Fuse Productions presents adventurous season
Trending
STATE COLLEGE -- FUSE Productions announced the three musical attractions which comprise its 2017-2018 season.
Producing artistic director Richard Biever noted the shows selected are a "vibrant mix of classic and contemporary music theater productions and play readings."
All FUSE Main Stage productions will be staged at Penn State's Schwab Auditorium on the University Park campus.
The fully staged productions feature live musical accompaniment, and casts which include a mix of local actors, Penn State students, faculty and alumni, and professionals "from around the country."
As in previous years, FUSE Main Stage shows will be accompanied by a play reading series, musical theater cabarets and a children's musical.
"We have found our niche and are known for doing adventuresome pieces," said Biever. "And our upcoming season is no exception. We are thrilled to once again present works that are new shows or ones that are not frequently produced."
Main Stage
• "Fun Home" (Sept 21-23) -- Adapted from the graphic memoirs of lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel, the coming-of-age story focuses on the young girl struggling with her sexuality and her gay father. Untraditional in its staging, it is the first Broadway musical to have a lesbian as its protagonist. The setting is the Bechdel Funeral Home in nearby Beech Creek, where Alison grew up.
• "Merrily We Roll Along" (Feb. 22-24) -- This complex musical relates, in reverse chronological order, the artistic journey of a gifted composer, who leaves many friends and creative ideals behind in order to become a movie producer. Told almost entirely in a series of flashbacks that move backward in time, this musical is based upon a 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss hart.
• "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (June 21-24) -- One of many adaptations of the 1831 Victor Hugo novel about the disfigured bell ringer, FUSE's final musical follows Quasimodo, whose loyalties are tested in 15th Century Paris. With songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Swartz, the stage musical is a darker version of Walt Disney's 1991 animated movie. "We're delighted to collaborate once again with the State College Choral Society who will provide a choir to enhance our sound," Biever said.
In addition to individual ticket sales, for the first time, FUSE Productions is selling season tickets to its all-musical lineup.
For more information, call the box office at 814-380-8672 or visit fusepr oductions.org.