LOMBARDI, CHRISTMAS OF SWING & More Set for History Theatre 2012-13 Season - Jim Detmar, Vince Lombardi & More to Feature

History Theatre has announced its 35th season, which will kick-off with the Minnesota premiere of the Broadway hit Lombardi by Eric Simonson. The show will feature Jim Detmar as Vince Lombardi and Norah Long as Marie Lombardi, and promises to be a funny and passionate look at an American icon. History Theatre will celebrate the holiday season with the return of Christmas of Swing featuring the talents of Ruthie Baker, Patty Nieman, and Stacy Lindell as Patty, LaVerne, and Maxine – The Andrews Sisters.

January will mark the world premiere of a new play by Kim Hines, Nellie, which tells the story of Nellie Stone Johnson, a feisty young woman from Hinkley, Minnesota who dedicated her life to organizing unions and advocating for workers' rights, breaking countless race and gender barriers along the way.

Lee Blessing's Courting Harry will play on History Theatre's stage in March, featuring Clyde Lund as Justice Harry Blackmun and Nate Fuller as Chief Justice Warren Burger – two friends from St. Paul who worked their way onto the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States. The final production of the season will be a new musical from New York about the tumultuous romance of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his muse Zelda: This Side of Paradise.

October 6 - November 4, 2012
Lombardi
by Eric Simonson

Straight from Broadway, this engaging new play tells the tale of the greatest football coach in NFL history. Vince Lombardi, for whom the Super Bowl trophy is named, coached his legendary Green Bay Packers to victory in two NFL championships and the first two Super Bowl games. His passion for the game and ability to motivate players made him an iconic figure in the world of football and beyond. This new play gives audiences insight into one of the game's greatest legends through the eyes of his players, his wife, and the media.

November 24 - December 23, 2012
Christmas of Swing
by Bob Beverage

It's Christmas Eve of 1944 and The Andrews Sisters are preparing to lift the spirits of the troops on the front lines along with their pals Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Abbott & Costello and Santa! Christmas of Swing is a joyful celebration of music, family, and patriotism featuring real letters from WWII soldiers, and favorite swing versions of holiday songs such as "Let It Snow," "Christmas in Killarney," and "Mele Kalikimmaka." Share some holiday cheer with the girls from Minnesota who grew up to become the sweethearts of WWII. This musical reimagining of the Andrews Sisters' USO show is a treat for the whole family – from the newest generation to the Greatest Generation and everyone in between.

January 26 - February 17, 2013
Nellie
by Kim Hines

Civil rights and labor activist Nellie Stone Johnson was a Minnesota hero. Her feisty spirit and drive to succeed made her a political force to be reckoned with on issues of social justice, labor rights, and equality. Renowned playwright Kim Hines tells the remarkable story of a young African-American woman who moved from a farm in northern Minnesota to Minneapolis to attend the U of M. In the face of discrimination at her job Nellie fought back by organizing workers to form a union, breaking numerous race and gender barriers along way.

March 2 - 24, 2013
Courting Harry
by Lee Blessing

Two best friends who grew up in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood in St. Paul, both went on to become Supreme Court Justices and presided over some of the most influential and controversial cases of modern American history. This brilliant new play by Lee Blessing explores the lifelong friendship between Chief Justice Warren Burger and Justice Harry Blackmun, which was tried and tested by politics, ambition, and ideologies. Blackmun and Burger come together again to look back over their lives and careers together, including the case that remains one of the most passionately disputed decisions of all time: Roe v. Wade.

April 20 - May 19, 2013
This Side of Paradise
book by Will Pomerantz & Nancy Harrow • music & lyrics by Nancy Harrow

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