Steel River Playhouse announces Spring 2022 Shows!

Steel River Playhouse is excited to announce our spring 2022 shows. According to Artistic Director Leena Devlin, “The remainder of our 2021-22 season is a combination of two shows that we ended up having to cancel last year and sprinkling in some fun new surprises. I am over the moon excited to welcome three new directors to Steel River as well as to tell stories that appeal to everyone. There are roles available for every age, gender, race, and body type! Come out and audition because we want you to Bring Who You Are!”

The fun begins on February 4th through 20th with Disenchanted! Poisoned apples. Glass slippers. Who needs ’em?! Not Snow White and her posse of disenchanted princesses in the hilarious hit musical that’s anything but Grimm. The original storybook heroines are none-too-happy with the way they’ve been portrayed in today’s pop culture so they’ve tossed their tiaras and have come to life to set the record straight. Forget the princesses you think you know – these royal renegades are here to comically belt out the truth. Written by Dennis T. Giancino and directed by Alicia Brisbois this show from Broadway Licensing is sure to leave you laughing.

Next up is The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940. The creative team responsible for a recent Broadway flop (in which three chorus girls were murdered by the mysterious “Stage Door Slasher”) assemble for a backer’s audition of their new show at the Westchester estate of a wealthy “angel.” The house is replete with sliding panels, secret passageways, and a German maid who is apparently four different people - all of which figure diabolically in the comic mayhem which follows when the infamous “Slasher” makes his reappearance and strikes again - and again. As the composer, lyricist, actors, and director prepare their performance, and a blizzard cuts off any possible retreat, bodies start to drop in plain sight, knives spring out of nowhere, masked figures drag their victims behind swiveling bookcases, and accusing fingers point in all directions. However, and with no thanks to the bumbling police inspector who snowshoes in to investigate, the mystery is solved in the nick of time and the “Slasher” unmasked - but not before the audience has been treated to a sidesplitting good time and a generous serving of the author’s biting, satiric, and refreshingly irreverent wit. All will be revealed in The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, from Dramatists Play Service. Running from March 11th through 20th it is written by John Bishop and directed by Liz McDonald.

Sweat takes the stage from April 22nd to May 1st. It was the winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Best New play. This story that takes place in Reading, PA is filled with warm humor and tremendous heart. Sweat tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs while working together on the factory floor. But when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in a heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat. From Dramatists Play Service this play is written by Lynn Nottage and directed by Reginald C. Brown.

Closing out our offerings is a musical based on the novel by the brilliantly batty Roald Dahl. Matilda is an extraordinary girl who, armed with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination dares to take a stand and change her destiny. She is a genius who is born into a less brilliant family. Her dad is a car salesman with a few scruples loose. Her mum is an amateur ballroom dancer who values looks over books. Not a great match for a girl who reads Dostoyevsky in the original Russian. Things only get worse when Matilda’s parents send her to a school at the ghastly Crunchem Hall. There she meets the tyrannical headmistress Miss Trunchbull. Forced with these ridiculously rotten circumstances Matilda bravely decides to take action. With the help of her friends and her kind-hearted teacher, Miss Honey, this miraculous girl inspires a little revolution. Proving that everyone has the power to change their story. The whole family will be enthralled with this story by Playwright Dennis Kelly and Lyricist Tim Minchin. Directed by Rebecca May Flowers, who is also co-Artistic Director at Azuka Theatre, the show runs May 27th through June 12th.

Auditions for Disenchanted! will take place October 20 and 21. Ticketing and future audition information for all shows will be posted at www.steelriver.org. Check our website for these and all our upcoming events. For more information about volunteer opportunities or other questions please email info@steelriver.org. We’re so happy to welcome you back to Steel River Playhouse!