Blithe Spirit
A ghostly comedy by Noel Coward
Directed by James Douglass
Oct 5-7 & 12-14, 2017 at 7 PM
The smash comedy hit of the London and Broadway stages, this classic offers up cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine, re-married but haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the clever and insistent Elvira who is brought back to this world by one Madame Arcati, a visiting and annoyingly “happy medium.” The problem is only Charles can see or hear Elvira, which makes for hilarious misunderstandings and misdirected mayhem in the Condomine household.
Winner! 2009 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Revival
"Can still keep an audience in a state of tickled contentment" - Ben Brantley, The New York Times, 2009
"A world-class comedy" - TheaterMania.com, 2009
Mayhem & Murder at Manchester Manor
A Murder Mystery where you and your friends play the detective!
Written and directed by Suzie Hansen
Dec. 28 & 29, 2017
Social Hour: 6 p.m.
Includes Appetizers and One Drink Ticket for the first drink on us.
Performance: 7 p.m
Featuring music by Ravensfire.
Fundraiser Tickets: $45
Suzie Hansen's original murder mysteries have been popular with Rochester audiences for years! Each has raised funds for fantastic organizations like the Elder Network and Boys and Girls Club. Now, Suzie has penned an original mystery for some of your favorite Absolute actors as a fundraiser for ABSOLUTE THEATRE. Two nights only with food and beverages. Grab your detective notebooks, this event will add a little whodunit to your holiday season.
THE rOBBEr BriDEgroom
A Bluegrass Musical
Book and Lyrics by Alfred Uhry
Music by Robert Waldman
Directed by Suzie Hansen
Featuring the Sawtooth Brothers
Performs on Rochester Civic Theatre's Main Stage
Jan 11-13 & 18-20, 2018 at 7 p.m.
Single Tickets: $25
A rousing, bawdy Southern fairytale is one of the only genuine bluegrass scores ever heard in a Broadway musical. Since opening on Broadway in 1975, The Robber Bridegroom has gone on to become a regional favorite. Set in eighteenth-century Mississippi, the show follows Jamie Lockhart, a rascally robber of the woods, as he courts Rosamund, the only daughter of the richest planter in the country. The proceedings go awry, however, thanks to a case of double-mistaken identity.
SEX WITH STRANGErS
By Laura Eason
Directed by Eric Decker
April 12-14 and 19-21, 2018 at 7 p.m.
Performance Venue: Rochester Civic Theatre's Studio Theater
How far will you go to get what you want? Will you be the same person if you do? When twenty-something star sex blogger and memoirist Ethan tracks down his idol, the gifted but obscure forty-ish novelist Olivia, he finds they each crave what the other possesses.
“A twisty and timely two character drama about lust, love and the complex nature of identity in our digital-dominated era.” —The New York Times
“A thoughtful comedy about privacy and publicity. Eason offers resonant observations about how technology both eases and complicates relationships.” —The New Yorker
“Just like a page-turner, this smart comedy pulls you in and keeps you wondering what’s coming next…well-crafted, with sly wit and pitch perfect dialogue.”—New York Daily News. “Sexually and intellectually provocative…A hell of a lot of fun!” —The Hollywood Reporter
An Iliad
A drama by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare
Directed by Mark Hansen
May 24, 25, 26, 31, June 1, 2 at 7 p.m.
Performance Venue: Rochester Civic Theatre's Studio Theater
AN ILIAD is a modern-day retelling of Homer's classic. Poetry and humor, the ancient tale of the Trojan War and the modern world collide in this captivating theatrical experience.
"Intimate, unstuffy, timely, accessible—while preserving a sense of timelessness, and grandeur, [AN ILIAD] enthralls and pierces your heart with images of fallen warriors, bereft wives and parents, and the bitter landscape of a long, fruitless, uselessly barbaric war." —Seattle Times