“Anything can happen,” according to Nathanael Fisher. At least that is what he sees as the theme through line for 2024-2025 Season 12 at the Emerald Coast Theatre Company (ECTC). To kick off this theme, Nathanael, co-founder of the theatre with his wife Anna, chose to launch the season with the Tony award-winning Jersey Boys, the musical adaptation story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the 1960s.
As Valli’s friend and fellow Four Season, says in Jersey Boys, “If you’re from my neighborhood, you got three ways out: You could join the army. You could get mobbed up. Or — you could become a star.” They chose the last option which was also the most difficult.
Considering the tough streets of Newark, New Jersey, this was not the best of circumstances to foster or encourage stardom. Several of Valli’s friends, including two that became members of the Four Seasons did stints in jail. If you didn’t watch out, “you could wind up in the trunk of a car” according to Valli.
The Fishers chose to open the season with this musical because as Nathanael said, “Jersey Boys has both amazing music and an incredible story. If you love great music and a rags to riches story this show is not to be missed."
Jersey Boys runs September 20 through October 13 at the Emerald Coast Theatre, 560 Grand Blvd. in Miramar Beach.
Later in October, Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, takes to the stage. This humorous adaptation of Sir Conan Doyle’s’ 1902 novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a fast-paced comedy featuring Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson who must crack the mystery case before a family curse dooms its newest heir. Sticking with the “anything can happen theme,” theatre goers will witness over forty characters played by five actors.
December and the holidays brings All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. While anything can happen, a German soldier, during the violence of World War I, believes possibly something good can occur when he steps into No Man’s Land singing Stille Nacht.This true story is told in the words and songs of the men who lived this night of camaraderie, music and peace.
Premiering in January, Every Brilliant Thing pulls back the curtain on what it’s like to be a child of a suicidal mother. According to Anna Fisher this is an interactive show with depth and humor as a young boy tries to ease his mother’s depression by creating a list of all the best things in the world worth living for. It’s a life-affirming story of how to achieve hope by focusing on the small joys in life.
January and February brings everyone’s favorite man-eating plant, sadistic dentist and meek yet heroic shopkeeper to the stage in Little Shop of Horrors. This horror comedy, rock musical has been a pop culture favorite with audiences screaming with laughter.
Rounding out their winter offerings in February/March is Always a Bridesmaid, a light-hearted farcical play that takes place 30 years after four friends had sworn in high school to be in each other’s wedding, “no matter what." Now these Southern belles are honoring that vow having traveled different paths of long-married, never-married, too-often married, and almost married. What ensues is humor and an examination of enduring female friendship.
Finally, ECT’s season ends with the transformation of the eternally pink Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical. Very few characters have faith in Elle, a sorority-sister valley girl who goes to Harvard to get her boyfriend back. But since “anything can happen, Elle ends up defying expectations while staying true to herself.
The Fishers also have included two spring shows specifically geared toward younger audience members. The classic children’s book Go Dog, Go! comes to life on stage. And finally The Tortoise and the Hare: Fast Friends, Slow Foes, a retelling of the classic, complete with all the forest animals, is performed to capture young audience attention.
For details about each of the shows, dates, times and tickets visit emeraldcoasttheatre.org.
