By Richard Schultz, October 2015 Issue.
Whether you prefer the type of performances that require you to use your imagination or the variety that document the most literal of human experiences, the odds are that you’ll find a show that sparks your interest in the season ahead.
While LGBTQ themes inspire most of this season’s must-see productions, our top-10 list boasts everything from religion and civil rights to local history and drag pageants.
The Book of MormonOct. 20-Nov. 8 | ASU Gammage
Nine-time Tony Award winner for Best Musical,
The Book of Mormon follows two young missionaries who are sent to Uganda to try to convert citizens to the Mormon religion. One missionary, Elder Price, is an enthusiastic go-getter with a strong dedication to his faith, while his partner, Elder Cunningham, is a socially awkward but well-meaning nerd whose tendency to embroider the truth soon lands him in trouble. Upon their arrival in Africa, Elders Price and Cunningham learn that in a society plagued by AIDS, poverty and violence, a successful mission may not be as easy as they expected. Composed by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and
Avenue Q’s Robert Lopez,
The Book of Mormon is an old-style musical with a modern sensibility. This blockbuster show features several big song-and-dance numbers accompanied by some old-fashioned Broadway belting. An equal-opportunity offender, the show playfully pokes fun at religion, sexuality, poverty and race.
Side by Side by SondheimOct. 29-31 | Scottsdale Musical Theater Company
This up-and-coming theater company continues to stretch its wings by bringing
Side by Side by Sondheim to the Valley for the first time. Simple and unpretentious, this Tony Award-winning musical is a perfect introduction to the work of this contemporary master and a must for die-hard fans. Stephen Sondheim has been the leading composer of musical theater for the past 50 years. His work is timeless, with lyrics that are heartbreakingly true and music that captures the soaring emotions. From the streets of ancient Rome, through 19th century Japan, to turn-of-the-century Sweden and, finally, the high-rise apartments of 1970 Manhattan, his songs represent a definitive time and place, and yet move beyond their particular settings to speak to us all. This revue of his earlier work, along with some of the most lush, unforgettable songs, demonstrates Sondheim's mastery and astounding creativity.
Heathers The MusicalDec. 4-20 | Stray Cat Theatre
The cult-classic teen comedy film becomes a musical with the darkly delicious story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerberg High: the Heathers. But before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica falls in love with the dangerously sexy new kid J.D. When Heather Chandler, the Almighty, kicks her out of the group, Veronica decides to bite the bullet and kiss Heather’s aerobicized ass, but J.D. has another plan for that bullet. Fresh out of New York and the first time in the Valley, this moving love story and laugh-out-loud comedy takes an unflinching look at the joys and anguish of high school.
La Cage Aux FollesJan. 22-Feb. 7 | Fountain Hills Theater
Before there was the popular movie
The Birdcage, there was this Tony Award- winning, smash hit Broadway musical. After 20 years of un-wedded bliss Georges and Albin, two men partnered for better or worse get a bit of both when Georges' son (fathered during a one-night fling) announces his impending marriage to the daughter of a bigoted, rightwing politician. Further complicating the situation is the family business: Georges and Albin run a drag nightclub in Saint Tropez, where Albin stars as the performer Zaza. Georges reluctantly agrees to masquerade as "normal" when he meets the family of the bride-to-be, but Albin has other plans, with hilarious results.
FencesJan. 16-Feb. 28* | Arizona Theatre Company
One of the most beloved plays of our time tells the gripping story of sanitation worker Troy Maxson, a star baseball player whose career was blunted by the racism prevalent in pre-Jackie Robinson America. Feeling his world rapidly changing, Troy builds a fence to protect what is familiar and hold off what threatens. Muscular and lyrical, this August Wilson blockbuster shows what can happen when a strong man is robbed of his dreams. This Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play by August Wilson tells the searing story of a man who stepped up to the plate too many times only to go down swinging.
*Arizona Theatre Company will present Fences Jan. 16-Feb. 6 in Tucson and Feb. 11-28 in Phoenix.
The Children’s HourFeb. 19-28 | Desert Foothills Theater
Lillian Hellman’s groundbreaking play is a fascinating study of deceit and homophobia. This moral melodrama remains historically and thematically provocative as a reflection of fear-based bigotry and the ugly ramifications of deceit. The play was Hellman’s first, inspired by an historical incident that novelist Dashiell Hammett shared when she was a young writer struggling to find her voice. In the play, Karen and Martha are dedicated teachers ruined by a pathologically manipulative student, Mary. Angry at being disciplined, Mary creates a lie from shades of a rumor, gossip and a racy French novel, and convinces her horrified grandma that the teachers are lesbian lovers. The lie leads to irreparable damage that closes the school, fractures Karen’s relationship with her fiancé, Joe, and overwhelms Martha with shame as she faces her long-repressed homosexuality.
Barrios Stories ProjectMarch 3-6 | Borderland Theater
This site-specific theatrical event full of spectacle, by award winning playwrights, Elaine Romero, Virginia Grise and Martin Zimmerman, involves communal memory, food sharing and reclaiming of space and brings to life the oral histories of former residents of the neighborhood demolished with the building of the Tucson Convention Center (TCC) in the 1960s. Staged outdoors on the grounds of the TCC, precious memories come to life as audience members walk approximately a tenth of a mile on a tour of what used to be the bustling epicenter of commerce and public life for Tucson’s Mexican-American community in an effort to preserve Tucson’s Hispanic heritage.
Black Pearl SingsApril 8-24 | Black Theatre Troupe
Under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration, a white researcher named Susannah travels the South looking for original songs from the slave era. She finds herself in workhouses and prisons where black women toil. On a rural Texas prison farm, she meets Pearl and is spellbound by her beautiful voice and her unbreakable spirit. Susannah records Pearl and sends the songs to the Library of Congress where she is immediately acclaimed as “an authentic doorway to the past.” The two women set out on a journey to find their way out from the shadows of their pasts that leads them to the bright lights of New York City where Pearl takes her place as the last of the authentic black songstresses from the South.
When You Wish: The Story of Walt DisneyMay 18-June 12 | Phoenix Theatre
As the founding force behind the company that continues to capture the imagination of millions around the world year after year, Walt Disney's legacy is undeniable. In this world-premiere musical, we meet an unusually special man who was fascinated by possibility and determined to persevere in the face of deniers. This new production comes to life to celebrate the icon who, armed with child-like ingenuity and guileless belief in himself, turned failures into triumphs and never ceased wishing on stars.
PageantAug. 26-Sept. 18 | Arizona Broadway Theatre
Before “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” there was
Pageant with its six contestants, all played by men, vying for the title of Miss Glamouresse. Miss Deep South, Miss West Coast, Miss Great Plains, Miss Bible Belt, Miss Industrial Northeast and Miss Texas and compete in evening gowns, talent, swimwear and spoke modeling, plus the finalists answer actual calls from the Glamouresse Beauty Crisis Hotline in a pageant run by a cosmetics company. This hilariously fun musical, judges (who are selected from the audience) determine the winner, so no two performances are ever the same.
