Virginia Repertory Theatre announces 70th anniversary season

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - For 70 years, Virginia Repertory Theatre has enhanced the arts community in Richmond, bringing the sights and sounds of Broadway to the Commonwealth. Virginia Rep is now one of Central Virginia’s largest professional performing arts organizations.

The non-profit theater company is excited to announce this year’s roster of shows. The 70th anniversary season will include a variety of comedic and dramatic plays and musicals for audiences to enjoy.

The “Signature Season” includes four shows that will be performed at the November Theater in Richmond throughout the year.

Signature Season

Chicken and Biscuits Sept. 29 - Oct. 30, 2022

The funniest sitcom that you will ever see on stage, “Chicken and Biscuits” is hot off its Broadway run. Virginia Rep is the first theater in the region to produce this runaway hit. Rival sisters prepare to bury their father, and a family secret is revealed at the church altar. This laugh-out-loud play will feed your soul as family drama spills out onto the Sunday dinner table

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley Nov. 25, 2022 - Jan. 1, 2023

Two years after the end of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the Bennet sisters and their spouses are celebrating the holidays with family at the Darcy estate. Mary Bennet, the bookish middle sister, isn’t in a festive mood. She is tired of missing out on romantic escapades. Will an unexpected guest give Mary the ultimate gift of love? Don’t miss this charming sequel.

After December March 2 - 26, 2023

When a particle collider deep beneath the earth’s surface malfunctions, a mysterious woman appears. She cannot say where she’s from or how she got here; she only knows that she is a poet. But when she gives voice to her strange and beautiful poems, reality itself begins to ripple and shift, becoming eerily unreliable. To the physicists, she’s an intriguing mystery; to the authorities, she’s a threat. Could both be right? Discover whether science can unravel the riddle of the poet in this exciting new play.

The Will Rogers Follies June 22 - Aug. 6, 2023

Snappy tunes, elaborate production numbers, rope tricks and comic sketches abound in this classic Broadway musical about the great American cowboy entertainer Will Rogers. Set against the backdrop of the Ziegfeld Follies, Rogers is an extraordinary host as he leads you through his life, from the family cattle ranch to his stunning rise to fame.

The company will also be producing three more shows at Hanover Tavern this year. This run of shows is typically called the “Hanover Season”, but will be returning to the original name — “Barksdale Season” — to honor the anniversary.

Barksdale Season

Steel Magnolias Oct. 14 - Nov.13, 2022

Join us at Truvy’s beauty parlor, and meet the six hilarious and heartwarming women of “Steel Magnolias,” whose antics in the salon will have you laughing through the tears. The ladies gossip and spar, but ultimately the strength of their bond is revealed as they stand by one another to face both the good times and bad.

A Broadway Christmas Dec. 2, 2022 - Jan. 1, 2023

Just in time for the holidays, the ensemble of musical theater all-stars has put together lively entertainment that celebrates the timeless Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa songs that were initially composed for and performed in Broadway, Hollywood and Virginia Rep musicals. Each song tells a story. Together, they will warm your heart and set your toes to tapping, while fascinating you with the backstage holiday stories of some of the most memorable theatre composers and practitioners of all time.

Oil City Symphony Mar. 24 - Apr. 30, 2023

From the creators of Pump Boys and Dinettes comes the knee-slapping and award-winning revue, “Oil City Symphony,” the story of four graduates who return to their alma mater to honor their beloved music teacher. Performing an eclectic program - ranging from the “1812 Overture” to “The Stars and Stripes Forever” to rock standards, sentimental favorites, and off-beat original songs - the four fill their tribute concert with good old-fashioned fun.

Virginia Rep is currently putting on “Mamma Mia!” through Aug. 7. Ticket information for that show and the anniversary season can be found here.

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