Opening
Annette Hillman, left, and Rhonda Hallquist in Live Theatre Workshop’s production of “Women in Jeopardy,” written by Wendy MacLeod. ATC will stage “Women in Jeopardy” this season.
Women in Jeopardy — Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway. There’s a serial killer on the loose. At least Mary and Jo think their friend Liz is dating one in Live Theatre’s production of this Wendy McLeod comedy. The proof: He gave Liz a copy of “Silence of the Lambs” to watch. Want more proof? He’s a dentist whose receptionist has disappeared, and he’s most nonchalant about it. So the women set out to discover the truth. The laughs “come fast and furious” said the Boston Globe about the 2015 play. Here are three reasons not to miss the production: Annette Hillman, Missie Scheffman and Rhonda Hallquist. The actresses play the trio of midlife buddies and they have impressive comedy chops. Roberto Guajardo directs. Previews are 7:30 p.m. March 29-30, opening is 7:30 p.m. April 1. Regular performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through May 5. No performance April 1, and there’s an additional 3 p.m. matinee May 5. $20. 327-4242. livetheatreworkshop.org.
Endgame — The Rogue Theatre, 300 E. University Blvd. This is not an easy one: Samuel Beckett’s four-character play, which gets a staged reading from The Rogue, demands you pay attention, confront your own mortality and question the meaning of it all. In other words, it’s like most Beckett plays. Here’s the set up: a cement room houses a blind man, old and near death; his servant, who is pretty dreadful to him; and the dying man’s elderly parents, who pop out of the garbage cans they are confined to. You can almost smell the decay. You’re going to need that post-show discussion. You’ve one chance to catch it: 2 p.m. April 1. $17. 551-2053. Theroguetheatre.org.
“The Book of Mormon” is nearing the end of its run at Centennial Hall. The road version of the Broadway hit is irreverent, rude and funny.
The Book of Mormon — Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University. Broadway in Tucson and UA Presents team up to bring the Tony-winning musical back to the Old Pueblo. It’s wildly irreverent, which is part of the reason it’s still on Broadway and the road shows keep on rolling out across the country. The story finds a couple of Mormons who are off to Uganda to fulfill their missionary obligations. Uganda is not where Kevin had planned to go — he was sure he was the fair-haired kid who would be assigned to Orlando. While Kevin believes in the message, his fellow missionary sees it has an extended vacation. The village is full of danger and disease, but the boys are not deterred: they’ve got conversions to do. “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone wrote the musical, which is packed with catchy tunes, rude as can be and, yes, quite funny. Ages 16 and up. 7:30 p.m. April 3-5, 6 p.m. April 6; 2 and 6 p.m. April 7; 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. April 8. $35-$125. 1-800-745-3000.
Last chance
“The Mermaid Hour” poetically tackles important issues facing families with transgender children.
The Mermaid Hour — Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Borderlands Theater presents the premiere of this David Valdes Greenwood play, about a transgender preteen and her parents, who just want to do right by her. The production is uneven but important: It poetically tackles issues facing families with transgender children with insight, tenderness and honesty. Glen Coffman directs; the cast includes Sean Dupont, Jay Garcia, Alida Holguín Gunn, Kat Mcintosh, Eduardo Rodriguez and Eddie Diaz. Final performances are 7:30 p.m. March 29-31 and 2 p.m. April 1. $27. 882-7406. borderlandstheater.org.
India Osborne and John Keeney portray lovers with some explaining to do in the comedy “There Is a Happiness That Morning Is,” staged by Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre. Osborne was restrained and unforgettable, Keeney passionate and perfect.
There Is A Happiness That Morning Is — The Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre, 738 N. Fifth Ave. A very public lust fest between two professors on a college quad sets the scene for Mickle Maher’s very funny “There is a Happiness That Morning Is.” Caught, they’ve got to apologize to their students. John Keeney and India Osborne play the profs with wonderful abandon. And they managed to do it all in rhyming couplets. Bryan Rafael Falcón directs this play, staged in the theater’s intimate studio space, with a fine comedic sense. But he never loses sight of what the playwright has to say about relationships: They are messy. Mercurial. And when passion flares, fan it. Even if you are on the campus quad in sight of students and faculty. Final performances are 7:30 p.m. March 29-31, 2 p.m. April 1. $22. 448-3300 or scoundrelandscamp.org.
Broadway veteran Felicia P. Fields lustfully belts out a tune in Arizona Theatre Company’s “Low Down Dirty Blues.”
Low Down Dirty Blues — Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. This isn’t a play, but there’s some terrific blues playing on stage at this Arizona Theatre Company Production. A group of veteran blues musicians assemble for an after-hours jam session, happy to play the authentic blues rather than something like the Jimmy Buffett songs audiences request. The first act is packed with deliciously raunchy songs; the second is more contemplative. But throughout, the blues rule. It’s a can’t-help-but-feel-it two-hour blues concert. Final performances are 7:30 p.m. March 29-March 30; 8 p.m. March 31, 2 p.m. March 29 and 31. $25-$73. 622-2823.
Connor Griffin, left, Kelly Hajeck and Alec Michael Coles are part of stellar cast in Arizona Repertory Theatre’s “The Merchant of Venice.” The comedy runs through April 1.
The Merchant of Venice — Tornabene Theatre, 1025 N. Olive Road, in the University of Arizona Fine Arts Complex. Arizona Repertory Theatre’s solid production underscores the dark, cruel nature of this Shakespeare play, oddly called a comedy. There are moments that are cringeworthy: the venom spewed at the Jewish money lender, Shylock; the demand that he become a Christian when he loses a court case; Shylock’s insistence he take the pound of flesh agreed upon when a loan defaults. Director Brent Gibbs placed this production in the 1930s, when fascism was on the rise, T.S. Eliot’s anti-semitic poems were revered and the long persecution of the Jews continued. He could just as easily have placed it in contemporary times, when Muslims are vilified, insults rain down from the White House and hate speech has become the norm. The fine cast of UA student actors are ably led by Connor Griffin, who plays Shylock the moneylender, and Alec Michael Coles as Antonio. Final performances are 7:30 p.m. March 30-April 1; 1:30 p.m. April 1. $17-$28. 621-1162 or theatre.arizona.edu.
