A delicious slice of American life comes to Farmers Alley Theatre this February in the Michigan premiere of The Cake.  Della makes cakes, not judgement calls.  But when the girl she helped raise comes back to North Carolina to get married to another woman, Della’s life gets turned upside down.  She can’t really make a cake for such a wedding, can she?  Written by Bekah Brunstetter, staff writer and story editor for NBC’s wildly popular hit, “This is Us”, The Cake is a savory dramedy that is smart, balanced and leaves us audience feeling moved and enlightened.

The Cake is performed without an intermission.  Due to language and subject matter, The Cake is best enjoyed by audiences 15 and up.

"The play's tight narrative construction is apparent from the opening scene, which immediately seduces us with Della's bubbly charm.  What's refreshing and heartening about The Cake is its characters' willingness to face their differences and limitations head-on.  This is us as we could be, if we'd all just try a little harder." -Los Angeles Times

One of theatre’s most celebrated playwrights is on display, as Farmers Alley Theatre remembers the late Neil Simon with his humorous and heart-wrenching Pulitzer Prize Winning work, Lost in Yonkers.  In 1942 Brooklyn two teenage boys come to live with their stern grandmother and “crazy” Aunt Bella.  Bella has an unbridled zest for life, along with the mind of a child.  But what she longs for most is love and independence, despite her strict mother’s objections.  Filled with Simon’s gifted touch of witty dialogue and heartfelt emotion, get Lost in Yonkers this spring.

It’s never too late to re-discover the unbridled joy of play in this wordless, situational comedy featuring a man and his red balloon.

Shows March 21st and 28th at 10am, 1pm and 3pm.

David Maiocco (Liberace!) returns to Kalamazoo with LEE SQUARED. Maiocco pays tribute to flamboyant pianist and candelabra enthusiast Liberace while Chuck Sweeney keeps the memory of Peggy Lee alive with a fevered impersonation that includes a heavy dose of camp hilarity. Join us for an evening of music and laugher from the virtuoso playing of Liberace to the sultry jazz swing of Miss Lee.

After three successful collaborations with the Gilmore Keyboard Festival (Old Wicked Songs, Murder for Two, Liberace!), Farmers Alley Theatre is once again proud to partner with the Gilmore to tell the story of the famed American jazz singer, Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill.  Set in a seedy Philadelphia bar four months before her death, be a part of the audience as more than a dozen musical numbers are interlaced with salty, often humorous reminiscences to project a riveting portrait of the Billie Holiday and her music.

2019-20 Season at a Glance

Camelot – October 2019
Season 12 kicks off with a newly reimagined chamber version of Lerner & Loewe’s legendary musical.

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play – November/December 2019
Our cabaret setting is turned into a real-life radio station as multiple actors play everyone from George Bailey to Clarence, all while creating their own sound effects in this beloved American Holiday Classic.

The Cake – February 2020
From Bekah Brunstetter, one of the lead writers of NBC’s hit show “This is Us”, comes this timely new dramedy about a North Carolina woman who struggles with the choice to bake a cake for a friend’s upcoming wedding – to another woman!

Lost in Yonkers – March 2020
We celebrate the life & career of Neil Simon with his Pulitzer Prize winning work about two teenagers forced to live with their stern grandmother and developmentally challenged Aunt Bella in 1942 Brooklyn.

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill – April/May 2020
Farmers Alley Theatre is once again honored to partner with the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival with this emotionally stirring production about one of America’s jazz icons, Billie Holiday.

Bright Star – June 2020
From authors Steve Martin & Edie Brickell comes this sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American south in the 1920s and ‘40s.  A gift from the heavens for lovers of folk music.

High Fidelity – July/August 2020
Based on the popular novel & film, this energetic rom-com follows record store owner Rob as he struggles to discover why all his relationships seem to end in hilarious heartbreak.  Filled with memorable characters and a rock-and-roll score.