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Season tickets are now on sale for Hawthorne Players’ 70th season. Season tickets to all four shows at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre are $48 for seniors/students and $52 for adults and may be ordered at the box office or by calling 314-368-9909.

The season opens in April with Crimes of the Heart. This play examines the plight of three young Mississippi sisters betrayed by their passions. This winner of the 1981 Pulitzer Prize will be directed by Ken Clark, who says, “If you think your family has issues, wait until you visit the Magrath household. As my grandmother once said, Southern hospitality can’t fix crazy.”

In May, the Players will present an evening of comedy and cowboy songs in Cowboy Swing. Written and directed by veteran musician and musical director Joe Paule, this show will benefit Hawthorne’s Duckie DeMere Scholarship Program which has awarded over $50,000 to North County high school seniors active in the performing arts. The cast will include the Jameson Quartet and members of the Jeweltones, as they present an evening of song and laughter, including tributes to music made famous by Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers. Gerry Love emcees.

In July and August, the Civic Center Theatre will be filled with the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Carousel opened in 1945, the same year that Hawthorne produced its first show. Carousel was on the Broadway stage, while Hawthorne’s Hobgobblin House was staged in the humble auditorium at Ferguson’s Central School, but both Hawthorne and Carousel have shown real staying power.

Carousel tells the story of a swaggering, carefree carnival barker, Billy Bigelow, who falls in love with mill worker Julie Jordan. Years after he dies tragically, Billy is given a chance to return for a day to try to brighten the life of his unhappy 15-year-old daughter Louise. He watches as the school principal inspires Louise by assuring her that so long as she has hope in her heart, she’ll never walk alone. Director Adam Grun notes that the musical was the personal favorite of Rodgers and Hammerstein and says that “it still makes an emotional impact and is as relevant today as ever.”

Nunsense will open in November. This zany musical is wacky and outrageous with a hysterical, anything goes sense of fun. The Order of the Little Sisters is holding a variety show to raise money to bury several sisters who died from botulism. They must inter the dearly departed before the health inspector comes and finds the dead nuns in their freezer! Director Ken Clark promises that the hilarious show is guaranteed to thaw the coldest hearts.

“This is going to be an especially fine season,” notes Hawthorne president Larry Marsh, “and we hope to see lots of new faces in the audience! I know folks will enjoy these high quality shows, made even more attractive by such truly reasonable prices. And the ample parking is free.!”

More information about Hawthorne Players and their 70th season can be found at www.hawthorneplayers.com

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