With showers in the forecast over the next two days, you may need to seek shelter for good times this weekend. Luckily, a deluge of theatre productions is flooding East Valley stages, making it the perfect time to come in out of the rain. Here’s our list of new shows at nearby venues:
With showers in the forecast over the next two days, you may need to seek shelter for good times this weekend. Luckily, a deluge of theatre productions is flooding East Valley stages, making it the perfect time to come in out of the rain. Here’s our list of new shows at nearby venues:
Weekend forecast in Valley calls for rain
SPEND A LITTLE
“Into the Woods”
What: Combine the fairy tales of “Cinderella,” “Rapunzel,” “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Little Red Riding Hood” with the story of a baker and his wife who desperately want a child, and you’ve got this family-friendly play about breaking a witch’s spell.
When: 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Queen Creek Performing Arts Center, 22149 E. Ocotillo Road, Queen Creek
Cost: $12.75
Information: (480) 987-7469 or www.qcpac.com
“The Great White Hope”
What: This Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play based loosely on the life of boxer Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion of the world, starred James Earl Jones when it debuted on Broadway in 1968. Mesa Community College’s production explores Johnson’s achievement in a climate of deep racial unrest, when animosity permeated professional sports and white detractors searched for a contender to depose the champ.
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Theatre Outback at MCC, 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa
Cost: $10-$15; no admittance for children 5 and younger
Information: (480) 461-7170 or www.mc.maricopa.edu/community/outback/plays.html
“Beauty and the Beast”
What: Disney’s “tale as old as time” comes to life with dancing flatware, menacing wolves and singing furniture in this family production by CYT Phoenix, affiliate of a theater program for youth ages 6 through 18 with more than 10,000 participants across the nation.
When: 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St., Mesa
Cost: $12-$18
Information: (480) 644-6500 or www.mesaartscenter.com
SPEND A LITTLE MORE
“These Shining Lives”
What: In this blending of fact and fiction, young women in 1920s Chicago contract radium poisoning while earning 8 cents per piece to paint watch faces, despite the fact that company scientists and administrators know the hazards. It’s part of the ASU School of Theatre and Film’s MainStage Season of Science and Mystery, a series of productions that explore the roles of technology, science and media in our lives.
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, March 4-6 and 10-12, and 2 p.m. March 7
Where: Lyceum Theatre, 901 S. Forest Mall, Arizona State University, Tempe
Cost: $7-$22; get half-price tickets on the first Friday of any MainStage Season production
Information: (480) 965-6447 or http://mainstage.asu.edu
“Guys and Dolls”
What: This winner of five 1951 Tony Awards set in 1940s New York City tells the story of a group of gamblers and the ladies in their lives. It features classic songs such as “Luck be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Saturdays through April 3
Where: Hale Centre Theatre, 50 W. Page Ave., Gilbert
Cost: $22-$24
Information: (480) 497-1181 or www.haletheatrearizona.com
SPLURGE
“In The Mood: A 1940s Musical”
What: A cast of singers and dancers and the String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra bring back a time when all of America was moving to the same music. The retro musical features uptempo instrumentals and romantic ballads to recall the sounds that moved a nation’s spirit and helped win the last great war.
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Higley Performing Arts Center, 4132 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert
Cost: $34-$46
Information: (480) 782-2680 or www.chandlercenter.org
“George M!”
What: A patriotic musical about George M. Cohan, a giant of American musical theater and, some say, the first show business megastar, who transformed the old Broadway variety show into today’s book-driven musical format.
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; 1:15 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays; and 7 p.m. Sundays through April 10
Where: Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 5247 E. Brown Road, Mesa
Cost: $45-$54 for adult dinner and show; $22 for child 12 and younger dinner and show; $28 show only; Student rush tickets for show only are $10 and available 30 minutes prior to curtain to high school and college students with valid school ID.
Information: (480) 325-6700 or www.broadwaypalmwest.com
