BWW Preview: Must-See Shows in Atlanta in March

Grease at Serenbe Playhouse

If you haven't paid a visit to Serenbe Playhouse in the Serenbe community just southwest of Atlanta, you just don't know what you're missing. Over the last several seasons, their inventive site-specific stagings have garnered national attention, and there's a reason for that. They are, in a word, spectacular. For instance, Serenbe's production of Carousel last year was staged in the middle of a working carnival, complete with a ferris wheel, carnival games, and, of course, a real carousel that became the backdrop for the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic. And last summer's production of Miss Saigon featured a nightly landing of a real Vietnam helicopter.

This spring Serenbe Playhouse is aiming to dazzle Atlanta audiences again with another inventive and immersive staging, this time with a production of Grease to be staged as a vintage drive-in movie.

[Insert screams of delight here.]

If you're willing to fork out some extra dough, you can even purchase a VIP package which allows you the privilege of watching the play from your very own systematic, hydromatic, ultramatic vintage car.

Grease runs March 23-April 16.

For tickets and information, visit www.serenbeplayhouse.com.

The Bridges of Madison County at Aurora Theatre

Aurora Theatre's upcoming production of The Bridges of Madison County marks the regional premiere of the Jason Robert Brown musical. Though the musical had a short shelf-life on Broadway, closing after only 137 performances, it was a darling during the 2014 awards season, picking up nine Drama Desk Award nominations as well as four Tony Award nominations and going on to scoop up Tony and Drama Desk wins for both music and orchestrations.

The musical, adapted from Robert James Waller's bestselling 1992 novel of the same name, tells the story of Francesca, an Italian-American war bride living in Iowa in 1965. Though Francesca is a devoted wife and mother, her yearning for passion and emotional connectedness is awakened when she encounters a handsome photographer who's traveling through Madison County to photograph the area's historic covered bridges. With Francesca's family out of town at the State Fair, the two engage in a brief affair that will change their lives forever.

The Bridges of Madison County runs March 9 - April 16.

For tickets and information, visit https://www.auroratheatre.com/.

The Legend of Georgia McBride at Actor's Express

Matthew Lopez's The Legend of Georgia McBride is the much-anticipated next outing for Actor's Express. The music-filled comedy tells the story of Casey, an Elvis impersonator with a tired act who's all shook up when he's forced to trade in his sideburns for a new gig as a drag queen in order to keep the rent checks from bouncing.

Here are two really good reasons to purchase your tickets right now:

1. Matthew Lopez, the author of the highly acclaimed historical drama The Whipping Man, is one of the most exciting new American voices. The 2013 ALLIANCE THEATRE production of The Whipping Man for their Hertz Stage Series showcased that for Atlanta audiences, and we still haven't forgotten it.

2. Ummmm... Jeff McKerley in drag? Yes, please! That's right. Jeff McKerley, one of Atlanta's most outstanding and celebrated actors, will take on the role of Miss Tracy Mills, the veteran drag queen mentor to the new-hire, Casey. Now that's something to sing about.

The Legend of Georgia McBride runs March 18 - April 16.

For tickets and information, visit https://www.actors-express.com/.