The Naples Players 71st Season Presented by Porsche Naples
February 14, 2024
The Naples Players (TNP) is excited to return home to their historic 5th Ave S building for their dynamic 71st season, presented by Porsche Naples. Following a $21 million renovation, your Favorite Local Theatre* is putting the community first with a season dedicated to instilling laughs, paying homage to the past with classics, and looking to the future.
Kicking off the opening of TNP’s brand new Kizzie Theater will be Broadway’s most beloved toe-tapping show: 42nd Street. Sponsored by Lake Michigan Credit Union, this splashy and grand three-time Tony Award- and Olivier Award-winning musical will be on stage from June 26th to July 21st, 2024. Follow Peggy Sawyer, a talented young small-town performer with stars in her eyes who finally gets her big break on Broadway as a chorus girl. But just before opening night, the leading lady breaks her ankle. Will Peggy be able to step in and become a star in just 36 hours?
Rumors, a show chock full of secrets, scandals, and side-splitting chaos, will be in Kizzie Theater from October 2nd to October 20, 2024. When the host of an evening dinner party goes missing, rumors run wild and hilarity ensues in this laugh-out-loud journey of mistaken identities, absurd misunderstandings, and tangled truths. Rumors will keep you laughing and guessing until the final curtain.
Unveiling TNP’s freshly renovated Price Studio Theater will be one of the most produced plays in the world, Almost, Maine – a show for people with big hearts and endless love. Escape to the enchanting town of Almost, Maine, where love, laughter, and unexpected connections illuminate the winter sky. This heartwarming and whimsical collection of tales is a celebration of the extraordinary moments that transform ordinary lives. Described by the New York Daily News as “sweet, poignant, witty, real, and perfect,” Almost, Maine will be on stage from October 16th to November 10th, 2024.
Ring in a season of musical merriment and holiday humor with A Christmas Story: The Musical in Kizzie Theater from November 20th to December 22nd, 2024. Join young Ralphie Parker on his quest for the ultimate Christmas gift, as he encounters eccentric characters, challenges, and unexpected joy along the way. This beloved tale captures the spirit of the season with humor, warmth, and charm that resonates with audiences of all ages.
After a long-awaited delay, The Play That Goes Wrong, sponsored by Garage Doors of Naples, will hit the Kizzie Theater stage from January 15th to February 16th, 2025. Welcome to the opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), it’s “tons of fun for all ages” (HuffPost) and “comic gold” (Variety) – sure to bring down the house!
Death of a Salesman, on stage in Price Studio Theater from February 5th to March 2nd, 2025, is a Tony and Pulitzer award-winning play that investigates the evolution of the American dream. Arthur Miller’s classic work portrays the struggles of Willy Loman, a salesman grappling with fading success, strained relationships, and the consequences of chasing an elusive aspiration. The play delves into timeless themes of identity, disillusionment, and the high cost of societal expectations.
In the spring, the Tony Award-winning musical Man of La Mancha will hit the Kizzie Theater. The classic musical odyssey of dreams and courage will be on stage from March 12 – April 13, 2025. Timeless and captivating, it takes you on an epic adventure alongside the indomitable dreamer, Don Quixote. With a score that will tug at your heartstrings and a tale that inspires the dreamer in us all, Man of La Mancha delivers a poignant and uplifting theatrical experience.
Two powerful and fearless females ahead of their time will be gracing the Price Studio Theater stage from April 2nd – April 27th, 2025 in The Half-life of Marie Curie. In 1912, amid a personal scandal, accomplished scientist and Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie finds solace at the seaside home of a fellow female colleague. This new work from Lauren Gunderson revels in the power of two fearless female scientists at the heights and depths of their careers and lives.
Rounding out TNP’s season will be The Hallelujah Girls – a play taking place in the Kizzie Theater that’ll teach the audience that it’s never too late to chase your dreams. After the death of a dear friend, the ladies of Eden Falls, Georgia decide it’s time to make a change and achieve their dreams. They unfold as they meet weekly at SPA-DEE-DAH! – an abandoned church-turned-day-spa. Friendship, resilience, and the pursuit of joy will leave you shouting “Hallelujah!” The Hallelujah Girls will be on stage from May 7th to May 25th, 2025.
TNP is also pleased to announce their education season! From July 26th to July 28th, 2024, School of Rock will be presented in the brand-new Glass Educational Studio Theater. For Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn extra cash by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school, rock has no reason, and rock has no rhyme. Based on the popular movie, join Dewey as he turns his class of straight-A pupils into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. But can he get them to the Battle of the Bands without their parents and the school’s headmistress finding out?
From August 2nd to August 11th in the Glass Educational Studio Theater comes the modern and exciting musical, The Lightning Thief, based on Rick Riordan’s best-selling novel. As the half-blood son of a Greek God, Percy Jackson has newly discovered powers he can’t control, a destiny he doesn’t want, and a mythology textbook’s worth of monsters on his trail. When Zeus’s master lightning bolt is stolen and Percy becomes the prime suspect, he has to find and return the bolt to prove his innocence and prevent a war between the Gods. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the thief – he must travel to the Underworld and back and come to terms with his powers and his past.
If interested in auditioning for any of The Naples Players’ productions, please keep an eye on their website NaplesPlayers.org for more information. Each main stage production will feature a Red Carpet Opening Night outside the theater with local sponsors, vendors, and entertainment for patrons and passersby to enjoy. Relaxed performances will be available for select productions and announced at a later date.
Season tickets are on sale at the TNP Box Office. Season Ticket holders to Season 71 get the first choice of seats in the renovated Kizzie Theater, Price Studio Theater, and Glass Educational Theater. Please note that KidzAct performances go on sale on April 1, 2024. Individual tickets for 42nd Street go on sale on April 1, 2024. Individual tickets for the rest of the season go on sale on July 1, 2024. Those interested can visit NaplesPlayers.org anytime or call the TNP Box Office at 239-263-7990.
