Jerri Shafer - Page 16

Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests.

On Monday evening June 30th, 2020 at 7:00 PM, Red Herring will be premiering a live streaming platform with a series of monologues curated from across the globe by Vivian Lermond. Hosted by emcee Ruth Sternberg, watch Nikki Smith, Kristin Green, Josie Merkle, Catherine Cryan Erney, Samantha Stark, and Harold Yarborough, perform touching and tender monologues about mothers. Originally scheduled to celebrate Mother's Day in May, Red Herring has revived the show and is using it to debut a new YouTube channel. For the next few months Red Herring is shifting gears and reinventing itself to continue to provide audiences with provocative programs during these challenging times. They have converted their 49 seat black box theater into a television studio and will be broadcasting the event on their new YouTube channel. Please subscribe to see this show and future productions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1pAqVcVfg7RLStULNd5fww

From the creative team behind Fiddler on the Roof, this delightful musical tells the story of Georg and Amalia, bickering co-workers at a Budapest perfume store who have no idea that each is the other's romantic pen pal. Based on a play that became both the Jimmy Stewart movie The Shop Around the Corner and the '90s classic You've Got Mail, She Loves Me is a charming romantic comedy about idealism and the promise of true love, guaranteed to lift your spirits and leave you grinning. Two-act musical appropriate for elementary school and up. Performances are March 7th thru the 22nd. Gallery Players, 1125 College Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43209. Please visit jccgalleryplayers.org to get specific show times and purchase tickets.

This hilarious musical features 20 local kid actors in grades 4-8 who will sing, dance and act through the joys and sorrows of being a child. “How to Eat Like a Child” reminds us that kids are smart and talented, and that problems of childhood are common but easily solvable by kids. They give us lessons in such subjects as how to beg for a dog, how to torture your sister, how to get the best seat in the family car and how to act after being sent to your room. The pace is fast, the tone subversive and the scenes easily recognized. This show is fun for audience members of all ages. Performances are on March 6th thru the 15th at the Hilliard Civic and Cultural Arts Center, 5425 Center St, Hilliard, OH, 43026. For tickets or more information, visit: http://www.hilliardartscouncil.org/

In Hazlehurst, Mississippi the Magrath sisters have gathered to await news of the family patriarch. Their grandfather is living out his last hours in the local hospital. Lenny, the oldest sister, is unmarried at and facing diminishing marital prospects; Meg, the middle sister, who quickly outgrew Hazlehurst, is back after a failed singing career on the West coast; Babe, the youngest, is out on bail after shooting her husband in the stomach. Their troubles, grave and yet somehow hilarious, are highlighted by their priggish cousin, Chick. Also in the mix is the awkward young lawyer who tries to keep Babe out of jail while helpless not to fall in love with her. The play is about how its young characters escape the past to seize the future. Performances are March ,7,& 13, 2020 at 7:30pm and March 14, 2020 at 2:00pm at Maria's Mexican Restaurant, 129 E. Main Street, Lancaster, OH 43130. For more information or how to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.thelancasterplayhouse.org/

This time around, Jack and Annie's tree house takes them to an exotic island with pirates, where the two discover the power of friendship and the simple pleasures in everyday life. Performances are March 6th thru the 15th, 2020 and will be held at the Wigwam Theater (10190 Blacklick-Eastern Road Northwest, Pickerington, OH 43147). For ticket call the box office at 614-508-0036 or you can purchase tickets online at pctshows.com.

Butterfly Guild of Nationwide Children's Presents Mamma Mia! at the Palace Theatre February 28, 29 and March 1. Join us for this electric, fun, and colorful show! All proceeds benefit Nationwide Children's Hospice and Palliative Care programs. Performances are February 28, 29, and March 1, 2020 and will be held at the Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215. For tickets visit: my.cbusarts.com

Take three delicious, malicious wives, add three miserable, unloving husbands—and chill. Nicky, Debra and Molly have tolerated one another for years, until they exchange confidences for the first time revealing that all three marriages are on the brink of disaster and all three women are facing the challenges of their lives. Performances run February 28th thru March 15th, 2020 at Little Theatre Off Broadway, 3981 Broadway, Grove City, Ohio. For reservations/more info visit: http://www.ltob.org or call 614-875-3919.

Welcome to Almost, Maine, a place that's so far north, it's almost not in the United States. It's almost in Canada. And it's not quite a town, because its residents never got around to getting organized. So it almost doesn't exist. One cold, clear, winter night, as the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, the residents of Almost, Maine, find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend - almost - in this delightful midwinter night's dream. Ohio University Lancaster Theatre presents “ALMOST, MAINE.” Performances are Thursday, February 27 through Sunday, March 1, 2020 at Ohio University Lancaster in the Wagner Theatre, 1570 Granville Pike, Lancaster, Ohio, 43130. For tickets, visit: https://commerce.cashnet.com/oul-theatre

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a nonstop laughfest in which Pseudolus, a crafty slave, struggles to win the hand of a beautiful, but slow-witted, courtesan named Philia for his young master, Hero, in exchange for freedom. The plot twists and turns with cases of mistaken identity, slamming doors and a showgirl or two. This unforgettable, hysterical musical allows a terrific ensemble of comedic actors to shine – 'something for everyone, a comedy tonight!' Performances are February 21st thru the 29th at the Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215. For tickets or more information, visit: https://www.imaginecolumbus.org/

