A sneaky bank robber, a parlor mystery, a marriage from the sea: The newly announced 76th season at the Alley Theatre features an eclectic lineup of the classic, the new and the newly imagined. With the pandemic playing havoc over the last few years of live arts and entertainment, the Alley, one of the country’s most prestigious regional companies, is hoping above all for some fun.
“I feel like the last few years have been pretty rough for a lot of people,” Alley artistic director Rob Melrose said in an interview. “We really felt the need for people to gather and laugh and enjoy life again.”
To that end, the Alley plans a mix of world premieres, revamped favorites and other works from playwrights old and new. Among the highlights:
Season-opener “Clue,” the whodunnit charmer based on the popular movie, written by Sandy Rustin with additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price.
Edward Albee’s Pulitzer-winning “Seascape,” in which the “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” playwright imagines a meeting between an older married couple and a pair of sea creatures, all of them facing turning points and trying to figure out what’s next.
“Cowboy Bob,” a world premiere musical (music and lyrics by Jeanna Phillips, book and additional lyrics by Molly Beach Murphy), about a nice woman who turns into a bank robber with the help of a fake beard, sunglasses and ten-gallon-hat.
“Torera,” also a world premiere, written by Monet Hurst-Mendoza, about a female bullfighter in Mexico butting up against societal expectations.
Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott’s adaptation of “The Odyssey,” in which the playwright adds tones and rhythms from his Caribbean roots to Homer’s timeless tale of a warrior’s long journey home.
Melrose’s goals for the coming season, aside from completing it without interruption, are to maintain the Alley’s high standards established over the last several decades, and to reflect Houston’s diversity with what it presents on the stage.
“If Houston is everybody’s city, how do we make the theater more inclusive so that all the people of Houston feel represented?” Melrose asks. “That means the people who are writing the plays, the people who are acting in the plays, and the people who are designing the plays. We want the theater to really look like Houston.”
Here is the full schedule. For more information, visitalleytheatre.org.
“Clue”:July 22 - Aug. 28 in the Hubbard Theatre. Written by Sandy Rustin with additional Material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price. Directed by Brandon Weinbrenner.
“借给我一个女高音”（世界首映）：9月16日 - 10月9日在哈伯德剧院。由Ken Ludwig撰写。由Eleanor Holdridge指导。
“Seascape”:10月14日 - 11月13日在Neuhaus剧院。由Edward Albee撰写。由Nathan Winkelstein指导。
“圣诞节卡罗尔”（世界首映式适应）：Nov. 18 - Dec. 30 in the Hubbard Theatre. Written by Charles Dickens. Adapted and directed by Rob Melrose.
“What-A-Christmas!” (world premiere):Dec. 2 - Dec. 24, in the Neuhaus Theatre. Written by Isaac Gómez. Directed by KJ Sanchez.
TBA, Jan. 20 - Feb. 12, 2023, in the Hubbard Theatre.
“牛仔鲍勃”：March 3 - March 26, 2023, in the Hubbard Theatre. Music and Lyrics by Jeanna Phillips, book and additional lyrics by Molly Beach Murphy. Directed by Annie Tippe.
“奥德赛”：March 24 - April 23, 2023, in the Neuhaus Theatre. Written by Derek Walcott. Directed by Christopher Windom.
“Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily”:4月il 14 - May 7, 2023, in the Hubbard Theatre. Written by Katie Forgette. Directed by Brandon Weinbrenner.
“Torera” (world premiere):5月12日 - 6月11日，2023年，在Neuhaus剧院。由Monet Hurst-Mendoza撰写。由Tatiana Pandiani指导。
“The Servant of Two Masters” (世界预言法）：6月9日 - 7月2日，2023年，在哈伯德剧院。由Rob Melrose翻译，调整和指导。来自Carlogoldoni的原始游戏。
“仲夏夜之梦”：Jan. 23 - Feb. 5, 2023, throughout the Houston community. Written by William Shakespeare, directed by Rob Melrose.
Chris Vognar is a Houston-based writer.