Last chance to see 12 plays and musicals (Oct. 10-12)

by Shawn Parikh

This is your last chance to see some good shows, so try and catch a couple while you have the time:

• The Pillowman, presented by Kitchen Dog Theater. With echoes of Stoppard, Kafka, and the Brothers Grimm, The Pillowman centers on a writer in an unnamed totalitarian state who is being interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a series of child murders. The result is an urgent work of theatrical bravura and an unflinching examination of the very nature and purpose of art. Call 214-953-1055 for tickets ($15-30) or purchase online.
• Annie Get Your Gun, presented by Theatre Arlington. "There's No Business Like Show Business" as Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show presents the story of rough and tumble Annie Oakley and her rise to fame and romance with headliner Frank Butler. Irving Berlin's classic songs make this a bull's-eye hit for everyone! Purchase tickets ($18-20) online or by calling 817-275-7661.
• Sleeping Beauty, presented by Casa Mañana's Children's Playhouse. A new, bolder, funnier retelling of your favorite tale, this Sleeping Beauty features some delightful new characters and a slightly different spin on the usual suspects. A young Princess is cursed to sleep an ageless sleep, and can only be awakened by the kiss from a Prince. You are sure to be enchanted by the staging of this magical fairy tale developed by critically acclaimed local artists Brad Jackson and Alex Vorse. Purchase tickets ($12-17) online or by calling 817-332-2272.
• Belles, presented by Mckinney Repertory Theatre. Peggy's still in Memphis caring for Mama, who's in the hospital because of some bad tuna. The phone calls Peggy makes to her five sisters to let them know set the long distance phone lines on fire and make for an intriguing story of vivid characters and involving conflicts. Purchase tickets ($13-16) online or by calling 214-544-4630.
• Belles on Their Toes, presented by Artisan Center Theater. The Cheaper by the Dozen family is back, but Father is gone. This is how the Gilbreths meet this crisis, along with the younger kids hilarious attempts to take charge of their siblings’ dating prospects, makes for great entertainment! Purchase tickets ($6-15) online or by calling 817-284-1200.
• Cinderella, presented by Creative Arts Theatre & School. A young woman triumphs over her nasty, abusive Stepmother and Stepsisters and marries her Prince Charming, thanks to her zany Fairy Godmother, a trip to the Royal Ball in an enchanted coach and a glass slipper. The Fairy Godmother's two comical helpers keep things moving along in this delightful version of a classic known the world over. Purchase tickets ($5-7) online or by calling 817-861-CATS.
• My Fair Lady, presented by Rockwall Community Playhouse. This show is the standard by which all others are measured. Based on Shaw's play and Pascal's movie "Pygmalion," with book, music and lyrics by Lerner and Loewe, My Fair Lady is triumphant. With Wouldn't It Be Loverly?, With a Little Bit of Luck, The Rain in Spain, I Could Have Danced All Night, On the Street Where You Live, Get Me to the Church on Time and I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face it's no wonder everyone-not just Henry Higgins-falls in love with Eliza Doolittle. Call 972-722-3399 for reservations ($15-18).
• Big Bucks, presented by Amateur Community Theatre of Rowlett. Big "Buck" Fever is trying to protect his ranch from becoming a freeway, and now the IRS wants to know why he hasn't filed a tax return in four years. As the construction crew for the freeway begins to dig, they find a body in the front yard. Gramma Fever loads her shotgun, Mama Fever tries to keep a secret, while the cook and the rest of the family deal with the strangers in the house. Can fried chicken be the answer to the Fever family problems? Make reservations ($7-10) online.
• The Diary of Anne Frank, presented by TCC Theatre Northwest. Forced into hiding during the Holocaust, the German-Jewish teenager Anne Frank, her family and four others spent 25 months during World War II living secretly in an annex of rooms above her father’s office in Amsterdam. Anne Frank’s diary is one of the most haunting stories we have in our shared human experience. A testament to the human spirit, it illuminates Anne Frank’s enduring belief in hope and love during one of the darkest moments in history. Through her voice, we encounter a timeless, moving and luminous legacy of courage. Box office can be reached at 817-515-7724 for tickets (free-$6).
• True West, presented by TCC Northeast Playhouse. The play is about two brothers: Austin is an ambitious Hollywood screenwriter working on a potential million-dollar deal when an ill wind off the desert blows in Lee, a hobo thief with a six-pack and a case of sibling rivalry. The conflict arises when a film producer offers Lee to write a "true" western. In a role reversal as intricate as it is riveting, the brothers head toward Shepard's outrageous version of the Western movie showdown. Tickets (free-$6) can be reserved by calling the Box Office at 817-515-6687.
• Scapino!, presented by UTA Department of Theatre Arts. This comic masterpiece is set in a dockside ristorante in Naples, and begins with a song made up from the menu. Two friends, whose fathers’ threaten their natural love by arranging their marriages, turn to Scapino, a wily servant, to fix the dire situation. An extraordinary production, it received rave reviews from every critic on Broadway! Chases, word play, mistaken identities and, of course, a happy ending make this play a rip-roaring good time! Call 817-272-2669 for tickets ($7-10).
• Helen, presented by Texas Woman's University. This modern adaptation of “Helen of Troy” seeks to discover whether one can rewrite their past, especially if that past was an illusion. She exists in an Egyptian hotel for seventeen years waiting for the war to end. Helen has spent every day alone in her hotel room with no visitors except her Egyptian servant. The play takes place on the day when Helen’s waiting finally comes to an end. She is visited by fellow Greek sex symbol, Io; the well known Greek goddess Athena; and finally by the husband she feared she had lost, Menelaus. For ticket reservations ($5-10), call 940-898-2020.