Mobile audiences have a full slate of theater, visual art and opera to look forward to this summer and into next season, with three local arts organizations all announcing new work in the same stretch.
Joe Jefferson Players close out 70th season with ‘Ragtime’
Joe Jefferson Players is wrapping up its 70th season with a production of “Ragtime,” the Tony Award-winning musical based on E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel of the same name. Set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century, the story follows a wealthy white family, a family of Jewish immigrants and a Black musician as their lives intersect against a backdrop of class tension, prejudice and shifting assumptions about what America could become.
The musical draws on period forms like marches, cakewalks and gospel, along with the ragtime syncopations that give the show its name, to pull audiences into the social currents that shaped a defining era of U.S. history. Local theatergoers can catch the show June 1-17 at the Joe Jefferson Playhouse, 11 S. Carlen St. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sundays. Tickets and additional information are available by calling 251-471-1534.
Mobile Arts Council spotlights the state’s architectural history
Alabama’s built environment is getting its own showcase this June at the Mobile Arts Council, 318 Dauphin St., where an exhibit called “Celebration and Preservation” will feature 25 drawings highlighting distinct architectural periods and tastes from across the state’s history.
The exhibit, which is traveling the state as part of Alabama’s bicentennial celebration, spans styles including Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Romanesque and Mission Revival architecture. A 32-page catalog produced in partnership with the Alabama Architectural Foundation accompanies the show. More information is available by calling 251-432-9796.
Mobile Opera announces a season built around jealousy
Mobile Opera has unveiled its upcoming season, built around three works that share a common thread: jealousy, explored through two comedies and one drama.
The season opens with Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” on Oct. 19 and 20 at The Temple, at the corner of Claiborne and St. Francis streets. The comic opera follows Figaro and Count Almaviva as they scheme to win Rosina away from her jealous, overprotective guardian, with the plot’s mishaps ultimately giving way to a happy ending.
On Feb. 16, Wolf-Ferrari’s “The Secret of Susanna” will headline the company’s Winter Gala at Murphy High School Auditorium. The choice carries some historical weight for Mobile Opera: the same work, staged in the same venue, was the company’s very first production 72 years ago. Like the season opener, it’s a lighthearted comedy centered on jealousy and mistaken suspicion, with an upbeat resolution.
The season closes on a heavier note with Puccini’s “The Cloak,” also known as “Il Tabarro,” the final piece in a dark trilogy that begins with “Gianni Schicchi” and “Suor Angelica.” Unlike the season’s comic offerings, jealousy in this Puccini one-act leads not to laughs but to old-fashioned tragedy. Performances are set for March 22 and 24 at The Temple.
Tickets and season subscription information for Mobile Opera’s lineup are available by calling 251-432-6772.
Between the Joe Jefferson Players’ season finale, the Mobile Arts Council’s architectural retrospective and Mobile Opera’s newly announced season, Mobile’s performing and visual arts calendar is shaping up to be a busy one heading into the back half of the year.