RECENTLY ANNOUNCED: Cats, Frozen and more, promised for upcoming season at Proctors, Capital Rep

Break a leg.

The popular idiom that theater actors and performers say to wish one another good luck before heading onstage. But it seems that in the upcoming 2019-2020 Proctors and Capital Repertory Theatre seasons, audiences would ironically have to break a calendar too to enjoy all the plays, musicals and performances planned for the Capital District.

The duo-lineup, for Proctors in Schenectady and the REP in Albany, was first announced on Monday, March 4 in a bash event to get local theater-worshipping and casual viewers alike excited for the new year.

Proctors

At Proctors, families will get to witness pop cultural animated joy come to life with “The SpongeBob Musical” from Sept. 22 to 28, 2019 and Disney’s “Frozen” from Nov. 10 to 24, 2019, both of which seem poised to attract large crowds. Concerning the former, while the original

Nickelodeon TV show’s creator, Stephen Hillenburg, passed away in November 2018, the hunger to revisit Bikini Bottom still seems unwavering, especially since the recent controversial Super Bowl LIII’s halftime show featured footage of a SpongeBob episode as a tribute to him. Regarding the latter, “Frozen” has seen a resurgence in national interest, particularly from the film’s sequel’s teaser trailer back on Feb. 13 which was viewed 116.4 million times within the first day alone. Speaking of which, “Frozen II” is planned for release in cinemas on Nov. 22, hence Proctors would be able to take advantage of the expected holiday family crowds too.

While both “The SpongeBob Musical” and Disney’s “Frozen” are also commencing their national tours at Proctors and are being teched there, the remainder of Proctors’ lineup are acclaimed productions, having either received multiple Tony Awards or nominations throughout their runs so far.

The winter season will feature “The Band’s Visit” from Dec. 31, 2019 to Jan. 5, 2020 which has won 10 Tony Awards and a Grammy, and was based on a same-named 2007 Israeli film. Set in a mundane Israeli desert town devoid of music and excitement, a local cafe owner ends up taking in a band of lost Egyptian musicians who then start to reignite passion and love in the air.

While it may seem too early to plan for Valentine’s Day next year, Proctors offers “Fiddler on the Roof” from Feb. 18 to 23, 2020 as an evening-out option. Revolving around a Jewish father of five daughters in 1905-era Imperial Russia, he begins to wrestle with his daughters’ headstrong behaviors, and outside influences that threaten his traditions, including the Tsar who wants to evict Jews from their homes.

The remaining three productions are “SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical” from Mar. 24 to 29, 2020; “Hello Dolly!” from May 5 to 10, 2020; and “Dear Evan Hansen” from June 9 to 14, 2020. The first two are based on real-life late talents: Donna Summer who rocked the music charts in the late 20th century, and director/choreographer Gower Champion who won eight Tony Awards for some of his works from 1949 to 1981. The last production chronicles the story of a teenager with social anxiety disorder who struggles to fit in with his peers.

There are also two subscriber exclusives: “The Play That Goes Wrong” from Apr. 7 to 12, 2020; and “Cats!” from Apr. 28 to May 3, 2020.

Capital Repertory Theatre

“Lobby Hero,” a story about a 27-year-old security guard who gets caught in a local murder investigation, will commence the REP 2019-2020 season, staying in town from Sept. 27 to Oct. 20, 2019.

Relive how radio once dominated the world as the primary medium of communication with “It’s a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theater” from Nov. 22 to Dec. 22, 2019. The stage will light up as a live, 1940s radio broadcast, where voice characters, sound effects and music will convene. The audience would also be transported with the next two productions: “Your Best One” from Jan. 17 to Feb. 9, 2020, and “The Irish and How They Got That Way” from Mar. 6 to Apr. 5, 2020, which are set in Manhattan and an Irish pub respectively.

The season would conclude with the nostalgic music-comedy hit, “Sister Act” from July 10 to Aug. 16, 2020 which is based on the 1992 same-named film which had starred Whoopi Goldberg. Lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier is forcibly placed in protective custody in a convent after witnessing a murder, in order to evade possible assassins who wish to hush her. Her vivacious disposition would clash with the nuns but she starts warming up to them after realizing she could improve the all-nun choir.

For information, visit proctors.org.