" The Near West Theatre presentation...in some respects surpassed the Big Apple production with raw energy and enthusiasm ...(NWT has) taught these young adults some very exciting things about theater, creativity, and expressing what's deep inside, and some very valuable lessons about life."

Scene Magazine

The Who’s Tommy
Music and Lyrics by Pete Townshend
Book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff
Additional Music and Lyrics by John Entwistle and Keith Moon
Originally Produced on Broadway by PACE THEATRICAL GROUP and DODGER PRODUCTIONS with Kardana Productions

**2 Weekends Only**
May 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17 & 18, 2008

Curtain time: Thursday, Friday and Saturday @ 7:30pm
Sunday @ 3:00pm

“Listening to you, I get the music;
Gazing at you, I get the heat.
Following you, I climb the mountain;
I get excitement at your feet.”

Peter Townshend’s tale of a young boy’s journey from pain to triumph is the most electrifying evening of rock and roll ever to play in a theatre!  After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia, and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors. As an adolescent, he’s discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar.

The classic '60s rock opera by The Who includes the songs
“Acid Queen”, “Pinball Wizard” and “See me, Feel Me.”

 

Seussical Jr.
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
Co-Conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and Eric Idle
Based on the Works of Dr. Seuss
Music Supervised, Adapted and Produced by Bryan Louiselle

June 12, 13, 14 & 15, 2008

Curtain time: Friday and Saturday @ 7:30pm
Sunday @ 3:00pm

“If you open your mind,
Oh, the thinks you will find
Lining up to get loose...
Oh, the thinks you can think
When you think about Seuss!”

So says the mischievous Cat in the Hat at the onset of this fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza! Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie and all of the Whos of Whoville!

These classic, colorful tales are seamlessly brought together by Jojo, a young boy and “thinker of strange and wonderful thinks”! As each story unfolds you will marvel at how relevant and profound Seuss’s subtle themes are; making this musical one that appeals to all ages.  The songs are a Seussian gumbo of musical styles, ranging from Latin to pop, swing to gospel, and R&B to funk!

 

West Side Story
Based on a Conception of Jerome Robbins
Book by Arthur Laurents
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Entire Original Production Directed and Choreographed by Jerome Robbins
Originally Produced on Broadway by Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince by Arrangement with Roger L. Stevens

July 18, 19, 24, 25, 26
August 1, 2 & 3, 2008

Curtain time: Thursday, Friday and Saturday @ 7:30pm
Sunday @ 3:00pm

“We’ll find a new way of living.
We’ll find a way of forgiving…
Somehow, someday, somewhere.”

Hot moves.  Cool tunes.  Homeboys and immigrants fighting for life, love and the pursuit of happiness.  Fueled by theater geniuses Bernstein, Sondheim, Robbins and Laurents, the world’s greatest love story takes to the streets in this landmark 1957 ground-breaking  musical theater classic.   Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet” spills into modern day New York City, as two young idealistic lovers find themselves caught between warring street gangs, the “American” Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice makes this show still one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching and relevant musical dramas of our time.

Songs include “Tonight”, “America”, “I Feel Pretty” and “Somewhere”.

 

 

 

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