Friday, February 8, 2008

New round of plays and musicals for DFW this weekend (Feb. 8-10)

By Shawn Parikh

The month of February is bringing a lot of new theater to the metroplex including a couple of world premieres, so make sure to see what is opening this weekend:

La Cage Aux Folles

• Slaughterhouse 5, presented by Risk Theatre Initiative. Written by Kurt Vonnegut, and adapted by Academy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Eric Simonson. With special permission from the Vonnegut Estate. Billy Pilgrim has become "unstuck in time”: He experiences the events of his life in a seemingly random order, with no idea which part of life he will "visit" next. Newly adapted for the stage by Steppenwolf’s Eric Simonson (through the Risk Playwright’s Initiative, from the classic 1969 novel) S5 is a visual and emotional spectacle exploring fate, free will, and the illogical nature of humans. Purchase tickets ($20) online or by calling 214-823-RISK.
• La Cage Aux Folles, presented by ONSTAGE in Bedford. Based on the 1973 French play by Jean Poiret and subsequent 1978 French-Italian screen version, the musical focuses on a gay couple: Georges, the manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and Albin, his star attraction - and the adventures that ensue when Georges’ son brings home his fiancée’s ultra-conservative parents to meet them. Purchase tickets ($10-15) online or by calling 817-354-6444.
• Rocket Man, presented by Labyrinth Theatre. A serious comedy about the road not taken. Donny Rowan has placed everything he owns on his lawn, along with a sign that reads: "Here's My Life. Make An Offer." He cuts a skylight in his attic and sits there in his reclining chair, staring at the stars. Somewhere in the universe, Donny believes, is a place where all the roads we never chose converge. Rocket Man explores one man's obsessive desire to find this "parallel world"-and the profound effect of his decision on his family and friends. Call 972-231-1012 for tickets ($12-25) or purchase online.
• Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, presented by Dallas Children's Theater. A Caldecott Award winning Cinderella tale! When a great African king desires a wife, only the most worthy and beautiful maidens in the land are invited to meet him. Mufaro’s pride and joy, his two daughters of very different dispositions, travel across a river and half a day’s journey to go before the king. With traditional chanting and African song, come celebrate goodness, generosity and love. Purchase tickets ($12-21) online or by calling 214-740-0051.
• Driving Miss Daisy, presented by Artisan Center Theater. Both a Pulitzer-Prize-winning play and Academy Award winning movie, Driving Miss Daisy is one of America's most touching and totally irresistible stories; toled with humor, warmth, and beauty. Dorothy Sanders will be Miss Daisy. Purchase tickets ($8-13) online or by calling 817-284-1200.
• Steel Magnolias, presented by Repertory Company Theatre. The comedy takes place entire in Truvy's beauty salon, Chinquapin, Louisiana. Truvy's new assistant is Annelle, who is not sure if she is married or not but will not let her personal problems get in the way of "doing good hair". The four women who visit the salon are M'Lynn, the local social worker who adores her daughter, Shelby, who is getting married. Clairee, the eccentric millionaire, recently widowed spits out one-liners with the best of them, and the curmudgeon, Ouiser who loves her dog more than humans and admits that she's not crazy but has just "been in a very bad mood for forty years". The four scenes play out the women's experiences with birth, life and death. For tickets ($12-20), call 972-690-5029.
• In Defense of Better Days, presented by Irving Community Theater on the Edge. Don't miss the world premiere of this new show written and directed by Bill Fountain. The play is about a giant asteroid a few days from slamming into the Earth and ending all life as we know it. In Defense of Better Days is the story of a family reunited in the midst of great hardship and challenge. An engaging and original story about survival, hope and most of all, the power of love. For reservations ($8), call 972-594-6104.
• Proposals, presented by Greater Lewisville Community Theatre. This delightful memory play recalls the last gathering of the Hines family at their retreat in the Poconos. It's the summer of 1953, and a time of animated romantic entanglements that overlap all on one afternoon. With the arrival of each character, audiences experience both comic hilarity and heartbreaking honesty. Call 972-221-SHOW for reservations ($10-13).
• The Shadow Box, presented by Theatre Coppell. In this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play, three terminally ill patients and their families deal with their relationships, anxieties and impending mortality in three cottages on the grounds of a large hospital. Surrounded by loved ones, all are trying to face and make sense of death. The play dramatizes their anxieties and their coming to grips with the finality of their condition, a preordained future whose only imponderable trait is its exact length. An overwhelmingly poetic, emotional experience that is as funny as it is moving. Purchase tickets ($10-14) online or by calling the Box Office at 972-745-7719.
• The Odd Couple, presented by Company of Rowlett Performers for this weekend only. This classic comedy opens as a group of the guys assembled for cards in the apartment of divorced Oscar Madison, and if the mess is any indication, it's no wonder that his wife left him. Late to arrive is Felix Unger who has just been separated from his wife. Since he is very fastidious and none too tense, they fear he might commit suicide and go about locking all the windows. When Felix arrives, he is scarcely allowed to go to the bathroom alone. As the action unfolds, the clean freak and the slob ultimately decide to room together with hilarious results as The Odd Couple is born. Tickets ($10-15) are available by calling 972-977-7710.
• B at the Beginning, presented by Collin Theatre Center Alt Series for this weekend only. As Kevin and Tabitha pursue their budding relationship, they are interrupted by Ben, Kevin’s autistic nephew, who comes to live with them spontaneously. The couple must learn to overcome their individual interests and enter Ben’s world. Performances are free.
• West Side Story, presented by Plano Children's Theatre. A modern day story of Romeo & Juliet, two star crossed lovers, plunge each other into a gang war in mid-century New York. For reservations, call 972-422-2575.

And previewing this weekend is:

• Five Course Love, presented by Circle Theatre. This delicious new show mixes heaping portions of music, comedy and romance into a tasty theatrical entree! Three actors portray fifteen characters whose amorous meetings at different restaurants are played out in musical styles that match each cuisine. Show officially opens on Valentine’s Day, Thursday, February 14th. For reservations ($10-15), call 817-877-3040.

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