The 10th anniversary of the Castle Theatre Festival, the grand opening of Sandy City's new amphitheater, two Broadway comedies, a community theater production of James Christian's "The Pirated Penzance" and a one-night-only performance of the 25th anniversary tour of "Saturday's Warrior" are among this week's stage events.SANDY CITY'S new amphitheater opens this week with "The Best of Broadway," a musical revue showcasing songs and dances from some of the Great White Way's biggest hits.
The National Champion Ballroom Dancers will also be on the program, featuring tunes from such shows as "Camelot," "Man of La Mancha," "Paint Your Wagon," "South Pacific," "Anything Goes," "Annie," "Cinderella" and "Hello, Dolly!"
Performances will be 8 p.m. Aug. 27, 28, 30 and 31. The amphitheater is 1245 E. 9400 South. General admission seating is $6 for adults and $4 for senior citizens and children. Tickets are available at Dan's Foods and South Towne Center. Tickets for reserved seats may be purchased in advance at Sandy City Hall or from the Sandy Parks and Recreation Department.
THE CASTLE THEATRE FESTIVAL, mounted by Provo-based Actors Repertory Theatre Ensemble in the historic, rock amphitheater on the grounds of the Utah State Hospital, will replicate its 1989 season -- "The Lion in Winter" playing in repertory with "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Loraine Edwards, the company artistic director and resident stage manager at BYU, is directing "The Lion in Winter," James Goldman's sizzling, satirical spin on contention within King Henry II's household as he, his estranged (and imprisoned) wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their three sons squabble over the right to rule the English empire.
The cast includes Equity actress Barta Heiner as Eleanor, Scott Bronson as Henry, Chris Clark as Geoffrey, Marc Shaw as John, Cameron Deaver as Richard, Susan Davis as Alais (Henry's mistress), and Jared Stull as Philip Capet.
"Winter" opens with a preview performance on Aug. 25, and continues Aug. 27 & 30 and Sept. 3, 9, 11, 13 & 17 at 8 p.m.
Colleen Baum, local actress/director, is directing "Midsummer," with a cast that includes Jennifer Erekson Knudsen as Hermia, Josh Bingham as Oberon/Theseus, Lili Romero as Titania/Hippolyta, Ary Farahnakian as Lysander, Chris Glade as Demetrius, Tyler Morris as Flute and Tara Tanner as Puck.
Also in the cast are Deric Nance as Bottom, Jessica Morris as Peaseblossom, Joan Cruz as Snout, Lindsay Adamson as Mustardseed/Philostrate/Snug; Megan Ann Scott as Quince/Cobweb; Richard Olauson as Egeus/Moth, and Trish Reading as Helena.
Performances begin with a preview on Aug. 26, continuing on Aug. 28 and Sept. 2, 4, 6, 10, 16 and 18.
Tickets for the preview performances are $4.25. Tickets for all other performances are $8.50 for adults, $6.50 for students and senior citizens and $4.25 for children, 6-12 years of age. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. Patrons should dress for the weather and bring blankets, pillows or lawn chairs for comfortable seating. For reservations, call 377-2783 or 1-800-510-2783.
"DON'T DRINK THE WATER," Woody Allen's outrageous comedy classic about a New Jersey family's adventures inside a small U.S. embassy behind the Iron Curtain.
The cast, directed by Shauna Brand, includes Michael Bartlo as Axel, the ambassador's incompetent son, who has been left in charge of the embassy; Jeremy Jonsson, Vicki Pugmire and Jana Nelson as the stranded Hollanders, and Dean Hale as Krojack, a suspicious Secret Police leader.
Also in the cast are Mike Brown, Bruce Candrian, Michael Canham, Jeff Davis, Peggy Davis, Hayley Hocking, Jennifer Krebbs, Wayne Schmidt, Dave Tucker and Ryan Walker.
The StageRight TheaterCompany production will play Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 28-Sept. 25, in the Realms of Inquiry school, 1140 S. 900 East. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for senior citizens and students. Call 485-8038 for reservations.
"SHENANDOAH," starring Marvin Payne as peaceful Virginia farmer/family patriarch Charlie, will play Aug. 26-28 at 8 p.m. in the Murray City Park Amphitheater.
(The production was originally mounted earlier this month at the SCERA Shell in Orem.) Director Syd Riggs' cast includes Natalie Hill, Rob Abney, Jason Celaya, Amanda Crabb, Scotty Wetzel, Todd Beagley, Jared Pulham, Ben Abbott, Jared Young and Jerry Elison.
Tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for children and senior citizens. For group rates, call 264-2614.
"BEAU JEST," James Sherman's comedy about a Jewish couple anxious to meet their daughter's "Mr. Wonderful" (and unaware that he's just been hired by her so they'll believe she's finally getting married), will play Aug. 26-Oct. 2 at the Little London Dinner Theatre, 20 S. Main, Pleasant Grove.
The cast includes Jason Purdie (who is also directing); his wife, Katie; Jon Liddiard, Dennis Purdie, Agnes Brob erg and Brett Merritt.
Performances will be Thursdays-Saturdays, with dinner served at 7 p.m. and the performance beginning about 7:30 (when the last patron is served). Tickets are $21.50, including the show and dinner. Call 785-0827 for reservations, which must be made at least 24 hours in advance.
"THE PIRATED PENZANCE," Utahn James Christian's award-winning spin on Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance," will be presented by Payson Community Theatre for seven performances at Payson High School.
Christian takes the operetta's score and places it in a Hollywood studio during the early "talkies" era, where an egomaniacal studio chief is creating a film version of the musical.
Performances will be 7:30 p.m., Aug. 27, 28, 30 and Sept. 3-4, with matinees at 3 p.m. on Sept. 4 and 6. Tickets are $5 per person or $25 for a family ticket, admitting up to six members per family.
"SATURDAY'S WARRIOR," written by Doug Stewart and Lex de Azevedo, will conclude a 10-week, 40-city tour with one performance on Saturday, Aug. 28, at 8 p.m. at Hunter High School, 4200 S. 5600 West, West Valley City.
The legendary LDS Church-oriented production, which began as a small workshop endeavor at BYU in the spring of 1974, has been seen by nearly 2 million people throughout the world.
General admission tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for youths (17 and under). For groups of 20 or more, tickets are $10 each. For those preferring a "front and center" seat in a reserved section of the auditorium, tickets are $20 each. Call 1-888-887-6801 for reservations, or order tickets through the www.LDSentertainment.com Web site.
"DISPUTED BONES," a new drama by Jonathan Graham, is the final work to be presented in this summer's New Plays-in-Progress Readings series at the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City.
Directed by Davey Marlin-Jones, it's about a university archaeologist discovering a set of ancient human remains, then being pressured by her university to write a book, while caught between her American Indian boyfriend, who is leading a protest to have the bones reburied, and a bureaucrat who insists the bones are government property.
Then the 9,000-year-old man begins to speak. . . .
The play will be read at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 26 and 27, then repeated on Sept. 3, in the Cedar Theater, 33 N. Main. The readings are free of charge, but a contribution of $3 to $5 is suggested to help cover the costs and encourage the process of developing new plays.
Information on stage productions or auditions must be submitted at least two weeks in advance. Compiled by Ivan M. Lincoln, Deseret News theater editor, 1-801-236-6017. Fax: 1-801-237-2550; e-mail: ivan@desnews.com