Jerri Shafer - Page 17

“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.

Next to Normal is an American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story focuses on a mother who struggles with bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her family. Next to Normal addresses grief, depression, suicide, drug abuse, ethics in modern psychiatry, and the underbelly of suburban life. Performances are November 14th thru the 17th at MadLab, 227 N. 3rd St., Columbus, OH 43215. For more information, visit the Worthington Community Theatre facebook page. Purchase tickets http://madlab.net

The Girls are Back! Be on hand as Betty, Lin, and Pickles jingle all the way with some new neighbors in an all-new, all-trailer-park musical – but with tinsel & Keg Nog! Performances run November 8th thru the 24th, 2019 at Little Theatre Off Broadway, 3981 Broadway, Grove City, Ohio. For reservations/more info visit: http://www.ltob.org or call 614-875-3919.

Seven wealthy men are sitting together in a Steam Bath at the Willow Creek Country Club after a round of golf, when they start complaining about their lives: Their jobs, their companies, their homes, their wives a?" nothing is right. When, one of them says: a?oeWe could all just disappear.a?? Why not? They've paid their dues. They have the means, and, as crazy as it sounds, these men do it. They decide to just bail out. To leave. To disappear. One of them, a bank president, arranges for half their money to be secretly left for their wives. They set a time and date, hope aboard a private plane a?" and without a word to anyone a?" they are gone. And we follow them on some of their adventures. The World Premiere Musical Steam Bath Blues will perform November 7th thru November 16th at the Abbey Theater of Dublin, 5600 Post Road, Dublin, OH 43017. Tickets available online at https://www.optheater.com/.

Eight famous women from different time periods meet as representatives of the women's ward of an asylum in 1938. Besides their usual meeting concerns, their new focus is on ways they can show their strength over the men's ward. This dark comedy in one act showcases these strong and diverse women trapped in an absurd situation. Proceeds benefit Planned Parenthood. Chamber Music performs November 1st thru November 9th, 2019, at MadLab, 227 N 3rd St. Columbus, OH 43215.

With book by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda The Musical is the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. Matilda performs October 25th thru November 3rd, 2019, Fri/Sat at 7:00pm and Sun at 3pm at The Wagnalls Memorial, 150 E. Columbus, St., Lithopolis, OH 43136.

Based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew and drawing from various theatrical traditions, such as clowning, pantomime, charades and vaudeville, Godspell Junior is a groundbreaking and unique reflection on the life of Jesus, with a message of kindness, tolerance and love. This cast of 26 students and 9 crew are all 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Performance dates: Saturday, October 19-10:30am, 12:30pm, 3pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm & Sunday October 20 – 1pm & 3pm. Tickets will be $8 students/staff/senior, $10 adults. Where: Jeanne B McCoy Center for the Arts, 100 West Dublin-Granville Rd., New Albany, OH 43054General admission. Ticket sales: www.nams.seatyourself.biz

Westgate Theatre Company and Carriage Place Players present 'Annie', the show about a young girl with an unstoppable spirit that became a worldwide phenomenon and winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. 'Annie' is presented in partnership with Empty Bowls, a local partnership with Mid-Ohio Foodbank, to fight hunger in our community. Join us for the Friday 10/18 performance to purchase a bowl at the Silent Auction (during Intermission), featuring specially-designed bowls donated by local artists. On Saturday 10/19 at 5:00 p.m., join us for the Bowls and Soup event, and for a $10 minimum donation, you can select a keepsake bowl and receive a complimentary serving of homemade soup and bread. Performances are October 18th thru 20th at Westgate Community Recreation Center, 455 S Westgate Ave., Columbus, Ohio. Tickets $5 at the door. For more information, call 614-645-3264.

The story picks up in the final pages of Washington Irving's classic, Sleepy Hollow, revealing a previously untold piece of the legend. After Ichabod disappears, his students are determined to find out the truth of what happened. Their new schoolteacher, Abigail Seymour, is more focused on teaching than chasing ghosts - that is until she has her own run in with the Horseman. Now, she and the students must hurry to retrace Ichabod's final night in Sleepy Hollow and find a way to stop the Horseman once and for all. Along the way, we discover new revelations, gain clues on who the Headless Horseman could be and meet all the original Irving characters from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Performances run October 18th thru November 3rd at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio 43021. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://curtainplayers.org

Set in 2016, the ghosts of two ex Civil War soldiers, Alex (the Yank) and Web (the Confederate), are still inhabiting the old, dilapidated farm house on their abandoned turkey farm in Central Ohio. These men have lived through much of gay history and have had wonderful adventures and a great romance. Their quasi-existence is interrupted by the sudden arrival of a man and woman dragging into their home a sixteen year old lesbian, entrusted to their care by her parents with the hope that they can “pray away the gay” and turn her into a 'happy heterosexual'. Should Alex and Web get involved even if it means their permanent disappearance after over 150 years? Of course the answer is yes. Based on true events and real people, The Turkey Men, is filled with humor, romance, and pathos. Previews on October 16th & 17th, performances from Oct. 18th thru the 26th 2019 at the Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215. For tickets or more information, visit: http://evolutiontheatre.org/

