Suze’s Prescott Center for the Arts offers fun-filled performances in two unique theater experiences
The PCA Cabaret
MAN OF LA MANCHA
by Dale Wasserman, Music by Mitch Leigh, Lyrics by Joe Darion
One of the world’s most popular musicals, inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ 17th-century masterwork Don Quixote, is set during the Spanish Inquisition. This classic musical celebrates the power of theatre, the bravery of holding strong to our dreams, and the resilience of imagination.
September 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, and 30 at 7:30 p.m.
September 17 and 24 and October 1 at 2 p.m.
OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MURDER
by Fred Carmichael
Peter Knight is grinding out a murder story in an old mansion where another author was murdered years before. A weird electrical storm effects a cosmic snafu and his characters come to life. There’s the lovely ingenue, the trusty butler, and a feisty character woman. Can Peter find the killer before it’s too late? Where is the fortune mentioned in the will? All is solved ingeniously with romance, suspense, and cosmic wit.
October 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 at 7:30 p.m.
October 22 and 29 at 2 p.m.
SHE LOVES ME
by Joe Masteroff, Music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Considered by many to be the most charming musical ever written, She Loves Me is a warm romantic comedy with an endearing innocence and a touch of old-world elegance.
Set in a 1930s European perfumery, we meet shop clerks, Amalia and Georg, who, more often than not, don’t see eye to eye. After both respond to a “lonely hearts advertisement” in the newspaper, they now live for the love letters that they exchange, although the identity of their admirers remains unknown.
November 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, and 18 at 7:30 p.m.
November 12 and 19 AT 2 p.m.
LIGHTS
by Michael Grady
An angel of the Lord appears to Leonard Tchernik and tells the retired father of three that God wants an enormous holiday lights display on his roof. By building it, Len will win divine favor and capture the true spirit of Christmas. But first, he must work a different miracle: getting along with his family.
December 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16 at 7:30 p.m.
December 10 and 17 at 2 p.m.
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
by Joseph Kesselring
This famous comedy was a smash hit in New York and remains one of the most popular plays to this day! Drama critic Mortimer Brewster’s engagement announcement is upended when he discovers a corpse in his elderly aunts’ window seat. Mortimer rushes to tell Abby and Martha, only to learn that the two old women aren’t just aware of the dead man in their parlor, they killed him! Between his aunts’ penchant for poisoning wine, some wacky relatives — not to mention Mortimer’s own hesitancy about marriage — it’ll be a miracle if Mortimer makes it to his wedding. Arsenic and Old Lace is a classic black comedy about the only thing more deadly than poison: family.
January 25, 26, and 27, and February 1, 2, and 3 at 7:30 p.m.
January 28 and February 4 at 2 p.m.
CRIMES OF THE HEART
by Beth Henley
The scene is Hazlehurst, Mississippi, where the three Magrath sisters have gathered to await news of the family patriarch, their grandfather, who is living out his last hours in the local hospital. Their troubles, grave and yet, somehow, hilarious, are highlighted by their priggish cousin, Chick, and by the awkward young lawyer who tries to keep Babe out of jail while helpless not to fall in love with her.
February 22, 23, 24, and 29 and March 1, 2, and 3 at 7:30 p.m.
February 25, and March 3 at 2 p.m.
SHERLOCK HOLMES: FINAL ADVENTURE
by Steven Dietz
The world’s greatest detective has seemingly reached the end of his remarkable career when a case too tempting to ignore presents itself. With his trusted companion, Doctor Watson, at his side, Sherlock Holmes pursues first the case, and then the affections of Miss Adler — and in doing so, marches right into the lair of his longtime adversary.
March 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, and 30 at 7:30 p.m.
March 24 and 31 at 2 p.m.
THE LION KING JR.
Music and lyrics by Tim Rice and Elton John
Based on the 1994 Disney animated feature film of the same name and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Lion King is the story of Simba, an adventurous and energetic lion cub who is next in line to be king of the Pride Lands, a thriving and beautiful region in the African savanna. The Pride Lands experiences a darkness and desolation from which only Simba can save the animals of the kingdom.
April 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, and 20 at 7:30 p.m.
April 14 and 21 at 2 p.m.
BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS
by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson, Music and Lyrics by Carol Hall
This happy-go-lucky view of small-town vice and statewide political side-stepping recounts the good times and the demise of the Chicken Ranch, known since the 1850s as one of the better pleasure palaces in all of Texas. Governors, senators, mayors, and even victorious college football teams frequent Miss Mona’s cozy bordello, until that Puritan nemesis Watchdog focuses his television cameras and his righteous indignation on the institution.
May 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, and 31 and June 1 at 7:30 p.m.
May 19, 26 and June 2 at 2 p.m.
The Studio Theater
THE NERD
by Larry Shue
When an unexpected party guest turns into an unwanted house guest, Willum executes an elaborate plan to rid himself of the wacky nuisance. Aided by a rag-tag team that includes friends, a would-be lover, and an oblivious boss, creative acts of desperation quickly dissolve into utter mayhem and merriment. The twists and turns of this madcap comedy lead to an ending that leaves you feeling happily hoodwinked!
September 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, and 30 at 7:30 p.m.
September 24 and October 1 at 2 p.m.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
by Mark Landon Smith
Run! Hide! Lock the doors! After a NASA probe contaminated with mysterious radiation crashes to Earth, the recently deceased begin to rise again, and boy, are they hungry! They may be out to eat the living, but these walking dead are rampant with wit and sarcasm — certainly a breed above your garden-variety undead. Based on the cult classic film by George A. Romero, this zombie-thon is a delightfully skewed send-up of one of the most beloved science fiction genres of all time.
October 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, and 21 AT 7:30 p.m.
October 15 and 22 at 2 p.m.
PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE
by Neil Simon
This classic play, written in 1971, by one of the world’s most celebrated, and widely performed playwrights, still resonates today. Mel Edison has definitely had better days. The summer heat is unbearable, the air-con is on the blink, the noisy neighbors are driving him crazy, his high-stress job is about to vanish, and the television news is getting weirder by the second. Luckily Edna, his loving and supportive wife, is a beacon of hope and sanity. But not for long…!
January 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, and 20 at 7:30 p.m.
January 14 and 21 at 2 p.m.
OTHER DESERT CITIES
by Jon Robin Baitz
Brooke Wyeth returns home to Palm Springs after a six-year absence to celebrate Christmas with her parents, her brother, and her aunt. Brooke announces that she is about to publish a memoir dredging up a pivotal and tragic event in the family’s history — a wound they don’t want reopened. In effect, she draws a line in the sand and dares them all to cross it.
This show contains content and language which may not be suitable for all ages.
February 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17 at 7:30 p.m.
THE LAST FIVE YEARS
Book, music, and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
An emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, the show’s unconventional structure consists of Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards while Jamie, the man, tells his story chronologically; the two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show.
March 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16 at 7:30 p.m.
March 10 and 17 at 2 p.m.
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF
by Edward Albee
George and Martha, the American theater’s most notoriously dysfunctional couple, have invited the young and naive Nick and Honey over for drinks. What begins as harmless patter escalates to outright marital warfare, with the provincial newcomers caught in the crossfire. We are thrilled to celebrate the 61st anniversary of the hilarious and harrowing play, arguably Edward Albee’s most famous and most vicious masterpiece.
April 15, 26, and 27, and May 2, 3, and 4 at 7:30 p.m.
April 28 and May 5 at 2 p.m.
Buy a Season Flex Pass and get a set of tickets (6 or 10) at a discounted price to then be assigned to any performances this season whenever you choose to redeem them. Visit www.pca-az.net for more information.