Penumbra's 'Dinah' kicks off Ordway's season

The 2004-05 theater season at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts includes the return of familiar titles, an American premiere and a partnership with Penumbra Theatre Company.

The Ordway's seven-show schedule kicks off this fall with a remount of Penumbra's "Dinah Was," a musical based on the life of blues great Dinah Washington.

The production was a lucrative hit at the beginning of this season for the financially strapped Penumbra; the transfer to the Ordway's McKnight Theatre fills a slot that would usually be taken by an Ordway-produced show and allows Penumbra to capitalize on the show's popularity with a longer run in a larger house.

The season ends in the summer of 2005 with "Doctor Dolittle," a musical based on the classic 1967 film, with music and lyrics by the film's composer, Leslie Bricusse. The musical features a menagerie of animals created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop (Henson was the creative force behind the Muppets). "Doctor Dolittle" premiered in London in 1998 and ran for about a year, garnering grudgingly positive reviews from English critics.

The new touring production, said Lynn Von Eschen, the Ordway's vice president for marketing and programming, is an American premiere being organized by the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. The tour will open in Pittsburgh in the summer of 2005 and play in a handful of other cities before arriving in St. Paul that August.

The other new title on the Ordway season schedule is "Disney's On the Record," which Von Eschen describes as a revue of music from Disney's most popular stage and film musicals. Though various industry publications have speculated about possible Broadway aspirations, Von Eschen said that at this point, "On the Record" is a tour-only vehicle.

"Say Goodnight, Gracie" is a one-man show featuring Frank Gorshin in a salute to the life and work of George Burns. "Gracie" had a respectable 10-month run on Broadway in the 2002-03 season.

"My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra" will be a home-grown production staged by the Ordway in the spring of 2005.

Most of the rest of the titles are familiar, including the double shot of work created or inspired by the late Bob Fosse. "Fosse," a revue of the director/choreographer's most memorable work, played the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis in 2000. "Chicago," offered as an "add-on" option to the season subscription, played the Ordway just last summer.

Erstwhile Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby returns to St. Paul in the title role of "Peter Pan." Rigby, who last played the Boy Who Never Grew Up at the Ordway in March 1999, is billing this as her "farewell tour."

The Ordway is one of relatively few presenters in the country operating in a competitive market. As an independent, the center is at a competitive disadvantage for getting hot national tours with the State and Orpheum in Minneapolis, which are affiliated with entertainment behemoth Clear Channel Communications.

Conceding the lack of fresh Broadway titles in the season lineup, Von Eschen said the Ordway aimed for both thematic and geographic variety in programming.

"Things are getting tighter all around for the touring world," he said. "There hasn't been as much going out on national tours, particularly new works. But we think we've done an excellent job of putting together a wider range of what's on the season, as opposed to cities that are just doing musicals."

ORDWAY SEASON

Here's the lineup for the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts' 2004-05 theater season. Season tickets are now on sale for $385-$151.60; call 651-224-4222.

Penumbra Theatre Company's staging of "Dinah Was": Sept. 14-Nov. 21 (McKnight Theatre)

"Fosse": Oct. 5-17

"Disney's On the Record": Dec. 21-Jan. 2, 2005

"Say Goodnight, Gracie": March 15-27, 2005

"My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra": March 15-May 28, 2005 (McKnight Theatre)

"Peter Pan": June 28-July 10, 2005

"Doctor Dolittle": August 16-28, 2005

Add-on shows:

"The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?" Sept. 28-Oct. 1 and 3

"Ballet of the Dolls Cinderella and the Glass Slipper": Dec 8-31, McKnight Theatre

"Chicago": Dec. 7 - 14, 2004