Welcome to Canterville Chase! It's 1887 and a free-spirited American family is invading the grand English manor home of the very British Sir Simon de Canterville, a Shakespearean actor turned ghost who just may have met his match in the Otis family. Accustomed to being regarded with fear, Sir Simon is determined to scare these Yankee intruders out of their wits and out of his house. Both you and they have been warned! Cheerio!! Performances are October 18 thru the 26th. For information or how to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.thelancasterplayhouse.org/

Spend an afternoon enjoying dances created to the sweet tunes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis. Jr. and Dean Martin. Act One will feature choreography by Artistic Director Melissa Gould, Dustin Stuart, Kirsten Frison and Callie Luckenbach. Featured Guest Artists are Michael O'Dell and Modjazz, Aaron Glenn, Abhy Devalapura, Hixon Dance, 6-1-forte, NAHS Theatre, and Drew Belpedio. Performances are October 12th, 2019 at 2:00 and 6:00 at the McCoy in New Albany. For more information, visit: http://www.newvisiondanceco.org/

A Trivial Comedy for Serious People, by Oscar Wilde, first performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London. The Play tells the story of Jack and Algernon, two young men who maintain fictitious personae to escape burdensome social obligations. Through a series of schemes, lies, and hidden identities, the two men find themselves in the Country at Jack's estate, both under assumed names, and both engaged to be Married. Performances are October 11th thru the 13th, 2019 at the Bradley Theater, 2800 Walker Rd, Hilliard, Ohio 43026. For tickets or more information, visit: https://www.bradleytheater.com/

Based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace and the acclaimed film directed by Tim Burton, Big Fish tells the story of Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest…and then some! Edward's incredible, larger-than-life stories thrill everyone around him—most of all, his devoted wife Sandra. But their son Will, about to have a child of his own, is determined to find the truth behind his father's epic tales. Overflowing with heart and humor, Big Fish is an extraordinary musical that reminds us why we love going to the theater—for an experience that's richer, funnier and bigger than life itself. Performances are October 10th thru the 20th, 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.

Carrie White is a misfit. At school, she's an outcast who's bullied by the popular crowd, and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she's at the mercy of her loving but cruelly over-protective mother. But Carrie's just discovered she's got a special power, and if pushed too far, she's not afraid to use it… Performances are October 11th thru October 20th, 2019 at the Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215. For tickets or more information, visit: https://www.imaginecolumbus.org/

Time: April 1911. Place: A cell, courthouse, and grave in Solon, Michigan. A young nun has died under mysterious circumstances in a remote parish in northern Michigan, and her superior, Father Rivard, has been charged with her murder. The action alternates between interrogations, testimony and scenes from the past which reveal that Father Rivard, who had been banished to the small, up-country parish, fell in love with Sister Rita; and when circumstances forced her to move into the rectory with him, his anguish became unbearable. Their relationship, inevitably, spelled tragedy, but not until the explosive and surprising climax of the play is the full extent of their sacrifice made clear and the identity of the murderer revealed! Performances are October 3rd thru October 6th at the Columbus Dance Theatre, 592 E. Main St., Columbus, OH 43215. For tickets or more information, visit: https://pacecolumbus.com/

A Night of Broadway: The Secret Garden a Semi-Staged Concert Fundraiser for the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Org. A Night of Broadway was founded 5 years ago by Shane Trace & Cassandra Taylor as a way to raise money for the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO), which is a Division of Equitas Health. This year the tradition continues, but in a new and exciting way as we perform a semi-staged version of The Secret Garden! This musical is filled with a star studded cast of local Central Ohio talent! BRAVO works to eliminate violence perpetrated on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking through prevention, education, advocacy, violence documentation, and survivor services. For more information about BRAVO visit: http://bravo.equitashealth.org/ Performances run September 27th thru the 29th, 2019 at The Garden Theater, 1187 North High St., Columbus, Ohio 43201. For reservations/more info visit: http://www.shortnorthstage.org/

A chilling and mystifying study in mounting terror in which a small group of 'psychically receptive' people are brought together in Hill House, a brooding, mid-Victorian mansion known as a place of evil and 'contained ill will.' Led by the learned Dr. Montague, who is conducting research in supernatural phenomena, the visitors have come to probe the secrets of the old house and to draw forth the mysterious powers that it is alleged to possessa?"powers which have brought madness and death to those who have lived therein in the past. Performances run September 27th thru October 13th, 2019 at Little Theatre Off Broadway, 3981 Broadway, Grove City, Ohio. For reservations/more info visit: http://www.ltob.org or call 614-875-3919.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, by John Glore, contains many of your favorite storybook fables. However, in this adaptation of the book by John Scieszka and Lane Smith's quintessential children's book of the same name, the story lines somehow get derailed. Everything from “Chicken Little” to “The Gingerbread Man” gets a complete makeover. Fun music and barnyard animals, colossal cow pies, and enough stinky cheese to pollute the entire audience. Performances September 20th thru the 29th, 2019 at the Hilliard Arts Council, 5425 Center Street, Hilliard, Ohio 43026. For performance times and more information visit: http://hilliardartscouncil.org/