Way Off Broadway Announces 25th Anniversary Season

Producers of The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre have unveiled its new 2018/2019 Season, which will also be the theatre's 25th Silver Anniversary Season. The curtain first rose on Way Off Broadway in 1995 with a production of Let the Good Times Roll. Since then, Way Off Broadway has produced over 100 productions, ranging from classic musicals to regional premieres.

For the theatre's 2018/2019 Season, producers have lined up some of the biggest names in musical theatre to be a part of the Silver Anniversary. Kicking off the season in September will be a new staging of the family favorite Annie, which first appeared at Way Off Broadway in 1997, followed by a second run in 2003. For the holidays, Way Off Broadway will present the original Christmas production Silver Bells, the theatre's silver anniversary Christmas show. To begin the new year, Gilligan's Island - The Musical will take to the stage, a hilarious adaptation of the iconic television series. Spring 2019 will welcome Lerner and Loewe's classic My Fair Lady, followed in the summer by the international sensation Mamma Mia!, featuring the music of ABBA.

"Not only is this a big anniversary for Way Off Broadway," says Justin M. Kiska, the theatre's President and Managing Director, "it's a huge season that has something for everyone. We can't be more excited for the 2018/2019 line up. We're already anticipating it to be one of Way Off Broadway's most successful seasons ever."

Performances are every Friday and Saturday evening, with matinees on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of each month. For the evening performances, doors open for dinner at 6:00 p.m. with the show beginning at 8:00 p.m. For the Sunday matinees, doors open at 12:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 2:15 p.m. Season tickets for 2018/2019 are now on sale and can be purchased by visiting the theatre or calling the Box Office at 301.662.6600.

ANNIE

September 14 - November 3, 2018

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City orphanage that is run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations . . . and even befriends President Franklin Roosevelt! She finds a new home and family in billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

Music by Charles Strouse

Lyrics by Martin Charnin

Book by Thomas Meehan

Based on Little Orphan Annie by permission of The Media Tribune Services, Inc.

Show Rating: G

SILVER BELLS

November 24 - December 22, 2018

It's time for Way Off Broadway's 25th Anniversary Christmas show! There's nothing more appropriate for a silver anniversary than Silver Bells. Always the most popular production of the season, Way Off Broadway's holiday show is full of Christmas cheer. Popular Christmas songs from the past and present are brought together in one fun-filled show the entire family will enjoy.

Written by Bill Kiska and Jordan B. Stocksdale

Show Rating: G

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND - The Musical

January 11 - March 9, 2019

Based on the iconic 60's TV comedy, seven castaways, shipwrecked on a remote Pacific island, build huts and begin to explore their surroundings. They discover strange hieroglyphics in a spooky cave, which speak of an ancient legend. The weather gets rough, Gilligan foils the best-laid of the castaway's rescue plans, romance develops, and the castaways have an out-of-this-world encounter! It's fun, wacky, and entertaining!

Music & Lyrics by Hope and Laurence Juber

Book by Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd J. Schwartz

Based on the television series GIlligan's Island created by Sherwood Schwartz

Show Rating: G

Lerner & Loewe's

MY FAIR LADY

March 22 - June 1, 2019

Eliza Doolittle is a young flower seller with an unmistakable Cockney accent which keeps her in the lower rungs of Edwardian society. When Professor Henry Higgins tries to teach her how to speak like a proper lady, an unlikely friendship begins to flourish. This Broadway classic features one of musical theatre's greatest scores, including "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?," "With a Little Bit of Luck," "The Rain in Spain," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "On the Street Where You Live," "Get Me to the Church on Time," and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face."

Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner

Music by Frederick Loewe

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw's play and Gabriel Pascal's motion picture Pygmalian

Show Rating: PG

MAMMA MIA!

June 14 - August 24, 2019

Over 60 million people have seen this worldwide phenomenon and for its 25th Anniversary Season, Way Off Broadway is bringing this international sensation to the Frederick stage for the very first time. ABBA's hits tell the hilarious story of a young woman's search for her birth father. This sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago.

Music & Lyrics Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson

Book by Catherine Johnson

Originally Conceived by Judy Craymer

Show Rating: PG

To learn more about The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre or any of its productions, visit www.wayoffbroadway.com.

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, under the direction of the Kiska Family since 2002, will celebrate its 25th Silver Anniversary during the 2018/2019 Season. Since it first opened in 1995, the theatre has been a leader in the area's theatre community, proudly bringing both classic musicals, as well as regional and area premieres to the Frederick stage. Productions have included Sister Act, Monty Python's Spamalot, Noises Off, The Addams Family, Les Misérable, Sunset Boulevard, Legally Blonde, Dolly Parton's 9 to 5: The Musical, The Music Man, Jekyll & Hyde, Hairspray, South Pacific, The Drowsy Chaperone, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, Mel Brooks' The Producers, CATS, The Wedding Singer, Evita, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, La Cage aux Folles, Guys & Dolls, Steel Magnolias, Annie, Bye Bye, Birdie, The King & I, ...Forum, Lend Me a Tenor, Joseph..., Blood Brothers, Mame, and 42nd Street. In addition to its regular season, Way Off Broadway produces a number of special events throughout the year including an annual Breakfast with Santa (and Mrs. Claus) and an interactive mysteries series. www.wayoffbroadway.com