Last weekend to see 12 plays and musicals (Oct. 3-5)

by Shawn Parikh

It's another weekend, meaning more shows are ending their run. Try and see a couple while you have the time:

• Neil Young’s Greendale, presented by Undermain Theatre. The rock opera by the legendary singer - songwriter will be adapted for the stage by Undermain Theatre. This song cycle has been compared to Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and Sherwood Anderson’s Winesberg Ohio as a portrait of the changing face of small town America. Performed with a live band and sung by an ensemble cast, Greendale explores the lives of three generations of the Green family through themes ranging from corruption to mass media consolidation to environmentalism. Purchase tickets ($15-25) online or by calling 214-747-5515.
• Shakespeare in Hollywood, presented by Rover Dramawerks. When Max Reinhardt's 1934 set for A Midsummer Night's Dream is visited by the real Oberon and Puck, who is your money on? A bunch of Hollywood execs, starlets and fame-mongers, or Shakespeare's own mischievous King of the Faeries and sly sidekick? Purchase tickets ($15-18) online or by calling 972-849-0358.
• The Hollow, presented by Richardson Theatre Centre. An unhappy game of romantic follow-the-leader explodes into murder one weekend at The Hollow, home of Sir Henry and Lucy Angkatell. Dr. Cristow is at the center of the trouble: Henrietta, his mistress; Veronica, his ex-mistress; and Gerda, his wife, are all at The Hollow. Also visiting are Edward (who is in love with Henrietta) and Midge (who loves Edward). Veronica ardently desires to marry Cristow and succeeds in re-opening their affair but is unable to get him to divorce his wife. Veronica unwisely state that is she cannot have him no one shall. Within five minutes Cristow is dead. Nearly everyone has a motive and most had opportunity. Enter Inspector Colquhoun and Sergeant Penny to solve the crime. A classic suspenseful who-done-it! Call 972-699-1130 for tickets ($18-20).
• Defiance, presented by Theatre Three. Set on a United Sates Marine Corps base in North Carolina in 1971 three officers (the commander, his black executive officer and the new base chaplain) are on a collision course over race, women, and authority – both military and moral authority. In this play, Pulitzer winning Shanley fills the drama with provocative tensions between the military mindset, the pro and anti war turmoil of the times, the complexities of race, and tests of loyalties and loves. Purchase tickets ($20-40) online or by calling 214-871-3300.
• Out of Order, presented by Runway Theatre. Parliamentary" procedure takes on a whole new meaning when conservative Richard, a government junior minister, plans to spend the evening in a London hotel with Jane, one of the opposition's typists. A conniving waiter, suspicious hotel manager, alert private detective, angry wife, furious husband, bungling secretary, unconscious nurse and a dead body virtually ensure that Richard's political career and personal life will be destroyed. Things go disastrously wrong and hilarity ensues in this farcical British frenzy of fun! Purchase tickets ($12-15) online or by calling 817-488-4842.
• Dark Play or Stories For Boys, presented by Amphibian Productions. By Carlos Murillo. A shy, awkward teenage boy, emboldened by the anonymity of the internet assumes a false identity to deceive and seduce another teen. A cautionary tale about the power of the world wide web. Purchase tickets ($20-26) online or by calling 817-923-3012.
• The Belles, presented by Azle Arts Association's Popcorn Players. This is a play in 2 acts and 45 phone calls. The six Walker sisters hail from Memphis, but now they are scattered all over the country. Only Peggy still lives in Memphis, where she cares for Mama. When the play begins, Peggy is phoning her sisters to tell them that Mama is in the hospital. Nothing serious she just ate some bad tuna. An intriguing story of vivid characters and involving conflicts emerges in the ensuing phone calls among the sisters. Purchase tickets ($5-10) online or by calling 817-238-PLAY.
• The Laramie Project, presented by TCU Department of Theatre. Laramie, often referred to as the “gem city of the plains” was the site of the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21 year-old, gay, University of Wyoming student. On November 14, 1998, members of Tectonic Theatre Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming, and conducted interviews with the people of the town.” The play is about the town of Laramie, its citizens, and their reaction to Matthew Shepard’s murder. Call 817-257-5770 for tickets.
• Aesop’s Fables, presented by Word of Mouth productions for this weekend only. An updated version of the timeless storyteller's most popular fables, Aesop's Fables is a fast moving play in which the audience is brought into the action of the play by seeing the change from actor to character and back to actor again. Four of Aesop's best loved fables… "The Fox and the Crow," "The Hare and the Tortoise," "The Donkey In the Lion's Skin" and finally, "The Fox and the Sour Grapes," are delightfully created in this interesting approach to storyteller's theatre. For tickets ($6-8), call 214-544-4630.
• We The People: The Language of Politics and War in America, presented by TCC South Drama. A student produced performance for this election year. Box office can be reached at 817-515-4642 for tickets ($0-6).
• Stones In His Pockets, presented by Texas Wesleyan. Two actors, Junior Theatre Major Chase Burnett and Senior Theatre Major Ben Phillips, take on the daunting task of bringing 15 different characters to life, stepping in and out of these characters like so many pairs of shoes. The play, directed by Senior Theatre Major Dillon Maroney, presents many challenges for both actors and directors due to its unique presentation. Centered around a small Irish town invaded by a Hollywood movie production, hilarity ensues as small town ideals clash with Tinsel Town tenacity. As all the town’s folks have been cast as extras in the film, Hollywood fever begins to overtake some of the sleepy town’s residences; however, when tragedy strikes the set, the “real” Ireland that the movie producers worked so hard to capture become a bit too real for their tastes. Call 817-531-4211 for tickets ($4-8).
• Agnes of God, presented by Texas Wesleyan. This enticing murder mystery takes the audience through the troubled life of Agnes, played by Senior Theatre Major Whitney Park, who is a young, naïve nun suspected of possessing divine insight. When a dead infant is found in Agnes’s room, strangled by the umbilical cord, Agnes claims she doesn't know where the baby came from, or who killed it. A psychiatrist, played by Junior Theatre Major Cari Watson, is called in to determine Agnes’s sanity; however, once the doctor begins to dig into the troubled psyche of Sister Agnes, her own personal convictions towards religion compel her to become personally involved, much to the disdain of Agnes’s Mother Superior, played by Junior Theatre Major Ashley Moseley. Call 817-531-4211 for tickets ($4-8).