Jewel Box Theater kicks off its new season with loads of laughs

Poulsbo’s Jewel Box Theatre will be kicking off its 2019-2020 season with two comedic shows starting Sept. 7.

The first show is an improvisational comedy group from Bainbridge Island, Imagined Reality Improv.

Since 2016, Imagined Reality Improv has been conjuring comedy out of thin air by taking audience suggestions and creating scenes on the spot. The seven members come from all walks of life – science, law, HR, marketing, classical music, and a teenager.

Tickets for this show are $10 at brownpapertickets.com

On Sept. 20 and running through Oct. 20 with Sunday matinees will be the comedic, off-Broadway musical “The Fantasticks.”

Music and lyrics by Tom Jones and Henry Schmidt and Directed by Jewel Box Theatre’s own Randy Powell. Powell has directed other shows at the Jewel Box Theatre such as “The Fox on the Fairway” and “Calendar Girls.”

Loosely based on Edmond Rostand’s “The Romancers” with elements of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Nights Dream,” “The Fantasticks” is a funny and romantic musical about Luisa and Matt and their two fathers who try to keep them apart. The narrator, El Gallo asks the audience to use their imagination and follow the couple into a world of moonlight and magic, where they fall in and out of love and realize the truth of El Gallo’s words “without hurt, the heart is hollow.”

The tale is punctuated by a series of catchy and memorable songs, most notably “Try to Remember,” which made the show very popular in the 1990s.

The show’s original off-Broadway production ran for 42 years from 1960-2002, with over 17,000 performances, making it the world’s longest-running musical. The show was recognized by the Tony Awards in 1991 with Honors for Excellence in the Theatre.

The Fantasticks was revived off-Broadway from 2006–2017. It has been a staple of community theatres since its beginning with over 250 new productions each year.

Tickets are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors, students and military and can be purchased online at brownpapertickets.com.

A Jewel Box Theatre season pass is $80 for adults and $70 for seniors, students, and military.

Season Pass holders receive priority seating for all main-stage shows. Pass holders also will receive offers for special discounts on shows, a $1 discount on wine and a $10 discount on Gala Fundraiser tickets.