Baseball leads off Metropolis season

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre officials announced their new season Friday night in Arlington Heights, and it had a certain baseball kind of feel.

This summer, the Metropolis will stage the comedy "Bleacher Bums," directed by a graduate of Second City, before the theater opens its subscription series with the Broadway classic "Damn Yankees" on Sept. 18.

Newly named executive director Jim Jarvis announced the new season during the theater's fifth annual Encore Gala, and it met with cheers of support.

"We're kicking off the season with the largest production in Metropolis history, 'Damn Yankees,' " Jarvis said. "It features 18 actors, a six-piece orchestra, fantastic costumes, unforgettable songs and great dance numbers. If you're a fan of Broadway musicals, you're going to love this show."

Announcement of the new lineup, came midway during the theater portion of the gala, which culminated with an encore performance from "Sound of Music," featuring two actors from the theater's Flourish in the Footlights program, produced in partnership with Arlington Pediatric Therapy.

Jarvis described the new season as a culmination of months of researching, scheduling, negotiating, surveying audience members and hosting focus groups to put together a well-balanced lineup.

"We think it offers something for every member of the family," Jarvis said. "We've put together an amazing season that everyone at Metropolis is proud of."

Second in the subscription series is Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Anna in the Tropics," the 2003 drama opening Jan. 1 about Cuban immigrants working in the cigar industry in Tampa.

The award-winning farce "Lend Me A Tenor" follows, opening March 3, before the season winds up with "Baby, the Musical," which is about three couples faced with an unexpected announcement. It opens May 14.

Musical highlights include landing one of the stars of the current Chicago hit "Jersey Boys" to appear in a one-night show. Michael Ingersoll takes the stage on July 21, while in December, pianist George Winston returns for two nights.

Comedies include the return of "Late Nite Catechism," Rob Parton's "Defending the Caveman" and "Flanagan's Wake."

The traditional holiday shows return as well, including "A Christmas Carol" and Second City's Exceedingly Dysfunctional Holiday Revue as well as a Holiday Pops performance by the Metropolis Youth Symphony.