by Shawn Parikh

Say goodbye to some great shows, including the scary ones.

With it being Halloween weekend, some companies are closing their spooky shows, but others are just ending great productions. Make sure to see a few in the next couple of days:

• Don Juan the Vampire, presented by Teatro Dallas. Zorrilla opened his famous Don Juan Tenorio in 1844 in Mexico City but placed the story in 16th century Seville. Teatro Dallas's production of Don Juan the Vampire, however, will take place in 1950's Seville, with a swirl of punk rock from the eighties- after all the play opens during a masquerade. This show is packed with action and taps into the personality of the womanizer Don Juan, who in spite of his evil and vampiric ways, surrenders to the love of Doña Inés. Purchase tickets ($15-25) online.
• A Clockwork Orange, presented by Sundown Collaborative Theatre. Anthony Burgess' stage play of his infamous cult novel and film of the same name, "A Clockwork Orange" is the story of Alex and his teenage gang, "The Droogs", their life of rape and murder, and "ultraviolence", and the moral dilemma that arises when Alex is brainwashed into good-citizenship. Tickets are $8.
• Dream Awake, presented by MBS Productions. A court appointed psychologist is assigned to determine the sanity of a babysitter who is being charged with brutally murdering two children. Since the young woman has no recollection of the shocking event, to facilitate remembrance, the psychologist places her under hypnosis. The crime she proceeds to describe confirms her involvement in the brutal murder but not of the two children she's accused of but of two others. The mystery deepens as the young girl proceeds to reveal more details of this new crime and the police are unable to locate the victims. Is her recollection faulty? Has the psychologist inadvertently created a false memory thus making an innocent person now guilty? Or is the girl actually a serial killer caught? Thrill as the mystery unravels and you discover if her memories are part of a dream or if they happen while she was awake. Special Halloween show on October 31 where price includes trick or treat bags & costume contest for the audienc. Special Day of the Dead show on November 1 where price includes traditional Mexican Day of Dead food & beverage at intermission & after show. Purchase tickets ($16-25) online or by calling 214-477-4942.
• Sweeney Todd, presented by ONSTAGE in Bedford. The rare instance of a musical thriller, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s chilling, suspenseful, heart-pounding masterpiece of murderous barber-ism and culinary crime tells the infamous tale of the unjustly exiled barber who returns to 19th century London seeking revenge against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. His thirst for blood soon expands to include his unfortunate customers, and the resourceful proprietress of the pie shop downstairs soon has the people of London lining up in droves with her mysterious new meat pie recipe! Purchase tickets ($10-15) online or by calling 817-354-6444.
• Blithe Spirit, presented by Stage West. One of the world's favorite comedies. Novelist Charles Condomine finds himself in a world of farcical trouble when a seance accidentally materializes the beautiful and very mischievous ghost of his first wife, who is visible and audible only to him. Purchase tickets ($18-28) online or by calling 817-784-9378.
• Legends, presented by Uptown Players. An eager young off-Broadway producer named Martin Klemmer, a wheeler-dealer if ever there was one, has found what he believes is a terrifically commercial new script. Since he has produced only one thing before (an off-Broadway something called Craps!) Martin is having difficulty getting his calls returned by the kind of powerful Broadway magnates capable of getting Thelma & Louise: The Musical on the Great White Way. What Martin needs are Names—as in star Names—and who better than film legends Sylvia Glenn and Leatrice Monsee for the two leads? If Martin can sign them both he can get the money. Unfortunately, each hates the other with a deep and abiding passion and won’t be caught dead in the same room with the other—let alone onstage. Will Martin be able to resolve this titanic dilemma? Will Thelma & Louise: The Musical hit the big time? And, if Sylvia and Leatrice do agree to appear together, will Antonio Banderas sign on, too? Purchase tickets ($22-25) online or by calling 214-219-2718.
• Look What’s Happened to Pixie DeCosta, presented by Theatre Three. It's the 1930's and sisters Pixie and Margot De Costa are the darlings of Tinsel Town, until a tragic accident plunges them into a nightmare full of secrets and bad B movies! No, really! This outrageous world premiere comedy pays loving tribute to the glory years of Hollywood Noir and Grand Guignol. Purchase tickets ($25-30) online or by calling 214-871-3300.
