A handful of this week's 18 new stage openings are nonseasonal, but the majority look a lot like Christmas.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS, GEORGE BAILEY," adapted for the stage from the classic film "It's a Wonderful Life," is being jointly produced by the Babcock Performing Readers and the University of Utah Department of Theatre, with three performances (7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday) in the Babcock Theatre.
Shirlee H. Shields, long associated with the local readers' theater group, is adapting, producing and directing the show. Her cast includes both students and well-known local actors, including Duane Hill, E. Craig Costin, Richard Scharine, Julie and Brytt Blatter, Brad Nygren, Doug and Wes Brewer, Richard Russell, Tim Lineback and Mark Merkley. Also in the cast are Linda, Eric and Corrie Littlewood, Joyce Skidmore, Lisa and Ariana Grow, Boyer Jarvis, Kip Watanuki, James and Rachel Hancock and Max Doxie.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students. They're available at Kingsbury Hall (581-7100), any ArtTix outlet (355-2787) or at the door.
"MINOR VOICES," written and produced by U. professor Xan Johnson's honors class ("Magic, Metaphor and Morality"), is an original piece about childhood and First Amendment rights. Presented by eight of Johnson's students, there will be two free public performances, at 7 p.m. on Thursday and 2 p.m. on Saturday, in the fourth floor meeting room of the new Salt Lake County Library. Both performances are free.
"Minor Voices" is an allegorical tale about intellectual freedom rights for minors, centered around the life and mind of a child named Mini. The project came together after Johnson's students visited the library and met with the director and teen librarian. Johnson notes that the writers saw and felt dramatic tension and possibilities existing within the topic of intellectual freedom in childhood.
Other characters include Amen, the assumed hero (representing the First Amendment); Chal, the challenger; Libby, of the American Library Association; Net, an Internet friend; and three treasured book friends, representing historically challenged books: Harry (the "Harry Potter" series), Bri ("Bridge to Terebithia") and Rye ("Catcher in the Rye").
"THE VELVETEEN RABBIT," the stage version of a popular children's tale about a young boy and his favorite toy, is the first production for the newly organized Firehouse Theatre for Youth, housed in the old Kaysville City fire station, 85 N. 100 East. David Morgan, an associate professor in Brigham Young University's theater and media arts department, is directing Scott Davidson's adaptation of Margery Williams' classic book. The cast includes Becky Witham in the title role and Ashley Ogzewalla, Mahonri Stewart and Debra Woods in multiple roles. (Woods also designed and constructed the show's life-size Nanny puppet.)
Public performances will be 2 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 7 p.m. Dec. 8-13 and 15-20, with additional Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 20. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for children (5-17). Tickets can be reserved in advance at 544-2112 or purchased at the door.
"AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS," is being staged Friday and Saturday and Dec. 12-13 at 7 p.m. in the old Draper City Hall auditorium, 12441 S. 900 East. The one-act production is only one hour long and was written specifically for young imaginations that can easily relate to a child with a head full of dreams. Tickets, available at the door, are $5 each or $20 for a group of five.
"A CHRISTMAS STORY," based on humorist Jean Shepherd's classic tale of a young boy who longs for a Red Ryder carbine air rifle for Christmas, will have its Utah County premiere Friday through Dec. 16 in the SCERA Center's newly renovated Showhouse II theater, 745 S. State St., Orem. Joel Osborne is directing a cast that includes Keegan Briggs as Ralphie, Alex Ungerman as the adult Ralph, Wendy Biggs as Ralphie's Mom, Randy Seeley as the Old Man, Pate Briggs as Randy, Jeremy Osborne as the Bully, Mark Chamberlain as Flick, Jan Chamberlain as Mrs. Shields, Kaitlin Briggs as Helen and Sydney Carlson as Jane. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. All tickets are $12. For reservations, call 801-225-2569.
"THE LITTLE ANGEL OF OLVERA STREET," adapted from Leo Politi's award-winning Caldecott Honor book by Owen Richardson, who is also directing, is being staged from Friday through Dec. 22 at the Children's Theatre of Salt Lake, 638 S. State.
The story centers around little Pedro, who is chosen to play the role of the angel with red wings who leads the traditional procession along Olvera Street. The thoroughfare was once the center of the Hispanic pueblo that grew into what is now Los Angeles.
