WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK IN THEATRE (MARCH 25-31, 2015)

(Be sure to visit our monthly theatre calendar by clicking on “Events Calendar.”)

THE GRAND THEATRE, The Skin of Our Teeth, By Thornton Wilder, Mark Fossen, director, combining farce, burlesque, satire, and elements of the comic strip, the author depicts an everyman family as it narrowly escapes one end-of-the-world disaster after another, from the Ice Age to flood to war, through March 28, Salt Lake Community College, 1575 S. State St., $14-$20, 801-957-3322, www.the-grand.org.

CENTERPOINT LEGACY THEATRE, Shrek The Musical, book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abair, music by Jeanine Tesori, beauty is only skin deep, but ogre goes straight through to the bone, through March 28, 7:30 p.m., also 2:30 p.m. matinees on March 21 and 28, Barlow Main Stage, 525 N. 400 West, Centerville, $17.25-$23.25, 801-298-1302, www.centerpointtheatre.org.

HERITAGE THEATRE, The Mikado, by Gilbert and Sullivan, how can you not have a good time visiting the town of Tittipu where Nanki-Poo (second trombone in a traveling band) wants to marry the lovely Yum-Yum, but she is promised to the tailor Ko-Ko, who has changed his occupation to Lord High Executioner so he can save himself from being beheaded for flirting, through March 28, 7:30 p.m., also 2 p.m. matinees on March 14 and 21, $10 general, $9 seniors/children under 12, S. Highway 89, Peery, 435-723-8392, www.heritagetheatreutah.com.

TERRACE PLAZA PLAYHOUSE, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, book by Jeffrey Lane, music and lyrics by David Yazbek,  directed by Dennis Ferrin, tells the story of two con men living on the French Riviera, Lawrence Jemeson makes his lavish living by talking rich ladies out of their money, Freddy Benson more humbly swindles women by waking their compassion with fabricated stories about his grandmother’s failing health, after meeting on a train they attempt to work together only to find the town isn’t big enough for the two of them, through April 4, 7:30 p.m., 99 E. 4700 South, Ogden, $12-$14 general, $11-$13 seniors/students, $9-$11 children (12 and under), 801-393-0070, http://terraceplayhouse.com.

PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY, I Hate Hamlet, by Paul Rudnick, Andrew Rally is on the top of the world, he’s a big TV star and he has just moved into a ritzy apartment in Manhattan so he can start rehearsals for his New York debut as Hamlet, but there’s only one problem – he hates Hamlet – and when the ghost of John Barrymore shows up to help him prepare for the role, he’s in for the ride of his life, through April 4, 7:30 p.m. (Monday-Thursday evenings), 8 p.m. (Friday and Saturday evenings), also 2 p.m. matinees (on Saturdays), $25-$44 (tickets will be $5 higher when purchased on day of performance), 801-581-6961, www.pioneertheatre.org.

HALE CENTRE THEATRE-WEST VALLEY CITY, Ghost, the Musical, book and lyrics by Bruce Joel Rubin, music and lyrics by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard, just off the boards of London and Broadway, adapted from the movie, it’s the story of Sam and Molly, exquisite devotion, betrayed friendship, a compelling murder mystery, comedic incantations and lastly, a love that transcends spheres, through April 11, 12:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. performances, $30-$33 general, $16 children (5-11 years, no children under 5 years permitted), 801-984-9000, www.halecentretheatre.org.

THE OFF BROADWAY THEATRE, Indianapolis Jones, the show follows Indianapolis Jones through foreign shrines, caves and an evil temple (not on Evil Temple Square) in search of Pandora’s Box, he is joined in his quest by his Asian sidekick and his bumbling old father, through April 11, 7:30 p.m., 272 S. Main, $10-$16, $11 (March 16, 23, 30 and April 6), 801-355-4628, www.theobt.org.

HALE CENTRE THEATRE-OREM, Les Misérables, based on the novel by Victor Hugo, book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, tells the story of Jean Valjean, a runaway convict seeking redemption after serving 19 years in a prison for stealing a loaf of bread, his journey to freedom collides and converges with the lives of the worst and the best of humanity, through April 25, 7:30 p.m., also 11 p.m. and 3 p.m. matinees on Saturdays, $17-$21 general, $13-$17 children, 801-226-8600, www.haletheater.org.

