Robin Dotson News

The Chicken Ranch has shut down and is making the way for the Hundred Acre Wood in downtown Arlington, as Theatre Arlington turns their attention to children and families, with the musical, Winnie the Pooh, written by Steven D. Morris with music by Don Powers. This adaptation of A.A. Milne's classic story brings Winnie, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Christopher Robin and all their friends to life and was originally written and staged by Steven D. Morris and Don Powers in 1986. At that time, Morris was the theater's first Children's Theatre Director and was frustrated by the lack of entertaining scripts for children, so a few years earlier he set out to create his own with his talented friend, Don Powers, who composed all the new music.

Miss Mona Stangley and her Girls have arrived in Downtown Arlington to have a darn-tootin' great time opening Theatre Arlington's 47th season with the award-winning musical, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. This charming, fun-loving musical by Carol Hall, Larry L. King and Peter Masterson, based loosely on the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grange, Texas, recounts the story of Miss Mona's cozy little brothel that was popular with senators, mayors and football teams and protected by the local sheriff, Ed Earl Dodd. Times are good for Miss Mona's Girls until a TV evangelist's cameras and righteous indignation interfere. The lively tale is told with a bit of bawdy humor and high-energy production numbers, with sweet ballads and sentimentality thrown in, and is meant for mature audiences but as Miss Mona says, a?oethere's nothing dirty going on.a??

Theatre Arlington closes out the 2018-2019 Season with the first work in Neil Simon's semi-autobiographical trilogy, Brighton Beach Memoirs. This coming-of-age story, opening August 9th, is an affectionate and humorous portrait of a Jewish-American family in 1937 Brooklyn as seen through the eyes of 15-year old Eugene Morris Jerome. Sharing his home with six other family members doesn't give him much privacy to dream about girls, particularly his beautiful cousin Nora, or playing baseball for the Yankees.

In 1984, young actor, B.J. Cleveland was thrilled to be cast in his very first show at Theatre Arlington as one of the Voices of Vernon Gersch in Neil Simon's They're Playing Our Song. Now, 35 years later and with a more than a few shows under his belt, Cleveland is proud to return to the TA stage in the same musical, but this time he is taking the lead. This funny, romantic musical comedy with music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager opens in downtown Arlington on Friday, May 3rd.

Theatre Arlington is proud to present the compelling military courtroom drama, A Few Good Men by Aaron Sorkin. Before his 1992 movie received worldwide praise and recognition, Sorkin's play, which he wrote on cocktail napkins while bartending, opened at the Music Box Theatre in New York City in November 1989 and ran until January 1991. So strong was his dialogue and characters that the film rights were sold before his play even opened.

Main Street is sizzling with the opening production of Theatre Arlington's 46th season, 9 to 5 The Musical. This witty and delightful musical is based on the 1980 hit movie, with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and book by Patricia Resnick, one of the original screenwriters. The unlikeliest of friends, Violet, Judy and Doralee, combine forces to take control of their company and their egotistical boss, intent on keeping them and every other woman "in their place." As their plan spins wildly out of control, these women unite to seek their sweet revenge, but in so doing - shatter the stereotypes and find true friendship, independence and prove there is nothing they can't do. What a way to make a living!

Theatre Arlington's 45th Anniversary Season is ready to cut loose...footloose that is, with the production of Footloose the Musical, opening on May 11th. The stage adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie is based on Pitchford's original screenplay.