By Richard Schultz, December 2015 Issue.
Through Nov. 22
When a die-hard theater fan plays his favorite cast album, the characters come to life in this hilarious musical farce. Winner of five Tony Awards (including Best Book and Best Original Score), this loving send-up of the Jazz age features one show-stopping song and dance number after another.
With the houselights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and The Drowsy Chaperone begins as the man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theater producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone, and there are all the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight.
According to the show’s co-directors Marisa Brady and Jere Van Patten, both jumped at the opportunity to direct the show.
“Our narrator, the man in the chair, Matthew Harris, is someone who is shamelessly in love with musicals and we both share that love,” Brady said. “Not only is this a fun show, it’s always entertaining to poke fun at a genre that we adore. The characters remind us of others from classic musicals that we are fond of, so we get to pay homage to them, as well as point out their flaws.”
The biggest challenge, according to Van Patten, is that a significant portion of the 22-member cast is learning as they go.
“A lot of our cast … is young and they don’t know a lot of the classic musical theater characters they are playing,” Van Patten said. “Thanks to YouTube, the actors are watching videos of these performers to help understand the caricature they are playing.”
The Drowsy Chaperone
Through Nov. 22
Desert Foothills Theater
Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center
33606 N. 60th St., Scottsdale
Tickets: $26-$32.50; 480-488-1981
dftheater.org
Cinderella
Nov. 27-Dec. 13
This is definitely not Disney’s Cinderella story you’re used to. Instead, Theatre Artists Studio’s delightful new musical offers audiences a fresh new take on the fairytale favorite. In this rollicking good time, the tap-dancing Cinderella and her prince encounter the dance instructor/Fairy Godmother Madam Tatyana, the suave and debonair Armando as well as the rest of the zany cast for this fast-paced romp. The score includes “I Just Wanna Dance,” “I Can Do Anything,” “Practice Makes Perfect” and “The Show Must Go On.”
Cinderella springs to life from the imagination of Ezra Weiss, an internationally acclaimed jazz composer and pianist who wrote this script, as well as the music and lyrics, by drawing inspiration from the works of the Gershwins, Cole Porter and Rogers and Hart.
Cinderella
Nov. 27-Dec. 13
Theatre Artists Studio
4848 E. Cactus Road, Ste. 406, Scottsdale
Tickets: $20; 602-765-0120
thestudiophx.org
Dec. 4-20
You have to love a musical that poses the timeless question: “What’s your damage?” Fresh out of New York, Stray Cat Theatre is the first group to bring this hilarious, blockbuster Off-Broadway hit to the Valley. Based on the classic 1988 film, Heathers, this musical is the darkly twisted 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.
Created by the award-winning creative team of Kevin Murphy (Reefer Madness, “Desperate Housewives”), Laurence O’Keefe (Bat Boy, Legally Blonde) and Andy Fickman (Reefer Madness, She’s the Man), this show is a hilarious, heartfelt and homicidal. This outrageous musical, based on the cult-classic teen comedy, is directed by Louis Farber and choreographed by Nicole Olsen of Scorpius Dance Theatre. So, are you in, or are you out?
Heathers: The Musical
Dec. 4-20
Stray Cat Theatre
Tempe Performing Arts Center
132 E. 6th Street, Tempe
Tickets: $20-$40; 480-227-1766
straycattheater.org
Through Dec. 27
Skip down the road with Dorothy and her friends this holiday season and experience an unforgettable adventure in the Land of Oz. Under the direction of Phoenix Theatre’s producing artistic director Michael Barnard, this stellar cast of Valley favorites will whisk audiences to that magical place where a good witch and bad witch rival each other and adventure awaits for four new friends leading to life-altering lessons.
This multi-talented cast includes rising star Carly Grossman as Dorothy and her beloved dog, Toto, is played by Phoenix Theatre’s own rescue pup. Toby Yatso plays the Scarecrow with Ryan Kleinman as the Tinman and Robert Kolby Harper as the lovable Cowardly Lion. You can bet on a knockout performance by Rusty Ferracane in the title role as the Wizard and Shana Bousard will glisten as Glinda the Good Witch. Finally, expect Sally Jo Bannow to bring new levels of evilness to the stage as the Wicked Witch. The production will dazzle audiences with special effects, flying monkeys and spectacle galore.
The Wizard of Oz
Through Dec. 27
Phoenix Theatre
100 E. McDowell Road., Phoenix
Tickets: $36-$81; 602-254-2151
phoenixtheatre.com
