Riverside Center announces line-up of Broadway’s Best for 2021

For Immediate Release:

December 18, 2020

Fredericksburg, VA – Riverside Center for the Performing Arts and Producing Artistic Director, Patrick A’Hearn are delighted to announce a thrilling lineup of shows for its 24th season of bringing Broadway’s Best to Virginia that includes the return of Joyce DeWitt and Joe Inscoe in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and the regional premiere of the side-splitting new musical, Grumpy Old Men, based on the classic motion picture which starred Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, and Ann-Margaret. The season opens with the bubbly, off-Broadway hit, The Marvelous Wonderettes, then continuing with a sweeping tale of love and redemption in Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Tony Award-nominated Bright Star. The season will ride into the holiday season and conclude with the beloved and heartwarming musical adaptation of Meet Me in St. Louis.

“The beauty of live theatre allows us to escape and forget the troubles of the world,” says Producing Artistic Director Patrick A’Hearn. “Having come out of a time when live theatre has been void, we’re thrilled to bring it back with this extraordinary line-up of stories ahead of our 25th anniversary season in 2022.”

Individual tickets are on sale beginning in mid-January and Gift certificates are available for purchase through our Box Office. To purchase tickets and gift certificates, visit www.riversidedt.com or call the Box Office at (540) 370-4300.

Opening Riverside Center’s exciting twenty-fourth season on March 24, is The Marvelous Wonderettes. This smash Off-Broadway hit takes you to the 1958 Springfield High School prom, where we meet Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy, and Suzy: four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts! As we learn about their lives and loves, the girls serenade us with classic ‘50s hits including Lollipop, Dream Lover, Stupid Cupid, and Lipstick on Your Collar. In Act II, the Wonderettes reunite to take the stage and perform at their ten-year reunion. We learn about the highs and lows the girls have experienced in the past decade and are charmed to find that no matter what life throws their way, they will conquer it together. Featuring over 30 classic ’50s and ’60s hits, The Marvelous Wonderettes will keep you smiling in this must-take musical trip down memory lane!

If you knew my story, you’d have a good story to tell! The highly anticipated premiere of Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Tony-nominated Bright Star will play Riverside Center from May 26 through July 18. After being slated to open in Spring 2020, we are ecstatic to finally be able to share Bright Star’s heartwarming story with you. Inspired by a real event and featuring the bluegrass-tinged Grammy and Tony-nominated Steve Martin and Edie Brickell score, Broadway’s Bright Star is a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and ’40s. When literary editor Alice Murphy meets a young soldier just home from World War II, he awakens her longing for the child she once lost. Haunted by their unique connection, Alice sets out on a journey to understand her past – and what she finds has the power to transform both of their lives. Propelled by an ensemble of onstage musicians and dancers, the story unfolds as a rich tapestry of deep emotion, beautiful melodies, and powerfully moving performances. An uplifting theatrical journey that holds you tight in its grasp, Bright Star is as refreshingly genuine as it is daringly hopeful.

Summer at Riverside kicks off with the regional premiere of the hilarious new musical, Grumpy Old Men, based on the classic 1993 motion picture which starred Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, and Ann-Margaret, on stage from July 28 through September 12. Grumpy Old Men tells the story of two aging neighbors who have been feuding for most of their lives. Their new across the street neighbor, beautiful, eccentric, and charming, invigorates their feud and they face-off as romantic rivals until their hilarious shenanigans finally bring about a resolution to their long-standing differences. This stage adaptation captures the lovably crotchety characters through twinkling humor, great songs, and the affectionate depiction of a small town that feels like home to everyone.

Dinner is served! Riverside Center is delighted to welcome back Joyce DeWitt (TV’s Three’s Company) and Joe Inscoe, last seen together in On Golden Pond, in Todd Kreidler’s powerful play, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, on stage September 22 through October 31. Based on 1967 Academy Award-nominated motion picture, A progressive white couple's liberal sensibilities are put to the test when their daughter brings her black fiancé home to meet them in this fresh and relevant stage adaptation of the iconic Sidney Poitier film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Blindsided by their daughter's whirlwind romance and fearful for her future, they quickly come to realize the difference between supporting a mixed-race couple in your newspaper and welcoming one into your family--especially in 1967. Her parents are not the only ones with concerns about the match, and it's not long before a multi-family clash of racial and generational difference sweeps across the family’s idyllic San Francisco terrace. At the end of the day, will the love between the young mixed-race couple prevail? With humor and insight, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner begins a conversation sure to continue at dinner tables long after the curtain comes down.

Clang, clang, clang went the trolley! Closing the 24th season is the beloved musical adaptation of Meet Me in St. Louis, on stage November 10 through December 26. Based on the heartwarming MGM film starring Judy Garland, Meet Me in St. Louis is a rare treasure in the musical theatre; a wholesome and delightful portrait of a turn-of-the-century American family. It is the summer of 1903, and the Smith family eagerly anticipates the opening of the 1904 World’s Fair. Over the course of a year, the family’s mutual respect, tempered with good-natured humor, helps them through romance, opportunity, and heartbreaks. The musical includes seven of the best-loved songs from the film, plus ten additional Martin and Blane songs written specially for the stage. Memorable musical numbers include Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, The Boy Next Door, The Trolley Song, and Whenever I’m with You.

About Riverside Center for the Performing Arts:

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts, named Central Virginia’s Theater of the Year in 2019 by BroadwayWorld.com, is located in historic Stafford County just off I-95 in Fredericksburg, Virginia and produces the best of Broadway’s plays and musicals each year with performances Wednesday through Sunday. Follow Riverside Center on Facebook (facebook.com/riversidecenter), Twitter (@riversidecpa98), and Instagram (@riversidecpa) for behind-the-scenes info, photos, and fun throughout the year. Gift Certificates are on sale now with individual tickets available for purchase beginning in mid-January. For a complete list of shows, show times, pricing, and more information about the season, visit www.riversidedt.com.