Curtains rise on Garden Theatre's 2015 season

WINTER GARDEN — This season at the Garden Theatre, each show has its own way of representing a heartwarming and timeless theme: family.  

“Family came to mind when we started to think of the roster of shows that we wanted to put on our stage,” Creative Director Rob Winn Anderson said. “The reason for that is because the Garden (Theatre) is one big family. They welcomed me with open arms when I wrote the opening gala for this theater many, many years ago.” 

The season will open with “La Cage aux Folles,” a musical comedy based on a French book, set against the glitter of a Saint-Tropez nightclub that features drag entertainment. The club’s manager (Georges, played by Brian Minyard) and star performer (Albin, played by Matthew Arter) agree to try to hide their romantic relationship when their son returns home with his fiancee and her ultra-conservative parents.

The programming committee chose “La Cage” to open this year’s season even before Anderson had started as the theater’s creative director earlier this summer. It turned out to be a timely selection, in light of gay marriage becoming legal in all 50 states this June.  

“It’s funny, and it’s fun, and it’s big, and it’s a spectacle, and I think it’s just a very strong way for us to open our season,” Anderson said about the show. 

When “La Cage” was first performed in 1983, having a gay couple as the central characters of a play was unconventional. But Anderson thinks audiences will react much differently now than they did at that time. The show has not been performed in Central Florida since 1990.

“It still is relevant today in a different way,” Anderson said. “Now, family has just become family, and as long as there is love and caring and support, the makeup of that family is no longer at the forefront of the conversation.”

Anderson, whose career has been marked by performing, directing and writing, was once cast in a production of “La Cage.” He remembers the difficulties of learning to dance in heels and getting his drag makeup just right. 

For the Garden Theatre’s production, Minyard and Arter will have to overcome those challenges. Minyard is a former Broadway actor who performed in major shows such as “Les Miserables.” Arter is familiar to the Garden Theatre and starred in last spring’s production of “Hairspray” as Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s mother. 

“Their chemistry is terrific, and I’m excited to see them work together,” Anderson said about Minyard and Arter.

Anderson hopes audiences of “La Cage” will be uplifted and find the show to be fun and joyous. 

“I hope it spurs some conversation,” Anderson said. “I don’t ever really look to anything I direct specifically to be a statement, but I love it when audiences find those reasons for themselves as to why they were impacted and what they want to talk about.”

Contact Catherine Sinclair at [email protected].

“La Cage aux Folles” Showtimes & Tickets

WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays Sept. 25 through Oct. 25.

WHERE: Garden Theatre, 160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden

TICKETS: $25 to $33. Discounts for Thursday performances, seniors, students and groups. To purchase, visit gardentheatre.org or the theater box office.

THE LINEUP

“Carved: A Pumpkin’s Musical Adventure”

Oct. 30 through Nov. 1

SYNOPSIS: Each year, the citizens of Pumpkinville leave the village to search for their king, who disappeared 25 years ago, but they always return unsuccessfully. When a young pumpkin named Earnest is finally allowed to join the search, things might be different. This show is ideal for ages 6 to 12 and features a cast of colorful puppets.

“Miracle on 34th Street”

Dec. 4 through 20

SYNOPSIS: Inspired by the 1947 film, this play is about a little girl who has doubts about Santa Claus, but later gains the greatest gift of all: something to believe in. A holiday show for all ages.

“Hands on a Hardbody”

Jan. 29 to Feb. 21, 2016

SYNOPSIS: Ten hard-luck Texans hope to win a new truck by keeping their hands on it for days on end. The last one touching the truck will win. It is a musical show that was based on a documentary film about similar contests in the American West and South.  “Family comes into play because you sort of build your own unique family around a truck, who bond, who quarrel and quibble, who compete with each other and who share with each other — much like any family does,” Anderson said.

This will be the show’s premiere in Central Florida.

“The Whale”

March 18 to April 3, 2016

SYNOPSIS: A 600-pound recluse spends his days eating his way toward death, but he is desperate to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter. It’s a story of finding beauty in the most unexpected places.

“Singin’ in the Rain”

April 29 to May 29, 2016

SYNOPSIS: The classic musical that spoofs the turmoil that afflicted the movie industry in the late 1920s when films turned from silent to sound. Two silent stars are cast in a talking picture, but a chorus girl will have to make up for the lead actress’ squeaky voice—without her finding out. “It’s about the people who all come together working on a project … and the kind of family bonds and tensions that are created in the workplace,” Anderson said.