On with the shows Cresson Lake Playhouse's new season offers diverse lineup

May 14—CRESSON, Pa. — A mix of stage shows will entertain patrons when the curtain rises on Cresson Lake Playhouse's 2022 season.

Paul Seymour, the playhouse's artistic director, said that it's great to be back offering a full schedule after having to cancel the 2020 season and having limited shows in 2021.

"We've had wonderful energy, and the support we've received has been tremendous," he said.

"I've never gone into a season feeling so excited, and I think audiences will have a wonderful time."

Seymour said the season is diverse and offers something for everyone.

"We don't like to shy away from newer works because that exposes our audiences to something different and something they might not know, but we also enjoy leaning on some of the traditional shows," he said.

"In planning the season, I was very concerned with variety. Each show is its own thing. If you're a season ticket-holder, you'll experience something — new, something large and epic and smaller-scale musicals and plays."

Prior to the season starting, the playhouse will present "Crooners and Country Cabaret" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through May 21 and 2 p.m. May 22.

The show will present the music of Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee and country stars Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton.

Performers include Josh Duman and Megan Dumm, of Ebensburg; Scott Getz, of Revloc; Kelly Devett, of Johnstown; and Rick Herbster, an Altoona native.

"We looked at the singers who would appeal to our audience and decided on these five artists," Seymour said.

"There was no existing jukebox musical that included these five singers, so we decided to write one ourselves. It's not a musical that tells a story, but it gives biographical information on each of the singers."

Tickets range from $12 to $16.

The mainstage season will kick off June 16 through 25 with the musical comedy "Nunsense."

What happens when a nun accidentally poisons 52 of her sisters with her cooking and then has to bury them all?

A crazy whirlwind ensues in which the sisters decide that the best way to raise the money for the funeral costs is to put on a variety show, so they take over the school auditorium, which is currently set up for the eighth-grade production of "Grease."

Here we meet Reverend Mother Regina, a former circus performer; Sister Mary Hubert, the mistress of novices; a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Anne; Sister Mary Leo, a novice who is a wannabe ballerina; and the delightfully wacky Sister Mary Amnesia, the nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head.

"This is our nod to a more traditional comedy musical, and it has been around for many years," Seymour said.

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" will be staged July 26 through Aug. 6.

The production tells the story of Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bell-ringer of Notre Dame, and his desire to one day be a part of the outside world.

When he summons the courage to attend the Feast of Fools, he meets Esmeralda, a compassionate gypsy who protects him from an angry mob.

At the same time, Quasimodo's master, the archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, and the new captain of the guard, Phoebus de Martin, fall in love with the beautiful girl.

Adding to Quasimodo's struggle is his punishment by derision from Frollo, who has subjected him to years of psychological abuse.

As the three vie for Esmeralda's attention, Frollo embarks on a mission to destroy the gypsies and it's up to Quasimodo to save them all.

"This is the largest-scale musical that the playhouse has ever done, and there will be a cast of 38 — 19 actors and a 19-person choir on stage the entire show," Seymour said.

"We also have an expert costume designer, Laura Hanchar, who has been working on these costumes for a couple years. When she costumes a show, the costumes themselves become characters, and they are beautiful, evolved and intricate."

The fast-paced whodunit "The 39 Steps" will be presented Sept. 6 through 11.

In "The 39 Steps," a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she's a spy.

When he takes her home, she is murdered.

Soon, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on the man's trail in a nationwide manhunt that concludes in a death- defying finale.

"This is an Alfred Hitchcock, and it's a wonderful play that we're excited about," Seymour said.

"It will be attractive to our audience because it's a fun mystery."

The season will conclude with "Almost Maine" on Oct. 11 through 16.

On one deeply cold and magical midwinter night, the citizens of Almost — not organized enough for a town, too populated for a wilderness — experience the life-altering power of the human heart.

Relationships end, begin or change beyond recognition as strangers become friends, friends become lovers and lovers turn into strangers.

Propelled by the mystical energy of the aurora borealis and populated with characters who are humorous, plain-spoken, thoughtful and sincere, "Almost Maine" is a series of loosely connected tales about love, each with a compelling couple at its center, each with its own touch of sorcery.

"This is one of my personal favorite plays, and it's a lovely smaller play that highlights couples and tells about different kinds of love," Seymour said.

"It's very sweet and poignant and really beautiful."

He hopes patrons will see the value in community theater.

"If it's well-produced and well-done, it can be every bit as impactful as a professional theater experience," Seymour said.

"We hope they experience the same kind of thrill that any professional theater can give them."