The cast includes Nicholas Roising as Pedro, Becky-Lee Reynolds as Abuelita, Richardson as Manuel, Robin Stock as Antonia, Collin Dyer as Antonio, Caleb Ceran as Francisco and Madeline Richardson as Emily.
All seats for weekend public performances are $9 per person. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, with Saturday matinees at 2 p.m.
Seating is half-price for midweek school "field trip" performances, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on selected Mondays-Thursdays. (All school performances must be reserved in advance. Teacher's guides are available on the theater's Web site at www.childrenstheatresl.com/school.phtml.) For all reservations, call 532-6000.
"THE RENTED CHRISTMAS," a longtime tradition at Draper Historic Theatre, 12366 S. 900 East, is scheduled for 14 performances, beginning Thursday and continuing through Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m., with one matinee at 2 p.m. on Dec. 13. The family musical features a score written exclusively for the Draper theater. The cast includes Kevin and Cecy Burtenshaw with Jeff Olson, Lauren Wedertz, Jessica Corbett, Zachary McCullock, Makyla Gouldie and Catherine Rogers. Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for senior citizens and students and $6 for children. Call 572-4122 for tickets or make reservations online at www.drapertheatre.org.
THIS IS THE PLACE HERITAGE PARK has two productions being staged this season as part of the annual "Candlelight Christmas" celebration. One is Michael Jesse Bennett's one-man performance of "An Evening With Charles Dickens." The other is Bennett's adaptation of "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey."
This year, the Dickens performance will be included with the price of admission to the park. These shows — featuring Bennett reading from Dickens' "Christmas Carol," just as the author did throughout England — are 6:30 and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Dec. 12-13 and 19-20.
New this season is the "Jonathan Toomey" production, based on Susan Wojciechowski's book about a widow and her young son who bring joy into the life of a lonely wood carver asked to carve a new creche in time for Christmas, while the young boy watches.
Tickets for this play, being presented at 7 and 8:30 p.m., are $5 (in addition to admission to Old Deseret Village, which is $8 for adults and $6 for children and senior citizens). For all reservations, call 581-1847. The park is located at 2601 E. Sunnyside Ave. (800 South) at the mouth of Emigration Canyon.
"ANNIE," being directed by Lee Anderson, opens Friday and plays through Dec. 20 in the Heritage Community Theatre, Perry. The cast includes Anna Lisa Lundberg in the title role, Kris Poulson as Daddy Warbucks, Colette Memmott as Miss Hannigan, Shana Hilton Smith as Grace and Joshua Black as Rooster, with local guide dog Thorpe making his second appearance as Sandy. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, with two Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 20. Tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for children and senior citizens. There is also a Monday night special of $25 for six tickets. For reservations, call 435-723-8392.
"A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION," StageRight TheaterCompany's evening of one-act plays and music, Saturday through Dec. 27.
"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," adapted as a two-person staged reading by Bruce Bredeson and Shellie Waters, will feature Waters and Michael Canham, directed by Barb Gandy.
The second one-act play, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," directed by Ruth Ann Patten, features Lizzie Buffington, Debra Flink, Samuel McGettigan, Amanda Warren, Mark White and Ben Wilkins.
Each evening will showcase short performances by a variety of local school and community group, including madrigal and choral groups from Cottonwood, Highland and Granite high schools. For a list of these performance dates, visit the www.stageright.org Web site.
Play dates are Thursdays-Saturdays (except Christmas Day) at 7:30 at 5001 S. Highland Drive. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and senior citizens. For reservations, call 272-3445.
"THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER," directed by Tammy Huefner, will play for one week only, Monday-Saturday, at Bountiful Performing Arts Center, 745 S. Main. Tickets are $7.50 for adults and $6.50 for senior citizens and children/youths. For reservations, call 294-7469.
"THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSASSINATION," an interactive dinner-theater mystery produced by Chameleons, the Whodunit Company, is scheduled for two performances this month at Snowbird Resort — on Friday and on Dec. 12. Advance reservations are required. Tickets are $38 for adults, $17 for children (12 and under) or $35 per person for groups of 20 or more. Call 801-933-2110, Ext. 5690, for reservations.
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com