Something for all tastes on local stages

From a classic operetta to a "back-by-popular demand" production of "Pageant!" there's something for all tastes this week on local stages.

-- "PIRATES OF PENZANCE" is playing Feb. 14-April 7 in Hale Center Theater Orem. Directed by Syd Riggs, the double-cast ensemble includes Kevin Goertzen and Rob Moffat as the Pirate King, Claybourne Elder and Thomas Every as the indentured Frederic, Jenny Latimer and Christy Rae Turnbow as Mabel, Diane Dabczynski and Melanie Harding as Ruth, and Eldon Randall and Mike Gray as Major-General Stanley. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays-Saturdays until March 18, then continue nightly except Sundays through April 7, with matinees at 3:30 p.m. on March 29 and April 5. Tickets range from $9.50 to $14.50. Call (801) 226-8600 or visit the box office at 225 W. 400 North.

-- "GRIMM TALES," adapted by Carol Ann Duffy from several Brothers Grimm stories, is being staged Feb. 12-22 by Brigham Young University's Theatre for Young Audiences in the Margetts Theatre. Told with a twist, the collection of tales includes "Hansel and Gretel," "The Golden Goose," "Ashputtel" (Cinderella) and "The Magic Table, the Gold Donkey and the Cudgel in the Sack." Performances are 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, with Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. on Feb. 15 and 22. Tickets are $12 for general admission, or $9 for BYU students, faculty and staff. Call (801) 378-4322 for reservations.

-- "PAGEANT! THE MUSICAL COMEDY BEAUTY CONTEST" was the Egyptian Theatre Company's biggest hit ever during its regional premiere last summer. Now it's back for an encore Feb. 14-March 16, with the original cast nearly intact. Directed and choreographed by Jim Christian, there is one new cast member: Don Farmer will play Miss Bible Belt.

This spoof on beauty pageants includes a panel of judges drawn from the audience (those seated in the pricier "cabaret" section). The six contestants drag themselves through an evening of swimsuit, evening gown and talent competition, shepherded by a smarmy host who would look at home on the Nevada lounge circuit.

Performances in the Steiner Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St., Park City, are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, with matinees at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $22 for adults, $17 for senior citizens and students, and $12 for children on weeknights, $8-$18 for matinees, and $14-$24 on weekends. Cabaret seating is $33 per person for all performances. For reservations, call (435) 649-9371 or 1-888-243-5779. Tickets can also be ordered online at www.egyptiantheatrecompany.com

-- "INK!" is the fourth-annual presentation of short plays in the University of Utah's New Playwrights' Festival. Previous editions have been called "Experiments in Ink," but this year, the title has been shortened. It's described as a vaudevillian collection of original one-acts.

Seven new plays, directed by Erich Herrscher and Cort Brinkerhoffer, will be premiered. Each was written by a playwright who is either presently a theater major or an alumnus of the U. theater department:

-- Emily Anderegg's "It's Your Turn," about a woman being pursued by a man for whom she has no interest.

-- Julie Benedict's "If Only," the story of a girl attempting to resolve feelings toward her deceased father.

-- Grant Gottschall, an Actor Training Program alumnus now working as a professional playwright in Los Angeles, is represented by "Midsummer Mangoes," a segment from his full-length play "The Ten Commandments of Love."

-- Kyle Kowalczyk has written "Two Guys in a Boat," a satire on immigration and American teen culture.

-- Sandy Peterson's "Real" is the story of four encounters in an elevator.

-- "As We Know It" is Joel Richards' spin on the "Chicken Little" story, from his full-length play, "Adult Fables."

-- "Afterglow," by Cory Tallman, is based on the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his relationship with his daughter, whom he abandoned for eight years.

The Lab Theatre is located in the Performing Arts Building, directly west of the U. bookstore. Tickets are $7 for general admission or $5 for all students. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday- Saturday and 7 p.m. on Sunday, with one matinee on Friday at 4 p.m. Call 581-7100 or 355-2787 for reservations. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

-- "LETTER PERFECT," an original play written by Paul Cracroft, will be read by Ron and Jymme Frederickson and Linda Christensen on Thursday evening during a gathering of the Babcock Performing Readers. The Fredericksons performed a BPR reading of A.R. Gurney's popular play "Love Letters" two years ago, inspiring Cracroft to write a similar epistolary play, but with a local flavor.

In "Letter Perfect," the Fredericksons will portray Wasatch School pen pals Douglas Latimer Farraclough and Daphne Ann Masters, with Christensen taking part in the final scene as Doug's wife. Frederickson is also directing the reading. His wife, Jymme, is probably best known by her stage name of Roberta Shore, a former Mousketeer who starred in the TV series "The Virginian" for three seasons and in several Walt Disney movies.

"Letter Perfect" will be presented Thursday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Little Theatre of the U.'s Olpin Union Building. Both parking and admission are free.

-- "LOVE LETTERS" itself will also be staged Feb. 15 and 16 by former Utah Jazz coach Frank Layden and his wife, Barbara, as a fund- raiser for a renovation project at the U.'s St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center. The two performances will be at 7 p.m. in the Rowland Hall-St. Mark's Larimer Center auditorium (not at the Newman Center), 843 S. Lincoln. Tickets are $100 each, of which 75 percent is a tax- deductible donation to raise funds for the Newman Center expansion and renovation campaign. The Laydens, who have performed "Love Letters" nearly 20 times over the past few years, are honorary co- chairs for the project. Tickets will be available at the door.

-- "FOREVER PLAID," the popular off-Broadway revue, is playing Feb. 14-March 8 in the Old Barn Community Theatre, 3605 W. Bigler Road, Collinston. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. There will also be one matinee at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 1. Tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and children. For reservations, call (435) 458-2276.

-- "HARVEY," the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy about a kindly gentleman and his best pal -- a 6-foot-tall invisible rabbit -- will play Feb. 12-15 at Snow College's Crane Theatre in Ephraim. Performances are Wednesday-Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4.50 for students and senior citizens. Call (435) 283- 7411 for reservations.

-- THREE MYSTERY DINNER EVENTS are scheduled this week throughout the region. Advance reservations are required for these audience- participation affairs.

-- "An Heir of Mystery," centered around the deadly results during the reading of a will in a British mansion, will be staged by Chameleons, the Whodunit Company, on Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Snowbird Resort. Tickets are $38 for adults and $17 for children. For tickets, call (801) 933-2110, ext. 4080.

-- "Vinnie's Wake," another adventure where the deceased may not be the only one who's dying, will be presented Feb. 14, 20 and 28 by Hunt Mysteries at the Shalamar, 2065 E. 6200 South, Murray. Tickets are $30 each. Performances are at 7 p.m. Call 569-1482 for tickets.

-- "Godfather of the Bride," about a wedding reception hosted by Chicago's No. 1 crime boss, is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. at the Joy Luck Restaurant, 1346 S. 500 West, Bountiful, as a fund-raiser presented by Hunt Mysteries for the Bountiful Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $25 each. Call 294-7469 for reservations.

E-mail: ivan@desnews.com

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