SALT LAKE CITY — October offers a wide variety of options in the world of local theater, from well-loved classics such as “Hello Dolly” and “Guys and Dolls” to a few mysteries leading up to Halloween.
‘Hello Dolly’
In the words of its theme song, 1964’s “Hello, Dolly!” the musical is still “glowin’,” “crowin’” and “goin’ strong.”
The musical, which tells the story of matchmaker Dolly Levi seeking to find a bride for the cranky widower Horace Vandergelder, has been back in the news thanks to Bette Midler's 2017 Tony award-winning performance in this year's Broadway revival. Thankfully, local fans of this highly decorated musical won't have to travel to the Great White Way in order to be transported to the good ol’ days of the 1890s in Yonkers, New York.
Fans of the classic can see the production Oct. 5-Nov. 18 at Hale Center Theater Orem, 225 W. 400 North, Orem, $22-$24 for adults, $16-18 for children (801-226-8600 or haletheater.org).
‘An American in Paris’
The musical “An American in Paris” was inspired by the 1951 film starring Gene Kelly and follows an American soldier who decides to stay in Paris after the war, finding love along the way. The musical is a four-time Tony Award-winning show, including for best choreography, and includes the music of George and Ira Gershwin. The touring Broadway production will be at the Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main, Oct. 10-15, $40-$90 (801-355-2787 or artsaltlake.org).
‘Guys and Dolls’
This musical from the Golden Age of Broadway ran for 1,200 performances when it opened on Broadway in 1950, according to Music Theatre International, the company that licenses the show. Local productions of the show are frequent, including at the Ziegfeld Theatre in Ogden next month. Follow along as the always good and proper missionary Sarah Brown and the perpetual gambler Sky Masterson meet their matches in each other. The show runs Oct. 13-Nov. 4, Ziegfeld Theater, 3934 S. Washington Blvd., Ogden, $19 for adults and $17 for children, students and seniors, all tickets are $1 more if purchased at the door (855-944-2787 or theziegfeldtheater.com).
‘A Comedy of Tenors’
Pioneer Theatre Company will stage "A Comedy Of Tenors," the sequel to Tony Award-nominated playwright Ken Ludwig's hit play "Lend Me a Tenor," this October.
This sequel to the 2010 hit revival of “Lend Me a Tenor” follows the same characters as they prepare for a performance in Paris but — predictably, if you saw the first show — things don't exactly go right, and the singers' bad luck turns into laughs for the audience.
“Filled with the crackling one-liners and frantic farce that made ‘Lend Me a Tenor’ a huge hit, ‘A Comedy of Tenors’ evokes the classic screwball comedies of an earlier time,” according to Pioneer Theatre’s website.
PTC will have “A Comedy of Tenors” on its stage Oct. 20-Nov. 4, 300 S. 1400 East, $25-$44 (801-581-6961 or pioneertheatre.org)
‘A Bundle of Trouble’
Hale Centre Theatre says goodbye to its West Valley City location with a production of “A Bundle of Trouble,” an original comedy by theater founders Ruth and Nathan Hale.
Hale Centre Theatre bids goodbye to their West Valley home with a production of "A Bundle of Trouble" this fall, written by Ruth and Nathan Hale, who founded both Hale Centre Theatre and Hale Center Theater Orem.
HCT promises a “rib-tickling” occasion as audiences watch a father’s orderly world turn upside-down when his energetic 5-year-old daughter comes to live with him. The show — the last to open in West Valley before “Aida” opens HCT’s new Centre Stage Theatre in Sandy in November — runs Oct. 21-Dec. 1, Hale Centre Theatre West Valley, 3333 S. Decker Lake Drive, $34 for adults, $18 for children (801-984-9000 or hct.org)
Mysteries
October isn’t complete without a few spooky, Halloween-type productions to get people in the mood before trick-or-treaters start knocking on their doors. Among the mystery plays and musicals opening in October are:
• “We Foxes” a “Southern Gothic musical thriller” about an orphan girl who uncovers the secrets of her adoption, according to the playwright’s website, runs Oct. 6-14, Browning Center, 3848 Harrison Blvd., Ogden, $13 for adults, $11 for children, seniors and military (801-626-8500 or weberstatetickets.com)
• “Wait Until Dark,” a play based on the 1967 thriller starring Audrey Hepburn, is playing Oct. 6-28, Heritage Theatre, 2505 S. Highway 89, Perry, $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and children ages 12 and under (435-723-8392 or heritagetheatreutah.com)
• “Clue the Musical,” a musical that brings the popular Hasbro board game to life, is playing Oct. 20-31, Lehi Arts Center, 685 N. Center, Lehi, ticket information to be announced (801-369-8806 or lehicityarts.org)