Mark your calendars for a hilarious clash of Mafia and the theatre. 'Breaking Legs' written by Tom Duluck takes place in an Italian restaurant owned by a successful mobster and managed by his beautiful unmarried daughter. When the daughter's former college professor arrives to ask for financial backing for a play he's written about a murder, the fun begins. Performances are February 7th thru March 7th, 2020 at The Alcove Restaurant, 116 South Main Street, Mount Vernon, OH 43050. For tickets or more information, visit: https://www.alcoverestaurant.com

Curtain Players presents the popular musical Falsettos. Falsettos is the tale of Marvin, who leaves his wife and young son to live with another man. His ex-wife marries his psychiatrist, and Marvin ends up alone. Two years later, Marvin is reunited with his lover on the eve of his son's bar mitzvah. Winner! 1992 Tony® Award, Best Book of a Musical, William Finn & James Lapine Winner! 1992 Tony® Award, Best Score of a Musical, William Finn. A beautiful reminder that love can tell a million stories. Performances run February 7th through the 23rd, 2020 at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio 43021. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://curtainplayers.org

A comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games, She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly's Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she stumbles into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly's refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed young playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all. Performances are January 24 thru 26th, 2020 at the Bradley Theater, 2800 Walker Rd, Hilliard, Ohio 43026. For tickets or more information, visit: https://www.bradleytheater.com/

Loosely based on the 1957 memoir of famous striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, “Gypsy” tells the story of the dreams and efforts of one hungry, powerhouse of a woman to get her two daughters into show business. Gypsy includes some of Broadway's most beloved songs, including 'Everything's Coming Up Roses,' 'Let Me Entertain You,' and 'You Gotta Get a Gimmick.' It's the show the NEW YORK TIMES once said 'may be the greatest of all American musicals' Performances run January 17th thru February 2nd, 2020 at Little Theatre Off Broadway, 3981 Broadway, Grove City, Ohio. For reservations/more info visit: http://www.ltob.org or call 614-875-3919.

A Christmas Carol is a beloved holiday story. This production is the Art Council's charity event. Admission is 5 non perishable food items that will go to Hilliard Food Pantry or an unwrapped toy that will go to Firefighters for Kids or $5. After expenses have been subtracted from cash donations the rest of the money will also go to Hilliard Food Pantry. Performances are on Friday December 13th at 7pm and Saturday December 14th at 11am, 2pm and 7pm at the Hilliard Civic and Cultural Arts Center, 5425 Center St, Hilliard, OH, 43026.

Bah Humbug is an original adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale A Christmas Carol, book and lyrics written by local professor Dr. William Kennedy with original music by local composer Derek Dunavent. This new version celebrates the heart of the story in a way that is accessible for all ages, featuring a cast of all ages, full of local children and adults. With new songs and timeless carols, join us December 13 – 15 for a family friendly night of holiday cheer while Ebenezer Scrooge discovers the true meaning of Christmas and joins Tiny Tim in wishing “God Bless Us Every One.” Performances are December 13 thru the 15th at the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthington, 777 Evening St., Worthington, Ohio. For more information, visit https://worthingtoncommunitytheatre.com/#. Purchase tickets through the McConnell Arts Center.

This Central Ohio premiere of the 2014 Tony Award- winner for best new musical is a riotous comedy about murder and ambition. When Monty Navarro discovers that he is ninth in line to be Earl of Highhurst, he sets about bumping off the eight members of the D'Ysquith family who stand in his way– all of whom are played by a single actor! Making things stickier are the affections of two dramatically different ladies, the conniving Sibella and the earnest Phoebe. Two-act musical with some mature content, appropriate for teens and up. Performances are December 7th thru the 22nd. Gallery Players, 1125 College Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43209. Please visit jccgalleryplayers.org to get specific show times and purchase tickets.

This classic whodunit finds a group of strangers stranded in a boarding house during a snow storm, one of whom is a murderer. The suspects include the newly married couple who run the house, and the suspicions in their minds nearly wreck their perfect marriage. Others are a spinster with a curious background, an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef, a retired Army major, a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift, and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. Into their midst comes a policeman, traveling on skis. He no sooner arrives, when the jurist is killed. Two down, and one to go. To get to the rationale of the murderer's pattern, the policeman probes the background of everyone present, and rattles a lot of skeletons. Another famous Agatha Christie switch finish! Chalk up another superb intrigue for the foremost mystery writer of her time. Performances run December 6th thru the 22nd at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio 43021. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://curtainplayers.org

“This is a tale that we want to believe in, that creates a world we seem to desperately desire, free of the blatant commercialism that surrounds us, where love and decency and generosity of spirit are their own rewards. What we want Christmas to be all about, really.” So writes the Santa Cruz Sentinel of this most heartwarming holiday story. By chance, Kris Kringle, an old man in a retirement home, gets a job working as Santa for Macy's. Kris unleashes waves of good will with Macy's customers and the commercial world of New York City by referring parents to other stores to find exactly the toy their child has asked for. Seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy's vocational counselor, who plots to have Kris shanghaied to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, Kris ends up in a court competency hearing. Especially at stake is one little girl's belief in Santa. Performances are December 6th thru the 15th, 2019 and will be held at the Wigwam Theater (10190 Blacklick-Eastern Road Northwest, Pickerington, OH 43147). For ticket call the box office at 614-508-0036 or you can purchase tickets online at pctshows.com.

The Music Man follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys' band that he vows to organize – this, despite the fact that he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian, the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by the end of the show. Performance is November 14th thru the 17th at King Avenue United Methodist Church, 299 King Ave., Columbus, OH. Admission is free, but a $10 donation is encouraged.