Harlequin ties the knot on a new season

Harlequin Productions’ 2013 season – already in progress with the musical comedy “A Christmas Survival Guide” – offers the theater’s signature blend of shows.

There’s something old (Shakespeare) and something new (“Or,”). This year, there’s even something “Blue” (Israel Horowitz’s “Gloucester Blue”).

And while “borrowed” is missing, the reference to the famed rhyme is by design: The season also includes two shows about weddings.

“There definitely is that wedding theme – and in this age where our view of marriage is becoming much more broad and expansive,” said Linda Whitney, the company’s co-artistic director. “ ‘The Philadelphia Story’ looks at the hubbub around a young woman’s second wedding. In ‘Five Women Wearing the Same Dress,’ we never even meet the bride. It revolves around the five bridesmaids.”

Speaking of the changing view of marriage, Harlequin managing artistic director Scot Whitney even sees a connection between the recent passage of Referendum 74, which legalized same-sex marriage, and the season’s second play, “Or,”, a neo-Restoration comedy about the first professional female playwright.

The play – about Aphra Behn, the first woman to become a professional playwright – is set in the 17th century, but it’s amazingly relevant, said Scot Whitney, who’ll direct.

“These times right now are so similar to that period,” he said. “It resonates on all kinds of levels with what’s going on in our culture right now in a very funny way, especially here in Washington with the gay marriage law and the marijuana law that just passed. It’s like ‘Is this about these laws?’

“Obviously, it’s not, because it was written two or three years ago, but it’s great timing.”

Here’s a quick look at the remainder of the season:

• “The Philadelphia Story,” by Phillip Barry: The romantic comedy, best known through the Katharine Hepburn film, is rarely produced these days because of its large cast.

• “Gloucester Blue,” by Horovitz: Critically acclaimed Horovitz, who has family in Olympia, has become a staple at Harlequin, working closely with Scot Whitney and cast on one play per season.

“The first production of this play is going to be done next month; ours will be the second production,” Whitney said. “When he sent me the script, he said, ‘It’s kind of like “Sins of the Mother,” only darker and funnier,’ and I laughed out loud.

“I thought, ‘That’s going to be tough to do,’ but sure enough, he did it.”

• “Jesus Christ Superstar,” by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice: The rock-opera classic is a change from Harlequin’s recent collection of original musical revues. Linda Whitney said she has long wanted to direct it.

• “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress,” by Alan Ball: A comedy about five bridesmaids might sound fluffy or saccharine. If you don’t recognize Ball’s name, he wrote the film “American Beauty” and also HBO TV series “Six Feet Under” and “True Blood.”

• “Henry V,” by William Shakespeare: The bard is a longtime staple at Harlequin, thanks to Scot Whitney’s passion for the world’s most famous playwright. He directed “Henry” in 1995 and decided it was time to revisit . Again, eight actors handle the drama’s 30-plus roles.

“The concept is that it’s a raunchy little touring acting group on a pageant wagon,” Whitney said. His approach was inspired by a speech by the Chorus, a single character who introduces the action and provides updates throughout the play.

“He starts out by saying: We apologize. We can’t possibly put on stage the size and glory of this story. … Use your imagination to fill out what we’re doing. This is thousands and thousands of people, not this paltry little group.”