MainStage Board of Directors President Steven Merritt states, “Our 2021-2022 season was an incredible reminder of just how much live theater means to this community. We are so thankful for the generosity of our patrons, donors and the Irving Arts Board as we returned to in-person performances.” Merritt continues, “We’re excited to bring you five powerful pieces of theatre as part of our 2022-2023 season. From classic musicals to modern comedies, there’s something that everyone will enjoy. We hope you’ll join us for our spectacular 50th Season entitled ‘Curtain Up! Light the Lights!’”
Season tickets and flex passes range from $85-$110 and will be available for purchase on July 10 at the Irving Arts Center Box Office (www.IrvingArtsCenter.com • 972-252-2787). Single tickets to all performances on the 2022-2023 season will go on sale at the Irving Arts Center Box Office on September 15.
All performances will take place in the Dupree Theater at Irving Arts Center.
For ticketing questions, please call the Irving Arts Center Box Office or e-mail at admin@mainstageirving.com.
GYPSY
November 4-19, 2022
Book by Arthur Laurents | Music by Jule Styne | Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Michael Serrecchia
Music Directed by Scott A Eckert
Choreographed by Megan Kelly Bates
Everything’s Coming Up Roses” with GYPSY - the ultimate tale of an ambitious stage mother fighting for her daughters' success while secretly yearning for her own. Set in 1920s and 30s America, when vaudeville was dying and burlesque was born, this landmark musical explores the world of two-bit show business with brass, humor, heart, and sophistication. This musical jewel of Broadway’s Golden Age includes hit songs such as "Let Me Entertain You", "You Gotta Have a Gimmick", and "Everything's Coming Up Roses". “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” with this quintessential American musical!
ADA AND THE ENGINE
January 20-February 4, 2023
By Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Raven Lawes
Jane Austen meets Steve Jobs in this poignant pre-tech romance heralding the computer age! As the British Industrial Revolution dawns, young Ada Byron Lovelace (daughter of the flamboyant and notorious Lord Byron) sees the boundless creative potential in the “analytic engines” of her friend and soul mate Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer. Together, they envision a whole new world where art and information converge—a world Ada might not live to see. A music-laced tale of love, friendship, and dreams!
INTIMATE APPAREL
March 10-25, 2023
by Lynn Nottage
Directed by Dennis Raveneau
Set in 1905 in turn-of-the-century New York, INTIMATE APPAREL tells the story of Esther, an African-American woman who makes her living sewing beautiful corsets and ladies’ undergarments. Seeking love and romance, Esther eventually embarks on a letter-writing relationship with a mysterious suitor laboring on the Panama Canal. But when he moves to New York and their marriage begins to take an unhappy turn, Esther realizes that only her self-reliance and certainty of her own worth will see her through life’s challenges. A story of self-discovery stitched together with love!
THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
May 5-20, 2023
Book by Craig Lucas | Music and Lyrics by Adam Guettel
Directed by Bruce R. Coleman
Music Directed by Victoria Nooe
Summer 1953: Margaret Johnson, an elegant and strong-willed Southern woman, has taken her daughter, Clara, on a vacation to Italy. When a gust of wind blows Clara’s hat right into the hands of a young Italian gentleman, neither age nor language nor familial disapproval can stop their whirlwind love affair. As Clara and Fabrizio fall into each other’s arms, Margaret must grapple with the question of whether to disclose Clara’s devastating secret to Fabrizio’s warm, passionate Italian family. With soaring operatic melodies, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA is a story about mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and the deeply intertwined emotions of love and loss. A lush, romantic musical that will sweep you away to Italy!
THE UNDERPANTS
July 14-29, 2023
By Steve Martin
Directed by B.J. Cleveland
Legendary comedian and writer Steve Martin pens this riotously funny farce. Newly married Louise is bored with her demanding and uptight bureaucrat husband. One day, at the royal parade, she jumps up on a bench to see the king go by, and oops—wardrobe malfunction!—her bloomers fall down around her ankles. Her husband is frantic that her faux pas will cost him his job and reputation. Suddenly, the room they’ve been trying to rent out has plenty of takers, and it just might have something to do with…THE UNDERPANTS. A riotously funny farce that’s wild, witty, and wonderfully absurd!