If Atlanta Lyric Theatre’s 35th season feels a like a circus, maybe it’s because Barnum!, the musical retelling of showman P.T. Barnum’s colorful life, is part of the 2014-15 lineup, along with the regional premiere of Catch Me If You Can, which tells the story of yet another colorful man’s life.
Other shows on the Lyric schedule include Broadway favorites Cats (Aug.8-24), Chicago (Oct. 24-Nov. 9) and Damn Yankees (April 10-26). All performances are at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre at the Cobb Civic Center in Marietta.
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The lineup:
CATS (Aug. 8-24). You don’t have to be a crazy cat person to appreciate a cast of actors in full-on feline mode cat performing the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Cats remains one of the longest-running musicals on either side of the Atlantic.
CHICAGO (Oct. 24-Nov. 9). This blistering musical tells the story of a wannabe showgirl who beats a murder rap thanks to slickest lawyer this side of Johnnie Cochrane. The score includes “All That Jazz,” Cellblock Tango” and “Razzle Dazzle.” Not suitable for young children.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (Feb. 13-March 1, 2015): This musical bio tells the story of serial con man Frank Abagnale Jr., who fooled people into thinking he was a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer while eluding FBI agent Carl Hanratty. It’s based on the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio.
DAMN YANKEES (April 10-26): Just in time for opening day of the 2015 baseball season, this multiple Tony Award winner from 1955 puts a modern spin on the classic Faustian bargain: a pennant for your soul? The great score includes “Six Months Out of Every Year,” “Heart” and “Whatever Lola Wants.” A 1995 revival featured Bebe Neuwirth as Lola, a role originated by Broadway legend Gwen Verdon.
BARNUM (June 12-18): This show tells the story of P.T. Barnum, who put the “b” in “ballyhoo” as the larger-than-life showman and half of the legendary team behind the Barnum & Bailey Circus (“The Greatest Show on Earth”). Songs in this triple Tony-winning bio range from the brash (“Come Follow the Band”) to the ballad (“The Colors of My Life”).
