November 20, 2013

The second of this season’s Co-op Theatre productions packs three hysterical one-act musicals about men, women and temptation into one unique evening of fun! The Apple Tree opens at Drexel on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. in the Mandell Theater (33rd & Chestnut Streets), with additional 8 p.m. performances on Saturday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 23 and a final, matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24.  

Written by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof) and directed by Theatre Professor Bill Fennelly, The Apple Tree is an outrageous full-on Broadway musical romp unlike any other production that has ever been on a Drexel stage.  Each act has its own storyline, tied by the common theme of wanting the unexpected. The first act is a quirky, touching spin on the tale of the world’s first couple based on Mark Twain’s The Diary of Adam and Eve. The second act, based on Frank R. Stockton's The Lady or the Tiger?, explores the fickleness of love as a life-or-death arena sport, and the final act is an offbeat Cinderella story inspired by Feiffer's Passionella about a chimney sweep who dreams of being a glamorous movie star. 

Tickets for The Apple Tree are $15 for general admission and $5 for Drexel students, faculty and staff with a valid ID. Online ticket purchases are available at the Drexel Co-op Theater website.

The Apple Tree originally opened on Broadway in October 1966 at the Shubert Theatre, starring Barbara Harris, Alan Alda, and Larry Blyden. Harris won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The musical also received several other major Tony nominations: Bock and Harnick for Best Composer and Lyricist, Mike Nichols for Best Direction of a Musical, Lee Theodore for Best Choreography, and the show itself for Best Musical.