PTC planning 7 productions

Listen up, theatergoers!

Pioneer Theatre Company has announced its 2008-09 season. "It's a big season, and it's one we think will have a very broad appeal," said Charles Morey, artistic director.

Offering theater classics, regional and world premieres, PTC has seven different reasons to get up off the couch and go see a show.

• "My Fair Lady": It has been 15 years since PTC has done the Lerner and Loewe classic. Many say its "the perfect musical," and Morey agrees. "It's the best musical of its genre, period. Best book, best score, most pertinent piece of musical theater ever written. Period."

Based on George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion," the musical was an instant hit on Broadway in 1956 and, with songs such as "Get Me to the Church on Time," "On the Street Where You Live," and the incomparable, "I Could Have Danced All Night," boasts one of Broadway's most memorable scores.

• "Noises Off": PTC hasn't done "Noises Off" for almost 20 years, but Morey describes it as "the best farce ever written" having become a staple of theater on all levels.

Written by Michael Frayn, "Noises Off" is a play-within-a-play, the story of what happens behind the scenes during a show. Frayn has commented that shows are sometimes "funnier from behind than in front."

It's hard to write about "Noises Off" without using the word "romp," but it is, and a fun one.

• "The Light in the Piazza": In 2005, a good chunk of Tony Awards went to this musical, and PTC is producing the regional premiere.

Based on the Elizabeth Spencer novella of the same name, "Piazza" tells the love story of Clara, a young American tourist, and an Italian, Fabrizio. Morey describes it as, "a lovely, uplifting love story."

The beautiful, lush, Tony-winning score for "Piazza" has a very classical feel and, when sung well, is exquisite. By the way, the composer/librettist is the grandson of Richard Rodgers (yes, that Rodgers, of Rodgers and Hammerstein.)

Morey thinks even though "Piazza" was not well-known, "it's one our audiences will really like."

• "The Yellow Leaf": This is the world premiere of Morey's latest play. An accomplished and award winning playwright, his works have been produced around the country in many regional theaters and festivals.