THE  ODD  COUPLE

by Neil Simon

Directed by Jack Stauffer

October 16 - November 1, 2009

We spent this last year focussing on the drama and relationships inherent in the American family.  This next season, however, we will be focussing primarily on...FUN!  In that vein, we will kick off Season 3 with a bang, staging one of the most beloved comedies ever written for the American stage.  The story of two men, newly divorced, good friends, but with extremely different habits and tastes.  An innocent card game quickly deteriorates into a disastrous plan for cohabitation that brings on smashed dishes, feared suicide attempts, and leggy blondes.  According to the New York Times, “there is scarcely a moment that is not hilarious!”  This playwright has graced the Hapgood stage before, in what is still our biggest hit to date...at least until October.   We are thrilled to kick off our third season with Neil Simon’s comedic masterpiece.

by Ray Leslee and John Jiler

Directed by Josy Miller

January 15 - 31, 2010

In January, the Hapgood takes an exciting new step - our first musical!  This a cappella doo wop show takes place in Brooklyn in 1963. The Italian Americans stay on one side of the street and the blacks on the other. Volatile issues and effectively nostalgic rock and roll history emerge when two youthful singers from different sides of the street put together an act for a talent show at the legendary Fox Theater. Twenty four musical numbers affectionately recreate the genuine sounds of the era, as the phenomenal score highlights the musical legacies of both traditions - including blues, jazz and gospel, opera and Italian folk songs - all intermingled in the 1950s rock and roll we love so well.  Centered in a clever, poignant libretto, this show is not to be missed. 

by Patrick Hamilton

Directed by Josy Miller

April 9 - 25, 2010

Then, another first!  In April, we will stage our first British import, an edge-of-your-seat murder mystery set in Victorian London.  Mrs. Manningham believes that she is slowly going insane, but faced with two different versions of the facts, one from her devoted husband and the other from a police detective she has never  met, reality begins to get much less clear.  Meanwhile, the secrets of the dimming gaslight and the mystery of the hidden rubies only intensify the conflict. In the midst of this thrilling plot line, the author builds up and sustains some of the most brilliant suspense in the modern theatre. A hit on stage both in London and New York, as well as in its two film incarnations.

by Aaron Sorkin

Directed by Josy Miller

June 11 - 27, 2010

We close the season in June with a dynamic courtroom drama from one of the most beloved writers of the contemporary stage and screen.  This Broadway hit about the trial of two Marines for complicity in the death of a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay sizzles on stage, as it did in the phenomenal film version starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise. The Navy lawyer, a callow young man more interested in softball games than the case, expects a plea bargain and a cover up of what really happened. Prodded by a female member of his defense team, the lawyer eventually makes a valiant effort to defend his clients and, in so doing, ends up with a case that has vastly resonating moral and implications and a “truth” he’s not sure he can handle.  Called "enormously entertaining", filled with "plenty of wise cracking humor and suspense", and featuring our largest cast yet, we are thrilled to close the season with this phenomenal show!