Theatergoers who enjoy "fluff" will have slim pickings this week. While "Lost in Yonkers" may have quite a few laughs, the rest of the slate is filled with dramas and mysteries.
- "THE CRUCIBLE," Arthur Miller's acclaimed drama set amidst the turmoil of the witch hunts of Salem Village, Mass., in 1642, is being mounted by Pioneer Theatre Company from Oct. 31 through Nov. 16 on the Lees Main Stage of Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1340 East (Broadway and University), on the University of Utah campus.PTC Artistic Director Charles Morey is directing a cast that includes New York actor Larkin Malloy (those who are into soap operas will recognize him as Erica Kane's husband from "All My Children"), Max Robinson, Robert Peterson, Margaret Crowell, David Spencer, Marilyn Holt, Mark Gollaher, Richard Mathews and Gene Pack, plus such visiting guest artists as Claywood Sempliner (seen last season in "The Crucifer of Blood"), Gloria Biegler, Allison Krizner, Amy Love, Edwin C. Owens and Candace Taylor.
Tickets for the Pioneer Theatre Company production range from $12 to $30 for single seats. Free parking is available adjacent or near the theater. Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more. For reservations, contact the PMT box office at 581-6961.
A free post-play discussion is scheduled following the evening performance on Thursday, Nov. 14, when audience members are invited to join in an open forum with actors and staff.
- "SCOTLAND ROAD," a contemporary mystery with roots in the Titanic disaster of 1912, is being presented by TheatreWorks West, Nov. 1-24, in its Upstage Center space at the Wooden Dog entertainment complex at Trolley Square.
The title of Jeffrey Hacker's play comes from the name of a passageway running the entire length of the doomed luxury liner. When the play opens, a young woman in Edwardian dress has been rescued from a North Atlantic iceberg. She has uttered only one word - "Titanic" - and fallen silent.
The media go wild with speculation on whether or not she is, indeed, an 8-year survivor of that tragic night in April 1912, when the allegedly indestructible ship sunk to the depths of the icy North Atlantic, taking thousands of lives.
A man named John Astor is outraged with the press reports and sets about to prove the woman is a fraud. But his means border on criminal and his obsession grows as her fantastic story seems to remain unshakable.
Directed by Gary Anderson, TWW's cast includes Anita Booher, Jeffrey Owen, Lisa Randazzo and Debora Threedy.
Tickets are $10 if purchased in advance at the Wooden Dog or $12 at the door. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays.
"Scotland Road" may or may not be "adult" material, but regardless, admission to the Wooden Dog is limited to patrons who are 21 years of age or over, due to alcoholic beverages being sold on the premises. It's promoted as "an entertainment cafe and tap house," but it is not a private club.
- "LOST IN YONKERS," Neil Simon's 1991 Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, will have its Utah County premiere next week at the Provo Theatre Company, 105 E. 100 North.
Guest-directed by Rick VanNoy, formerly casting director for the Utah Shakespearean Festival, the cast will include Richard Hill, Ken Merritt (who recently played the title role in PTC's sold-out engagement of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"), Tera Allen, Christopher Bentley, Shaun Johnson, Susan Whitenight and Leanna Crockett.
VanNoy is taking a break from his current employment at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., to direct Simon's acclaimed play.
Performances will be at 8 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays-Saturdays from Oct. 31 through Nov. 25. Tickets may be purchased in advance either in person or by telephone (with a credit card) by calling the theater at 379-0600 during normal box office hours (6 to 9 p.m. on performance nights). Tickets are also available at all Smith'sTix outlets (1-800-888-8499).
- "THE GRAPES OF WRATH," adapted by Frank Galati from John Steinbeck's classic novel, will play Nov. 1 and 2 and 6-9 in the Allred Theatre of Weber State University's Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts.
Directed by Tracy Callahan, the student cast includes Galen Rodgers as Tom Joad, eldest son in a family of farm workers struggling to survive the aftermath of the Oklahoma dust bowl; Caril Jennings as Ma Joad and Dave Huber as Jim Casey, a preacher-turned-labor-organizer, who offers moral guidance to the Joads.
The play follows the family's hardships as it travels to California in the search for a better life during the Great Depression.
Tickets, available at the Dee Events Center box office, are $8.50 for adults and $5.50 for students, senior citizens and WSU alumni. Call 626-8500 or 1-800-978-8457 for reservations.
- TICKETS will go on sale Monday for the annual Promised Valley Playhouse holiday production of "The Gift of Christmas."
Performances this year will run from Nov. 29 through Dec. 28, with ticket prices ranging from $8 to $15. All seats are reserved. Group rates are available. For reservations, call 364-5696 or stop by the box office at 132 S. State.
The long-running Christmas production is being slightly revised this season, with fresh orchestrations and more emphasis on Robert Peterson's role. Also, for the first time, there will be additional performances on the three days following Christmas.
- LOOKING FOR SCRIPTS: Salt Lake Acting Company is soliciting new scripts by Utah playwrights for possible workshop and public readings next spring. Please submit only full-length scripts to:
Robin Wilks-Dunn
Salt Lake Acting Company
168 W. 500 North
Salt Lake City, UT 84103
The deadline for submitting entries is Nov. 30. Scripts will not be returned unless the author encloses a self-addressed, stamped envelope.