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Much is in store for theaters
(by Herb Hammer - January 04, 2012)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
Much is in store for theaters
Now that the holiday theater season is behind us, it's time to look forward and to make plans for the winter and spring seasons. Theatergoers who like to plan ahead will find some real gems coming up soon.
Buying tickets early is always a good bet. So here we go. With no crystal ball in hand, I can only know which ones might be winners.
The Cleveland Play House starts its second season at the Allen Theater in Playhouse Square with "Ten Chimneys," by Jeffrey Hatcher. The lightweight comedy tells the fictional story of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontaine, along with Sidney Greenstreet and Uta Hagen rehearsing Chekhov's "The Seagull." Playing dates are Jan. 13 to Feb. 5.
The Palace Theatre will host a revival of "Hair." During turbulent times, a group of young people searched for peace and love. Pretty tame stuff, yet it was the winner of a Tony Award in 2009. The show runs from Jan. 17 to 29.
"Radio Golf," August Wilson's 10th and final play in his series on African-American life, opens at the Cleveland Play House on Feb. 10. The plot centers on a successful entrepreneur who aspires to be his city's first black mayor.
The Broadway Series continues on Feb. 28 at the Palace Theatre with "Memphis," the 2010 Tony Award winner by Joe Dipietro and David Bryan. Set in the turbulent South in the 1950s, "Memphis" is the story of Huey Calhoun, whose love of good music transcends racial lines. A fast-paced song-and-dance show, "Memphis" shouldn't be missed.
March 9 brings "The Winter's Tale" to the Cleveland Play House. One of Shakespeare's least-performed plays tells us of jealousy, murder and imprisonment. Not one of the cheeriest of plays, the Bard keeps us fascinated. "The Winter's Tale" closes on March 17.
The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival will perform Agatha Christie's classic "The Mousetrap" at the Hanna Theatre from March 9 to 25. A group of strangers are stranded in a guest house, and then, of course, there is murder, mayhem and "whodunit."
Four shows, including "Flanagan's Wake," will play the 14th Street Theater, which is found in the small space just south of Euclid Avenue. "Flanagan's Wake" will move up from Kennedy's and will run through April.
"Beyond Belief" is playing now. Joshua Seth's one-man show includes magic, mystery, hypnosis and laughs. It plays 14th Street through Jan. 28.
Miss Abigail's "Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage" will play from Feb. 8 to 12. It's promoted as an outrageously funny how-to show at 14th Street.
Closer to home, the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre will open the new season Jan. 13 with "Enchanted April." Adapted from a 1922 novel, the play centers on four married women who choose to get away from it all by renting a secluded castle in Italy. "Enchanted April" is a lightweight, enduring little comedy. It closes Feb. 4.
The Steven Dietz thriller "Yankee Tavern" plays the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's River Street Playhouse from Feb. 10 to 25. Mr. Dietz will not let us down. See it.
"The Drowsy Chaperone" will play the CVLT main stage from March 16 to April 14. This oddball, high-flying musical takes place in the narrator's mind. Those who missed this show when it played on Playhouse Square must see it this time around.
The "Gin Game" will play the River Street Playhouse from April 20 to May 5. Two nursing-home residents, a man and woman, do battle over daily gin rummy games.
Much more will fill local stages, from Beck Center in Lakewood to Aurora Community Theater. We will be keeping you updated. Get out and see them all.
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