January Forecast: Hot Theaters in Des Moines

Let the theater be your respite from the cold this January. From rock and roll to award-winning plays, there is a show for everyone this month.

Des Moines Performing Arts presents American Idiot. Based on Green Day's album of the same name, American Idiot uses the arc of the album to tell the story of lifelong friends at a crossroads in life. Will they choose the safest path or chase their dreams? American Idiot ran on Broadway and in London and the current touring production stops in Des Moines for three shows only January 24-25th. For ticket information visit Des Moines Performing Arts.

The Des Moines Playhouse offers the family production The Hundred Dresses based on the Newbery Honor book by Eleanor Estes. When young Maddie watches new student Wanda get bullied, she is pressured to allow it to happen despite the fact that she knows it is wrong. Maddie comes to learn that allowing bullying to happen is as bad as being a bully herself. Through the experience, Maddie gains the courage to stand up for another outcast. The Hundred Dresses runs January 17- February 2nd. For more information visit The Des Moines Playhouse.

StageWest Theater Company kicks off the second half of their season with the Pulitzer and Tony Award winning play Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris. The play's two acts are set fifty years apart. The first act is set in 1959 when the community attempts to prevent a black family purchasing a home. Act two takes place in present day as the now largely black community tries to stand its ground in the face of a redevelopment. Funny and provocative, Clybourne Park has proved timeless, able to be told and retold without losing its edge. For ticket information visit StageWest Theater Company.

The January weather forecast may be cold but the theatrical forecast is hot. Whether you want a rocking musical or a thoughtful play, there is a show for you this month.