Last weekend for plays, musicals, a trilogy, and a competition (Feb. 27 - Mar. 1)

by Shawn Parikh

This weekend is your last opportunity to see some interesting shows, so make your way to the theatre:

• The Nibroc Trilogy, presented by Echo Theatre. 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. The shows in the trilogy are: Last Train to Nibroc: 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. See Rock City: picks up a year later and introduces us to May's and Raleigh's mothers. With America’s involvement in the war as a backdrop, May and Raleigh learn about marriage, societal roles and sacrifice. Gulf View Drive: set in Florida in 1952 where May and Raleigh are living a post-war dream of career success and home ownership. Tensions rise as Raleigh’s mother and pregnant sister arrive, joining May’s mother in an open-ended visit with the young couple.
• 2009 New Play Competition, presented by TeCo Theatrical Productions. The gladiators of theater come together for an unprecedented event of its kind. We've invited the past six New Play Competition winners from the past six years to an all out brawl center stage for a chance to win two roundtrip American Airline tickets and $1,000 cash. Audience members are given ballots to vote for their favorite one-act play as they enter the theater. On closing night, we tally all the votes and award the cash and prizes. Get ready to rumble; there is sure to be a knock out! Call 214-948-0716 for tickets ($15-20) or purchase online.
• 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.
• 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).
• Honus and Me, presented by Dallas Children's Theater. Young Joe Stoshack is crazy about baseball. When he finds the most expensive baseball card ever, the coveted 1909 Honus Wagner card, Joe suddenly finds himself face to face with the great player. Traveling back in time to the seventh game of the World Series, Joe discovers the gift of confidence and the power of dreams. Purchase tickets ($12-22) online or by calling 214-740-0051.
• The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, presented by Stolen Shakespeare Guild. Despite their families' mutual hatred, Romeo and Juliet fall in love and marry, and when circumstances force them apart, they kill themselves to be united in death. Purchase tickets ($6-15) online.
• Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?. George, a disillusioned professor, and Martha, his shrewish wife, drink and carry on in front of guests. The party games turn dark and dangerous as Martha and George exercize their razor-sharp wits. Long-buried resentments are released, secrets are uncovered, and lies are exposed in this American masterpiece by Edward Albee.
• Company, presented by Music Theatre of Denton. The first to tell a story using a series of episodes in place of a linear plot. Five couples and their mutual bachelor friend, Robert, sing their way through various stages of commitment. From the bachelor's perspective, committing to another person is tempting but terrifying. Together, they resolve that even imperfect relationships are an important part of "Being Alive." Sondheim's music stays with you even after you leave the theatre. His songs offer beautiful melodies that tear at your composure and clever lyrics that are often poignant and always insightful. Winner of 7 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Call 940-382-1915 for tickets ($10-18).
• Pride & Prejudice, presented by Greater Lewisville Community Theatre. Mrs. Bennett is determined to get her daughters married. Jane, Elizabeth and Lydia are likely looking girls in a period when a woman's one possible career is matrimony. To be a wife was success. Anything else was failure. Jane and her Mr. Bingley and Lydia with her Mr. Wickham are quite content with things as they are, but not Elizabeth! She actually refuses to marry Mr. Collins, whom she openly deplores, and Mr. Darcy, whom she secretly adores. The play is the story of the duel between Elizabeth and her pride and Darcy and his prejudice. Each gives in before the evening is over and pride and prejudice meet halfway. Call 972-221-SHOW for reservations ($10-13).
• The Cemetary Club, presented by Ennis Public Theatre. Call 972-878-PLAY for tickets ($12-15).
• Intimate Apparel, presented by SMU Division of Theatre. Revolves around the character of Esther, an African-American seamstress living in New York at the beginning of the 20th century who creates beautiful lingerie for society women and prostitutes alike. She falls in love with a Panama Canal laborer who woos her through romantic letters, though she is also admired by the shy Jewish merchant who sells fabrics to her. Nottage, who based the play on the life of her great-grandmother, called it “a lyrical meditation on one woman’s loneliness and desire.” Purchase tickets ($7-13) online.
• Scapino!, presented by TCU Department of Theatre. Taking very loosely the plot of Moliere's "Les Fourberies de Scapin", Scapino is very simple. Two young men, Ottavio and Leandro, are left, by their miserly fathers, Argante and Geronte (respectively), in the care of two not-so-attentive servants, Sylvestro and Scapino (also respectively). Of course both young fellows fall in love with young women totally incompatible with their fathers' plans for an arranged marriage. Upon the fathers' return, all hopes, eyes, and gratuitous culinary items are directed toward Scapino, a master of trickery and cunning, to solve the mess and put everything back to rights again. Call 817-257-5770 for tickets ($5-10).
• MEDEA & LOUISE: A Look at Friends, ‘Frenamies’ and Messages in the Media, presented by TCC South Drama. A student-produced evening of theatre in preparation for Women's History Month.
• Terra Nova, presented by Theatre Wesleyan. A play that chronicles the journey of Captain Scott an explorer who leads his party on a race to the South Pole. Refusing the use of sled dogs as unsporting, Scott and his team struggle to drag their heavy gear across a frozen wasteland. 817-531-5867 for reservations ($4-8).