ABOUT 

Our 2016 Winter Show is a little unusual in that it is a trio of mini-plays. Each play has its own plot and characters, but they have a common core - someone who believes that they want something, but once they get what they wanted they realize that it wasn't what they wanted. The seeds were sown by Mark Twain, Frank Stockton and Jules Peiffer. The first act is based on Twain's The Diary o fAdam and Eve; the second act is based on Stockton's The Lady or the Tiger?; the third act is based on Feiffer's Passionella. Twain and Stockton were both 19th century humorists, while Pfeiffer was a 20th century cartoonist, humorist and writer. His other works include the movie scripts for Carnal Knowledge and Popeye, which starred Robin Williams.

The show blossomed under the creative teaming ofJerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, who had previously collaboratedonthemusicalsFiorello(1959) andFiddler on the Roof(1964). In some respects it uses the same format as Fiddles, which was also based on a series of short stories about Tevye the milkman and other tales by Sholem Aleichem.

The Apple Tree frnally bore fruit on Broadway under director Mike Nichols in October 1966, running for over a year. It received several major Tony nominations: Bock and Harnick for Best Composer and Lyricist, Nichols for Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography and the show itself for Best Musical. It was revived in 2006 with Kristen Chenoweth in the leading female roles (to great acclaim), running for six months at the Roundabout Theater Company, It has been consistently popular for high school productions and is a little gem ofthe American theater scene.

---RACHAEL MELLEN

THE APPLE TREE

is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
www.MTIShows.com
Original Production Directed by MIKE NICHOLS Originally Produced on the Broadway Stage by STUART OSTROW