50 years later, summer theater still strong in Tucson

Fifty years ago, theater in the Old Pueblo was about to take a giant leap.

In the summer of ’67, Sandy Rosenthal mounted the first play for a new company, Arizona Civic Theatre, today called Arizona Theatre Company.

Two plays filled those summer months — tickets were a pricey $10.

ATC no longer has summer productions, with the exception of the company’s Summer on Stage plays, performed by students in the program. But we’re lucky; other theaters have kept us townies in mind.

Among the offerings over the Summer of Love, 50 years later:

The Gaslight Theater is toward the end of its run of “The Curse of the Pirate’s Gold,” which closes June 4. Then it’ll fill our hot months with a superhero: “Spider Guy.” Be prepared to boo and cheer. It runs June 8-Aug. 27 at The Gaslight, 7010 E. Broadway. thegaslighttheatre.com or 886-9428.

Laughter is also in order with Winding Road Theatre Ensemble’s production of “News of The World & Other Stories,” a theatrical presentation of short stories by the wonderful writer Ron Carlson. This one ends May 28, so hurry. It’s at the Cabaret Theater at the Temple of Music & Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. windingroadtheater.org or 401-3626.

Live Theatre Workshop rarely lets up — it keeps weekends hopping almost all year ’round. Right now, “Annapurna,” is on stage, a tender and sometimes funny story about a woman who tracks down her ex-husband with an eye toward helping him through his illness, and maybe resolve some issues in the process. It continues through June 10. Opening June 15 is the giddy musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” based on Charles Schultz’s much-loved Peanuts characters. That continues through July 1. On July 13, the company opens the tender Bernard Slade play, “Same Time, Next Year,” about a 25-year-long love affair. That will wind up Aug. 19. Finishing out the summer and taking us into the fall is Theresa Rebeck’s comedy “Seminar,” about a group of aspiring novelists who sign up for writing classes with an international literary figure. That runs Aug. 24-Sept. 23. Live Theatre Workshop is at 5317 E. Speedway, livetheatreworkshop.org or 327-4242.

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If you head down to Green Valley, you can catch the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which was first staged in 1970, three years after the Summer of Love. The Biblical story never rocked this hard. It’s June 16-25 at the Community Performance and Art Center, 1250 W. Continental Road. performingartscenter.org or 399-1750.

Roadrunner Theatre Company intends to keep the laughs coming this summer It stages Neil Simon’s ”God’s Favorite” June 9-July 2. It’s all about a man who is a success in business, but miserable at home thanks to snarly kids and a demanding wife. And Aug. 4-27, the company will mount the musical ”Triumph of Love.” It’s described as “Deception, cross dressing and mistaken identities.” Hey, we’ll bite. Roadrunner is at 8892 E. Tanque Verde Road, roadrunnertheatrecompany.org or 207-2491.

You like your theater interactive, you say? Tucson has a couple options: The Murder at the Magic Show, which combines a three-course meal with magic, comedy and a murder mystery, is Saturdays at Five Palms Steak and Seafood, 3500 E. Sunrise Drive. fivepalms.com or 861-4800.

And The Dinner Detective Interactive Murder Mystery Show will serve dinner while you help solve a murder. It’s Saturdays at the Hilton Tucson East, 7600 E. Broadway. 1-866-496-0535.

And don’t forget the kids:

The Christian Youth Theater is staging the irresistible “James and the Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl, who is dark and funny and a favorite among kids. It continues through May 28 at Crowder Hall in the University of Arizona’s Fred Fox School of Music. You’ll find that in the UA Fine Arts Complex near East Speedway and North Park Avenue. Cyttucson.org or 751-7510.

Live Theatre Workshop’s family arm presents “A Swashbuckling Adventure with the Itty-Bitty Buccaneer” through June 4. Next, the theater’s family series moves to the Main Stage with “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” (see details above). Once that closes, “The Rootin’ Tootin’ Tale of Little Red Riding Boots” takes the stage on Sundays, July 23-Sept. 17. The creators of the two plays all hail from Tucson: Richard Gremel wrote “Buccaneer,” and Stephen Frankenfield, with music and lyrics by David Ragland penned “Rootin’ Tootin’.” The three are among several people at Live Theatre who have written — and had published — plays for children. That’s impressive.