Theatre Under the Stars announced its 2020/21 season this morning.. If this were a baseball team we'd call it a lineup with a heavy reliance on tried and true veterans (Rock of Ages, Little Mermaid, South Pacific, Sister Act), a revitalized older player (1776) and a sixth player to be named later to the roster.
In its press release announcement, TUTS repeatedly drew attention to the fact that most of its shows are produced in Houston as opposed to the national tours that Broadway at the Hobby does and that TUTS used to do some of the time. 1776 is a pre-Broadway engagement, not a tour but not TUTS-produced. And it turns out the yet-to-be-named final show will be a touring show.
The season starts in September with 1776, a reimagining of the TonyAward ® -winning musical 1776 which is itself a retelling of the compromises that John Adams was willing to make — or not — to get the Declaration of Independence signed.
Whether you've seen the movie version or not, Rock of Ages offers '80s hits, big hair and what TUTS hopes will be a fun night out for everyone. Family-friendly Disney's The Little Mermaid will once again tell the love story of Ariel the mermaid and feature the songs "Under the Sea," "Kiss the Girl" and "Part of Your World."
Pulitizer Prize and multiple Tony Award winner South Pacific strikes a timely note with its story about the crippling limits imposed by prejudice against people from other countries. It's set in World War II, but ya know ...
Sister Act is another fun show with great songs and choreography as faux nun Deloris Van Cartier (described as a disco diva by TUTS) is on the run from the mob.
From TUTS:
1776
September 8 - 20 • The Hobby Center
Book by Peter Stone
Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards
Rock of Ages
October 20 - November 1 • The Hobby Center
Book by Chris D’Arienzo
Arrangements and Orchestrations by Ethan Popp
Directed & Choreographed by Jessica Hartman
Disney's The Little Mermaid
December 6 - 24 • The Hobby Center
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Glenn Slater and Howard Ashman
Book by Doug Wright
Directed by Dan Knechtges
South Pacific
February. 9 - 21, 2021 • The Hobby Center
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan
Sister Act
April 6 - 18, 2021 • The Hobby Center
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Glenn Slater
Book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner
Additional Book Material by Douglas Carter Beane
Directed & Choreographed by Dan Knechtges
For more information, visit tuts.com.