Opening and preview weekend for 9 theater productions (Feb. 6-8)

by Shawn Parikh

With Valentine's Day next week, romance has infiltrated a lot of the DFW theatre scene. But of course, some shows don't follow this trend and are opening some non-Hallmark-holiday-themed shows. Something for everyone this weekend so make sure to check out some new productions:

• Last Train to Nibroc, presented by Echo Theatre. Last Train to Nibroc is a two character play set in the early 1940s. We follow May Gill and Raleigh Brummett from their first meeting on a train bound for Kentucky through their budding romance. First part in the regional premiere of The Nibroc Trilogy, an award-winning three-play cycle that follows May and Raleigh from their first meeting in the 1940s, through the second World War and into the Eisenhower era. A tale told with romance, comedy and a grace evocative of its era in American history. Each play stands alone as a charming evening of theatre. Together, the Trilogy creates a unique Theatrical Event. All three plays will be presented the same day on two Saturdays: February 21st and 28th. Click here for a complete trilogy schedule. Festival passes are $40 and single performance tickets are $15. Purchase tickets online or by e-maling echoreservations@att.net.
• Shadowlands, presented by Theatre Coppell. This intensely moving play charts the extraordinary true love story between C. S. Lewis and American poet Joy Gresham. Famous in his day as a scholar and broadcaster, Lewis is perhaps best known today as the author of the classic books The Chronicles of Narnia. A confirmed bachelor into his fifties, Lewis met and married this remarkable American woman known for her outspoken views and acerbic wit, and their astonishing story has become a testament to the unpredictable nature of love and its enduring legacy. The story also deals with his struggle with personal pain and grief as Lewis must deal with Joy’s subsequent illness. Purchase tickets ($12-14) online or by calling 972-745-7719.
• One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, presented by Contemporary Theatre of Dallas. The stage version of Ken Kesey’s masterful novel is just as potent and intense as the Oscar-winning movie. In a mental hospital ruled with an iron fist by the soft-spoken, steely Nurse Ratched, the rebel patient McMurphy—who has faked mental illness to get out of a prison sentence—tries to rewrite the rules. Authority and freedom, sanity and madness, male and female all clash in this powerful classic. Purchase tickets ($22-32) online or by calling 214-828-0094.
• Barefoot in the Park, presented by Rockwall Community Playhouse. After a six day honeymoon a spanking new lawyer, who has just won his first case (6 cents in damages), and his young bride, who is as pretty and addled as they come, move into the new, high rent apartment that she has chosen for them. But the difficulty is, in order to enjoy the charming character of this apartment, one has to climb six wheezing flights. And the apartment is absolutely bare of furniture, the paint job came out all wrong, the skylight leaks snow, there isn't room for a double bed, and an outlandish gourmet who lives in a loft on the roof uses it and the window ledge as the only access to his padlocked premises. The situation is enough to break the heart and burst the lungs of any stylish young lawyer; and indeed it does, on the night he flatly refuses to join his wife in a barefoot walk through the snow in the park. She kicks him out, but he comes back not for reconciliation, but because he figures that since he's paying the rent she should be the one to go! Call 972-722-3399 for reservations ($12-15).
• Accomplice, presented by Plano Community Theatre. Think you know murder mysteries? In this adult comedy thriller, Rupert Holmes has penned a masterful ride full of twists and turns even the most cunning audience member couldn't see coming. Everything you will know - or think you know -about Accomplice- is wrong. Two upper class English couples find themselves forever linked together while visiting a cottage in the moorlands. What happens next-we can't tell you because then we would have to...well, you know the rest! Where this mystery roller coaster takes you next is anybody's guess. Don't look away for a second! Call 972-422-2575 for reservations ($10-15).
• Harvey, presented by Artisan Center Theater. Do you like rabbits? How about one who is six feet tall, wears a hat and talks to people? One of those happens to be the invisible, best friend of the charming Elwood P. Dowd. The classic story of Elwood is one of the most beloved and enduring comedies of the century. Bring the family and see why. Call 817-284-1200 for tickets ($6-15).
• Harvey, presented by Theatre Off The Square. Elwood P. Dowd is a delightfully pleasant and eccentric bachelor whose best friend is Harvey, a 6-1/2 foot tall white rabbit that apparently only he can see. His socialite sister Veta fears that Elwood will scare away suitable suitors for her desperate daughter Myrtle Mae. When Veta attempts to get Elwood out of their way by committing him to a sanitarium, she gets committed herself. In the comedy of errors that ensues, Elwood (and Harvey) become the catalysts for the mending of a broken family and the unexpected blossoming of romance. Purchase tickets ($9-12) online.
• Ethel Waters - His Eyes is on the Sparrow, presented by Granbury Opera House, for this weekend only. Ethel Waters was an African-American Jazz singer and actress of legendary stature. Born in horrendous conditions, she triumphed over all adversity with the sheer power of her will and talent to become both a Broadway and Hollywood Star. Ethel's hard-won success left indelible performances in Cabin in the Sky and Member of the Wedding. Hear her unforgettable renditions of "Stormy Weather", "Black and Blue" and her signature number , "His Eye is on the Sparrow". Starring the popular actress, Chelsea Waller, wastly recognized as one of the best voices to ever grace a stage. Purchase tickets ($10-25) online or by calling (800) 547-4697.

And previewing this weekend is:

• Don’t Dress For Dinner Previews, presented by Theatre Three. Infidelities and frustrated couplings are a long French literary specialty. Moliere, Marivaux, and Feydeau abound with witty repartee as men scramble after women, and women delight in the pursuit. In this recent Paris (and London) hit, a very modern French husband is planning to host a dinner in his wife’s absence. The dinner is a prelude to a liaison with his mistress, a plan the husband has divulged to his best friend. But, surprise! Can you guess who the best friend has as his mistress? And who is this beguiling female chef sent to concoct the perfect seductive meal? Show officially opens February 9. Purchase tickets ($15-30) online or by calling 214-871-3300.