Weβve got a bonafide Broadway star in town this week (that would be Ben Vereen), opera, musicals, comedy and drama. Go ahead, indulge yourself.
Arizona Operaβs Cinderella β See story.
Steppinβ Out Live with Ben Vereen β See story.
Opening
Stephen Frankenfield, Steve Wood and Matthew Copley in βBelow the Belt,β one of the Mac best comedy nominees.
β’ Ah, power. Men crave it, fight for it.
And itβs what at stake in Richard Dresserβs Below the Belt, Live Theatre Workshopβs latest opening.
Of course, you kind of canβt blame the three men in the play for trying to improve their lot. They work in a lifeless factory, see, making a product that is never identified. It isnβt hard to imagine that the workplace is a big concrete block, windowless, with the drone of machines constant and the boredom unbearable. Who wouldnβt want to get ahead?
But doing that means backstabbing. Manipulation. Jealousy. Bullying.
Itβs dark, sure, but itβs a comedy. And isnβt dark the best kind of comedy?
Annette Hillman directs β thatβs a good thing. Hillman knows comedy particularly well. As do the actors: Matthew Copley, Steve Wood and Stephen Frankenfield.
“Below the Belt” previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30 and Friday, March 31. Opening is 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 1. Regular performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through May 6 at Live Theatre, 5317 E. Speedway. Preview and Thursday tickets are $15; regular performances, $20, with discounts available. The run time is about two hours, with one intermission. Livetheatreworkshop.org, 327-4242.
β’Β Arizona Rose Theatre has settled into an intimate space at Tucson Mall, and the companyΒ isnβt keeping it dark very often. The week after it closed its charming production of βThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Beeβ earlier this month, itΒ opened a Gilbert & Sullivan revue, took a week off and Friday, March 31, it opens the frantic Ken Ludwig comedy, Lend Me a Tenor.
Rachael Giger and Andrew Ayon in βLend Me a Tenor.β
Set in the 1930s, the play demands plenty of energy and lots of good timing from the cast. The setup: Cleveland opera fans are beside themselves that the very big star Tito Merelli will be performing the opera that made him famous, βOthello,β in their city. He arrives. And promptly disappears. In reality, he somehow has mixed wine and tranquilizers and cannot be roused. The opera manager takes him for dead, but the show must go on. He attempts to cover up the βdeath,β placate Titoβs very jealous wife and convince the bellhop at the hotel that this is all happening and to don Othelloβs costume and sing. Surely no one will realize it isnβt Tito! Lots of doors. Lots of laughs.
Stephanie Howell directs and has a small role. The remaining cast includes Ruben Rosthenhausler, Rachael Gigar, Ina Shivack, Stephanie Howell, Andrew Ayon, Devyn Garrett, Mark Klugheit and William Howell.
Performances are 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through April 9. Arizona Rose Theatre is at the lower level of Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Road, Suite 329, near Macy’s. Tickets are $15 in advance, $17 at the door. The run times is about two hours, with one intermission. Arizonarosetheatre.com, 888-0509.
•Ironwood Ridge High School is staging a classic: the musical Guys and Dolls. A big play. And a grand one. Performances are 6 p.m. Thursday-Friday, March 30 and 31, and 11 a.m. Saturday, April 1 at the high school, 2475 W. Naranja Drive. $8-$10. 407-4244. facebook.com
Last chance
Twelfth Night — Marroney Theatre, 1025 N. Olive Road. Shakespeare’s comedy gets an uproarious treatment from the Arizona Repertory Theatre and University of Arizona students. Final performances are 7:30 p.m. March 31 and April 1; 1:30 p.m. April 2. $17-$28. 621-1162. Theatre.arizona.edu
Lilia —Tubac Center of the Arts, Nine Plaza Road. Lilia Skala comes to life in her granddaughter’s deeply personal celebration of a life in the theatre. Only chance to catch it: 7:30 p.m. April 7. $35. 398-2371. tubacarts.org
Continuing
Audience members will be split into two groups for the nontraditional staging of βShooting Columbus,β opening next week.
Shooting Columbus — La Pilita, 420 S. Main Ave. This Borderlands Theatre production imagines what life might have been like for indigenous Americans if Christopher Columbus hadn’t “discovered” America. This is not your traditional stage piece — audience members will walk through La Pilita and observe scenes as they are performed in various locations. Performances are 7:30 p.m. March 30-April 1 and April 5-7. Through April 8. $7-$26. 882-7406. borderlandstheater.org
Peg Peterson, left, Leslie J. Miller, Gab Nagy, Seonaid Barngrover, Roger Owen in Winding Road Theatre Ensembleβs production of βThe Language Archive.β
The Language Archive —RoadRunner Theater, 8892 E. Tanque Verde Road. A linguist consumed with preserving dying languages has trouble giving voice to his feelings. That doesn’t bode well for his marriage. 7:30 p.m. March 31, April 1 and 7; 2 p.m. April 2. Through April 9. $25. 401-3626. Windingroadtheater.org
See How They Run βCommunity Performance and Art Center, 1250 W. Continental Road, Green Valley. Itβs England during World War II, and a village prepares for the Nazi invasion. 7 p.m. March 31, April 1 and 7; 3 p.m. April 2. Through April 9. $20. 399-1750.
The Dinner Detective Interactive Murder Mystery Show — Hilton Tucson East, 7600 E. Broadway. Eat. Solve a mystery. Have fun. 6 p.m. Saturdays. $49.95. 1-866-496-0535. thedinnerdetective.com