ROSE WAGNER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, “Man from Magdalena,” a one-woman play written by Patty Willis, with music by Mary Lou Prince, based on a true story, in November 2007 Manuel Jesús Córdova Soberanes, a migrant crossing the border, rescued an injured nine-year-old boy whose mother had just been killed in a car accident in the desert, with only eight hours from reaching his destination in Tucson, Soberanes halted his journey to help the boy, he later told reporters that he was thinking of his own four children when he decided to stay with the boy throughout the night, this event inspired Man from Magdalena, the story of a stranger who reveals himself as an angel in our midst, March 25, 7:30 p.m., Leona Wagner Black Box Theatre, $20 in advance, $25 at the door (all net proceeds will be donated to micro loans in Mexico and Central America through www.kiva.org), 801-355-2787, 888-451-2787, www.arttix.org.

SCERA CENTER, The Secret Garden, performed by SCERA’s national award-winning high school company, “Acting Up,” the Tony-Award winning musical based on children’s literature reimagined by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman, tells the story of 11 year old orphan Mary Lennox who comes to Yorkshire to live with her embittered, reclusive Uncle Archibald and his invalid son Colin, March 25-28, 7:30 p.m., $8 adults, $6 seniors (65+ years) and children (ages 3-11 years), 745 S. State, Orem, 801-225-2787, www.scera.org.

UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY, The Rabbit Hole, by David Lindsay-Abair, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize, Becca and Howie Corbett have everything a family could want, until a life-shattering accident turns their world upside down and leaves the couple drifting perilously apart, the play charts the bittersweet search for comfort in the darkest of places and for a path that will lead them back into the light of day,  March 25-28, 7:30 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee also on March 28, Black Box Theatre, $8-13, 435-797-8022, www.arts.usu.edu.

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY, A Winter’s Tale,  by William Shakespeare, directed by Lindsay Livingston, myth and misunderstanding intersect as a cast of colorful and passionate characters search for their happy ending in this tragicomedy, March 25-27, 31, April 1-3, 7:30 p.m., also 2 p.m. matinees on March 21 and 28, ASL interpreted performance on March 26, Pardoe Theatre, Harris Fine Arts Center, $8-$15, $8 matinees, $4-$5 off with BYU or student ID, $2 off for seniors/BYU alumni, 801-422-4322, www.arts.byu.edu.

DRAPER HISTORIC THEATRE, Hairspray, based on the film written and directed by John Waters, directed by David Beach, the enchanted tale of acceptance, beauty, and being true to yourself, March 27-28, 7 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinee also on March 28, $9 general, $7 seniors/students/military, $5 children 12 and under, all seats $5 for matinees, reserved tickets, $11 general, $9  seniors/students/military/children, 12366 S. 900 East, 801-572-4144, www.drapertheatre.org.

RADICAL HOSPITALITY THEATER, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, the story follows Blanche DuBois through an eye opening journey wrought with shame, ego, deceit and ignorance, March 26-28, 7:30 p.m. (single seat viewing), March 27-28, 7 p.m. (dinner theater), Gateway Mall, in the old Anthropology space, $25 general, $110 dinner with pairing, $85 food only, www.radicalhospitalitytheater.com.

THE GRAND THEATRE, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, March 26-28, April 1-4, 8-11, 7:30 p.m., Black Box, Salt Lake Community College, 1575 S. State St., $10 general, 801-957-3322, www.the-grand.org.

DESERT STAR PLAYHOUSE, Into The Hoods: A Fractured Fairy Tale, March 26-June 6, 2:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8:30 p.m., and 9:30 p.m. performances, 4861 S. State Street, Murray, $18.95 adults, $10.95 children (11 years and under), www.desertstar.biz.

WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY, Arcadia***, by Tom Stoppard, Jennifer A. Kokai, director, do you wonder what it would be like to go back and witness a historical event, inside a pastoral English manor, two driven academics try to determine whether a volatile mix of lust and poetry led to a feud there 200 years earlier, the play moves between the 1800s and the present, and offers a powerful blend of logic, emotion, wit and heartache, March 27-28, 31-April 4, 7:30 p.m., Eccles Theatre, $10-$12, 801-626-7000, www.weberstatetickets.com.

This entry was posted in EVENTS CALENDAR, LIVE THEATER, Upcoming Theatre Events by Edward Reichel. Bookmark the permalink.

About Edward Reichel

Edward Reichel, author, writer and composer, has been covering the classical music scene in Utah since 1997. For many years he served as the primary music critic for the Deseret News. He has also written for a number of publications, including Chamber Music Magazine, OPERA Magazine, 15 Bytes, Park City Magazine and Salt Lake Magazine. He holds a Ph.D. in composition from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He can be reached at ed.reichel@gmail.com. Reichel Recommends is also on Twitter @ReichelArts.

Leave a Reply