characters, but characters that change through the course of the production. Usually this is what you'd expect of a drama. It isn't always available in musical theater." That doesn't mean that the show is heavy. Audiences will not come away from the show feeling depressed.

October brings us Play It Again, Sam directed by Jerry Holleran. Holleran is familiar with Elmira audiences as an actor, having appeared in many ELT productions, including last fall's The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. He also wrote and directed "Rendezvous with Destiny: The Eddie O'Hare Story" that was a segment in this year's A Visit to the Golden Age of Radio. When asked to describe his concept for staging Woody Allen's classic comedy, Holleran said, "Humphrey Bogart is a post war American pop culture icon. He's the personification of the macho male, with his trench coat and attitude, bullets and bourbon. Now take this icon and drop him into the 1970's with bellbottoms, paisley shirts, open relationships, and long hair. I see Play It Again, Sam as a clash of American cultures united by the common theme of love." With an enthusiastic grin, Holleran then shared more of his vision for the show, "With Christine Gill as artistic designer, we'll use music, clothing, hairstyles and memorabilia to recreate the 1970's. Then, with a dynamic cast, we'll bring Bogart to life and let the comedy do the talking. I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to be a lot of fun for me, for the cast and crew, and especially the audience."

This will be Holleran's second time directing a full show for Elmira Little Theatre, having directed their recent production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and is looking forward to the opportunity. "Over the years, I've directed eleven productions for four different theater groups. In my experience, few community theater groups can match ELT's wealth of talent. I'm honored to be a part of ELT's rich heritage." Play It Again, Sam will be presented at Mandeville Hall in October of 2006.

The 20th anniversary production of ELT's popular A Visit to the Golden Age of Radio - "A Galaxy of Stars" will be presented in January of 2007. "I want to make our 20th Visit something really special," said director Gary Yoggy, who began ELT's annual tradition with a re-creation of War of the Worlds. "Next season I'm re-creating a broadcast of NBC's 'The Big Show' which was a ninety minute variety extravaganza that broadcast weekly from 1950-52. Our production will feature local performers impersonating such celebrities as Tallulah Bankhead (who was the hostess of the show), Fred Allen, Groucho Marx, Baby Snooks, Jimmy Durante, Abbott and Costello, Mae West, W.C. Fields, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, and more. I'm going to build the variety show portion of the program around the talents of the performers who audition. In addition to 'The Big Show' there will also be a surprise celebrity guest and at least one dramatic re-creation."

For 2007 A Visit to the Golden Age of Radio - "A Galaxy of Stars" will be presented in January so it may take advantage of Mandeville Hall before the Clemens Center begins renovations. "This was a tough decision for me," Yoggy admitted. "People are used to the Radio Show being in the spring, but I love the facilities at Mandeville Hall, so we decided to move the show up. I hope the cold weather won't keep people away!" Performance dates for A Visit to the Golden Age of Radio will be in January of 2007.

Neil Simon is one of America's best-known and best-loved playwrights. In February 2007, Mike Lavarnway will direct the first of Simon's autobiographical comedies, Chapter Two. "I came across Chapter Two quite by accident," Lavarnway admitted, "but once I began reading, I was hooked until the end. I found the script to be both hilariously funny and tenderly sentimental. Neil Simon has a real talent for quick, intelligent repartee, and though I am a quiet reader normally, I found myself laughing out loud at several points. It is said that comedy is very serious work, but I look forward to the prospect of working with a small cast to really develop the characters within this wonderful play."

Lavarnway directed ELT's recent production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap that was a hit with audiences. When asked about the challenge going from directing a murder mystery to a romantic comedy, Lavarnway said, "I'm eager to depart from drama/suspense and try my hand with this intimate comedy by America's premier playwright." Chapter Two will be performed at Mandeville Hall in February of next year.

ELT's final show for the 2006-2007 season was originally announced as Quarry Farm Tonight! Unfortunately, this show has had to be withdrawn from the schedule. ELT will announce the May production soon. Please visit this site often for updated information.

Something introduced for the 2006-2007 ELT season is the new Flex Subscription. "We found that we had many subscribers who might be out of town for a show and didn't get to use their season tickets," explained ELT President Judy Mordue. "With the regular subscription that included one ticket for each show, if you missed a show, you lost the opportunity to use the ticket you'd already paid for. Now, with the Flex Subscription, you pay a discounted price and receive five tickets that can be used at any time, in any quantity, for any show during the season. We think this will be a great advantage for some subscribers who sometimes have to go out of town during one of our productions. However, for people who'd like to stick to the one ticket per show subscription, that is still available." You may download a PDF version of the ELT Season Brochure here that includes a subscription form, or find one at various locations throughout town, including the Clemens Center.You may also call 607-732-9616 to request that a Season Brochure be mailed to you.

With five excellent shows waiting in the wings, Elmira Little Theatre's 2006-2007 season promises to be filled with laughter, drama, and great music.