• The Mummy’s Claw, presented by Dallas Children's Theater. This Horror Spoof will have audiences "wrapped" in suspense and laughter just in time for the arrival of King Tut's treasures! In the grand tradition of Agatha Christie and Monty Python, a colorful collection of zany characters convene a archaeologist Sir Nevil Blore's Egyptian "digs" to solve an ancient puzzle. A simple house party becomes a life or death struggle in the Valley of the Nile. Purchase tickets ($12-22) online or by calling 214-740-0051.
• Wait Until Dark, presented by Ennis Public Theatre. The mystery thriller’s heroine is Suzy Hendrix, a blind Greenwich Village housewife who becomes the target of thugs searching for hidden heroin. Efforts to convince Suzy her spouse has been implicated in the crime culminate in a riveting final scene when Suzy employs senses sharpened by her blindness. Call 972-878-PLAY for reservations ($12-14).
• Fear Factory Haunted House: Insanitarium, presented by Lakeside Community Theatre. The Rosehill Hotel was once a place of Beauty, where families could take a quiet trip to stay for the weekend. But on one Halloween Night, a group of circus performers decided to check in... Little did the patrons of the Hotel realize that these performers were escaped inmates lead on a breakout by the Evil Dr. Lucious Blackburn, who liked to perform...his ghastly experiments on his patients. Now the Rosehill Hotel is under New Management... These Clowns aren't here to make you laugh. Will you make it through alive? Or will you become one of Dr. Blackburn's Experiments? Call 972-727-4098 for more info on tickets ($15).
• The Intergalactic Nemesis, for this weekend only. Takes place in a radio studio in 1933 with the theatre patrons playing the part of the studio audience. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Molly Sloan and her intrepid assistant Timmy Mendez are hot on the trail of a story. When a mysterious stranger saves their lives, they discover the story they were seeking is much bigger than they could have possibly imagined! It's Star Wars meets Raiders of the Lost Ark with a little of Flash Gordon thrown in for good measure. Tickets ($33-39) are available online, by calling 972-744-4650, or in person.
• Robin Hood, presented by Garland Civic Theatre’s Children On Stage, for this weekend only. Robin Hood, the outlaw of Sherwood Forest, leads a merry life with his followers. Anyone who is hungry or who has no place to live is welcome in the greenwood. The citizens of the forest oppose wicked Prince John. He has taken the place of King Richard the Lion-Hearted who has gone to the Holy Land on a crusade. The evil Lady Merle of Cornwall plans to force Maid Marion to marry the Prince in an effort to make John acceptable to the people of England. To arms! It’s up to Robin to stop the marriage, defeat a nasty sheriff, and secure Nottingham for the King’s return. Tickets ($7-12) are on sale at the Arts Center Box Office or by calling 972-205-2790.
• Dracula, presented by Granbury Opera House. Dracula, based on the novel by Bram Stoker, first appeared on Broadway in 1927 and again successfully in 1977. The play is one of the great stage mystery thrillers and is generally considered among the best of its Kind. Lucy Seward, whose father is the doctor in charge of an English sanatorium, has been attacked by some mysterious illness. Dr. Van Helsing, a specialist, believes that the girl is the victim of a vampire, as sort of ghost that goes about at night sucking blood from its victims. As Count Dracula begins to exert his will upon the residents of London, they try to piece together the clues of his appearance in a valiant attempt to save themselves from a hideous fate. Tickets ($10-25) are available online or by calling the box office at 817-573-9191.
• Almost the Bride of Dracula, presented by Azle Arts Association's Popcorn Players. The poor Count is only 580 years old and his mother is constantly after him to find a nice girl and settle down. We see the Count during interludes with Donna, the devout Catholic beauty who expects him to convert; Lisa, the attractive four-time widow whose husbands all met grisly ends; and Becky, the tangy Texas tease who's only leading him on. Mother Dracula may be only normal in wanting grandchildren, but by the end of this fast, delightful comedy, we realize it'll be an uphill climb to find a suitable spouse who will provide Dracula with a toothsome brood of his own! Purchase tickets ($5-10) online or by calling 817-238-PLAY.
• Rocky Horror Show, presented by Plano Community Theatre. Call 972-422-2575 for tickets ($13-15).

What do you think?