September brings the beginning of the performing arts season to Arizona. Most groups are quiet during the hot summer months, though this past summer a few brave companies offered summer programming and were pleased with the results.
Actors Theatre is one that experimented with summer programming and according to Matthew Wiener, their Producing Artistic Director, both their shows and their new location met with rave reviews. The company will continue using the Black Theatre Troupe facility, 1333 E Washington St. in downtown Phoenix, for the upcoming season of 4 contemporary shows. Their first show, Seminar, by Theresa Rebeck opens in October. actorstheatrephx.org
Theater League has been bringing shows to the Valley for well over 25 years. This year they will have three blockbuster musicals at the beautiful downtown Orpheum Theatre, 203 W Adams: Beauty and the Beast, Nov. 28-30; Guys and Dolls, Feb. 20-22, 2015 and Buddy:The Buddy Holly Story, Mar. 20-22, 2015. They will be staging Camelot, Jan. 23-25, 2015 at the Mesa Arts Center, 1 E Main St. in Mesa. And you won’t want to miss their special engagement: Old Jews Telling Jokes, at the Herberger Theater Center, March 17-29, 2015. The show is inspired by the website OldJewsTellingJokes. com and features both brand new and satisfyingly hilarious old songs and jokes. Tickets are now on sale. theaterleague.com
The Black Theatre Troupe has been around since 1970, bringing the Valley some of its most eclectic and multi-cultural shows. The company’s 4-show line-up includes Radio Golf, the final in August Wilson’s epic ten- play cycle, from Sept. 26-Oct. 12. Their second play premiered at Theatre J, the Jewish Theatre of Washington, DC. Tommy J. & Sally runs Nov. 26-Dec. 14. Written by Mark Medoff (Children of a Lesser God), the play includes an African-American young man and a Jewish female pop singer, and “looks at race from both sides of the color line.” It is being directed by Arizona Jewish Life’s own Janet Arnold. More info at: blacktheatretroupe.org
Arizona Theatre Company has the distinction of being the only theatre in the country with a two-city base of operations and is the largest locally-produced theatre in the state. The shows open in Tucson, playing at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S Scott Avenue, then transfer to Phoenix to the Herberger Theater Center, 222 E Monroe. ATC is touting its upcoming six-show season as having “something for everyone.” They’re opening with the new Christopher Durang comedy, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, winner of the 2013 TONY Award for Best Play, in Tucson Sept. 13-Oct. 4 and in Phoenix Oct. 9-26. Closing out their season will be A Weekend with Pablo Picasso, written by and starring Herbert Siguenza, based on the writings of Pablo Picasso. This play will be directed by Todd Salovey, who also runs the San Diego Jewish Cultural Arts Festival each summer. Tucson: April 4-26, 2015; Phoenix: April 30-May 17, 2015. arizonatheatre.org
Invisible Theatre in Tucson also did some summer programming to help fill its coffers and entertain those who dwell in the Old Pueblo year round. With Susan Claassen as its leader, IT opens its 44th Anniversary season with A Kid like Jake, by Daniel Pearle, a “keenly perceptive look at the gender issue in children,” Sept. 2-14. The southwest premier of Handle with Care by Jason Odell Williams runs Nov. 11-23. This romantic comedy tells the story of a young Israeli woman who reluctantly travels with her grandmother to America. They also offer some fun special programs, particularly Cannoli, Latkes & Guilt-The Therapy Continues! with Steve Solomon, on March 7-8, 2015 at the Berger Performing Arts Center. invisibletheatre. com
Theater Works in the West Valley, headed by Daniel Schay, offers both main stage adults programming as well as polished children’s shows. Mainstage opens in Sept. with I Get a Kick Out of Cole, exploring the music of Cole Porter (Sept. 5-28). That’s followed by How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying with music by the great Frank Loesser; Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical Follies Feb. 20-March 15, 2015 and they’ll close with a 50th anniversary production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Dale Wasserman, March 27-April 19, 2015. Of particular note among their YouthWorks shows is the musical 13, with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. “Following a move from New York City to small-town Indiana, young Evan Goldman grapples with his parents’ divorce, prepares for his impending Bar Mitzvah, and navigates the complicated social circles of a new school.” 13 plays from Jan. 16-Feb.1,2015. theaterworks.org
The Prescott Fine Arts Center, celebrating its 45th season, is run by Jon Meyer, who moved from Florida where he had run a Jewish theatre in Sarasota. Their current musical, Pump Boys & Dinettes runs through Sept. 13. Next is Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, Nov. 20-30. pfaa.net (A fun fact is that with the exception of Black Theatre Troupe, each of these theatres has someone who is Jewish as their Artistic Director!) There are many other theatres throughout the state, of course.
ASU Gammage is the Valley’s Broadway touring house. They’ve got Kinky Boots (Harvey Fierstein, Cyndi Lauper) Sept. 16-21: the fanciful Stephen Schwartz musical Pippin Dec. 2-7; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Jan. 13-18 and many more throughout the spring. asugammage.com.
The Jewish community has always been at the forefront of supporting the arts. Be sure to check out all the options Arizona has to offer. And for discounted tickets to most events, try goldstar.com.
