Local community theatres have announced their performance selections for the 2007-08 season.
The Joplin Little Theatre has been a community institution dedicated to the performing arts for more than 60 years. On tap are:
- Sept. 26-30, 2007: The Taffetas, a musical conceived by Rick Lewis and directed locally by Cecie Fritz, involves four singing sisters from Muncie, IN in the 50s making their national singing debut on network television. This sets the stage for an evening of some of the 50s greatest hits, including "Mr. Sandman, Sincerely, Little Darlin' and Sh-boom."
- Nov. 14-18, 2007: Angel Street, a drama-thriller by Patrick Hamilton directed locally by Jim Lile, is set in a parlor of a house in London, dimly lit with flickering gaslights and secrets behind every locked door. This is a must see for the amateur sleuth.
- Jan. 30, 2007-Feb. 3, 2008: I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, is a musical with book and lyrics by Joe DePietro, music by Jimmy Roberts and directed locally by Dee Timi. This adult comic musical explores the contemporary "relationship"-- dating, falling in love, marriage and then the agonies and triumphs of in-laws, newborns, trips in the family car and pick-up lines of the geriatric set.
- March 26-30, 2008: Faith County, a comedy by Mark Landon Smith and directed locally by Gary Roney, is a look at life in a small country town during a county fair with its typical arts 'n crafts competitions, tractor pulls and gossip that takes place around the lemonade stand.
- May 14-18, 2008: The Good Doctor is a comedy by Neil Simon directed by Ann Lile. A parody of the human condition, it is a series of short stories based upon the early writing of Anton Chekhov touched by Simon's humor.
All performances on Wednesdays-Saturdays begin at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinees begin at 2:30 p.m. Subscriptions are now available for all five shows with selection of seating available. A season pass is $60 per adult, $55 for seniors 55-plus/students with I.D., $75 for a patron, and $1500 for a golden contributor. The patron receives one pass for all scheduled performances and includes a donation to the theatre with recognition in each program. The golden subscriber receives two passes good for 10 consecutive subscriptions and replaces the life membership offered in the past--although current life members will retain their current status.
The Joplin Little Theatre is located at 3008 W. First St. For subscriber information please phone (417) 623-3638. Tickets, when available, also may be purchased prior to each performance.
--
The upcoming show schedule for the Community Theatre for Southwest Missouri, Inc., most familiarly known as the Stone's Throw Dinner Theatre, will include:
- Sept. 6-9 &13-16, 2007: The Fantasticks played 17,162 performances off Broadway before closing in 2002. With music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones, this musical has a boy meets girl plot where they eventually give up their yearnings for the fascination of the outside world for fulfillment with each other at hearth and home.
- Oct. 25-27 & Nov. 2-4, 2007: Driving Miss Daisy is a 1987 play by Alfred Uhry about the relationship between an elderly southern Jewish lady and her African-American chauffeur. The leads will be played by long time Stone's Throw enthusiast Betty Bell and Paxton Williams, who is especially known for his rendition of George Washington Carver.
- Feb. 7-9 & 15-17, 2008: Dial M for Murder, a Broadway play by Frederick Knott, was also a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock with his usual twists and turns involving a murder plot.
- April 3-5 & 11-13, 2008: The Odd Couple, Female Version is Neil Simon's comedic interpretation of the well known relationship between Felix and Oscar, only this time with neurotically neat Florence Unger and unkempt Olive Madison.
- May 29-31 & June 6-8, 2008: The Curious Savage by John Patrick is a warm-hearted tale of Mrs. Ethel Savage, a slightly eccentric, extremely wealthy widow institutionalized by her heirs after she invests their inheritance not to their liking. The plot gets interesting after she meets a group of seemingly socially misfit patients who turn out to seem more sane than those in the outside world.
This Valentine's theme is one of several table settings for guests of the Stone's Throw Dinner Theatre.
In addition to the regularly scheduled program, Stone's Throw will offer the classic A Christmas Story on Dec. 6-9 & 13-16, 2007 and their annual audience participation murder mystery as part of a New Year's Eve celebration on Dec. 31, 2007.
Season passes are $85 each and are only available until September 5. Anyone making a donation of $1,000 or more is eligible for a star on the theatre's Gallery of Stars plaque in the lobby. Of course, donations of any amount always are appreciated and should be submitted to the Stone's Throw Theatre Henry Heckert Endowment Fund via treasurer Michael Goolsby. Contact him at (417) 359-7265.
Dinner menus vary and are announced before each performance. Reservations for individual performances must be made (or cancelled) 24 hours prior to performances.
Contact Betty Bell at (417) 358-7268 or by e-mail for reservations and further information. Stone's Throw Theatre is located at 796 S. Stone La., Carthage.
Go Back |
