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2018 season announced for Garden Grove theater

GARDEN GROVE -- One More Productions has announced its 2018 season at the Gem Theatre in Garden Grove. 

“Bullets Over Broadway” (Feb. 22 - March 18): “Bullets Over Broadway” is a musical comedy about the making of a Broadway show. 

David Shayne is a straight-arrow playwright who plans to stand firm against compromising his work, until his producer finds a backer to mount the show on Broadway. The production is a love letter to the Golden Age of Broadway complete with showgirls, gangsters and a cast of zany characters. 

Based on the 1994 Woody Allen film, this six-time Tony-nominated musical features hits from the 1920’s, including “Let’s Misbehave,” “‘Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do” and “There’s a New Day Comin’!”

 

“Always...Patsy Cline” (April 12 - May 13): Returning for a third and final run, the musical that earned the two-women show Broadway World Regional Awards nominations for Best Leading Actress in a Musical is back by popular demand. 

Based on the true story of Patsy Cline’s friendship with Houston housewife Louis Seger, Seger becomes an immediate and avid fan of Cline after hearing her on the “Arthur Godfrey Show” in 1957. Over a pot of strong coffee, the two women spend the night chatting about their common concerns about life and family, which ultimately grows into a lasting friendship until Cline’s untimely death in a plane crash in 1963.

Seger supplies the narrative while Cline floats in and out of the set singing her famous tunes, all backed by a live country band. 

 

“Hello, Dolly” (July 12 - Aug. 5): Since its debut in 1964, “Hello, Dolly” has entertained audiences worldwide and garnered 15 Tony Awards and three Academy Awards, including the recent award-winning revival starring Bette Midler. 

Set in New York City at the turn of the century, Dolly Levi is a widow, a matchmaker and a professional meddler. But everything changes when she decides that the next match she needs to make is to find someone for herself. 

 

“The Producers” (Sept. 27 - Oct. 21): Based on the 1968 film, Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” is a laugh-out-loud farce that has been a smash hit since its 2001 Tony Award-winning debut. 

Fading Broadway producer Max Bialystock is desperate to get to the top of his profession again and he finds an unlikely ally in mousy accountant Leo Bloom, who hypothesizes that one could make far more money with a flop of a show than with a hit. Together, the two set out to produce the worst musical ever to hit Broadway, with the worst script, the worst director, and the worst cast they can find. 

The catch is that they will raise $2 million to finance the show, and they plan to take the money and head to Rio when the show inevitably closes after just one performance. Too bad for Bialystock and Bloom that against all odds, the show is a total hit. 

 

“The Holiday Gem” (Nov. 23 - Dec. 16): Ring in the holidays with a production backed by live musicians, stunning costumes, a whimsical set, Santa Claus, and his tap-dancing elves. 

The celebration begins with a journey into the magical world of Christmas Fantasy Land, where you’ll discover that anything is possible as long as you believe. Enjoy well-known standards and contemporary holiday classics during the first act. 

The second act reveals a scene reminiscent of Victorian England from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Dressed elegantly in ball gowns and top hats and tails, the cast brings to life the traditional songs of the season, including “Carol of the Bells,” “White Christmas,” “Do You Hear What I Hear” and “Silent Night.” 

All shows have performances Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 general admission, $26 seniors (ages 60 and older), and $26 children (12 and younger).

For more information or to purchase tickets, go to OneMoreProductions.com or call (714) 741-9550, ext. 221.