On Stage in February

  Lots of great shows coming up in February as the 2013 community theatre season heats up!

   Here are the ones I’ve tracked down - if I missed any, drop me a line at TheMinskers@aol.com and I’ll add them to the list!

- Cabaret - ARTS presents the hit musical that is full of comic and entertaining moments, but is set against a very dark and serious background: Nazi Germany. The setting is a cabaret, and the story centers around three major characters: Sally Bowles, Cliff Bradshaw, and a comic narrator type called the M.C. It is a story that embraces love, tragedy, hardship, persecution, satire, frolic and sensuality. The observer will experience both laughter and shock. It is a totally engaging evening of music, comedy and provocative thought. The musical will be presented in the Renaissance Ballroom at 900 8th St., Huntington at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1-2 and at 8 p.m. Feb. 8-9. Dinner and a show is $30 while general admission tickets are $15. Call 304-733-ARTS (2787). (The dinners are sold out for the first weekend.)

- The Bully Plays - First Stage Theatre presents the collection of 10-minute plays that are touching, imaginative, powerful, uplifting and funny. The effect of bullying is explored along with the dangers of cyber-bullying. This collection of short plays will challenge, inspire and enlighten audiences and help confront the issue of bullying in a constructive and creative way. The play will be presented Friday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Jeslyn Performing Arts Center. 

- Doubt - Marshall Theatre Alliance presents the drama set in a Bronx Catholic school in 1964. It examines the intersections of doubt, truth and faith. Sister Aloysius is certain that young Father Flynn has “made advances” toward the school’s first and only African-American student and sets out in search of the truth. The show will be presented at the Francis-Booth Experimental Theatre Feb. 20 - 23 and Feb. 28 – March 2 at 8 p.m.

- 21 Years! Laughing All the Way - First Church Dinner Theater launches its  third decade of Mission fun by reminiscing with performances from years gone by and with new pieces as well. Several fresh, new faces will be joining some of the regulars in a night of love, music, and fun. Dinner and music will be presented Feb. 14, 15 and 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Huntington’s First United Methodist Church at 1124 5^th Avenue. Tickets for the dinner plus show are: Adult - $24, child under 12 - $8, and for the show only at 8 p.m. (as space permits) - $5. Reservations are required for all shows - call    304-522-0357 or 740-867-8576. 

- Almost, Maine - Company of Dreams presents the play set on a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, where all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost's residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend - almost - in this delightful midwinter night's dream. Performances are Feb. 7, 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Community Church in Ashland. Admission is $5, all of which goes to charity. 

- Richard the Third - Alban Alban Arts Center presents the most performed of Shakespeare’s history plays. “Now is the winter of our discontent…”At the end of the English civil war known as the War of the Roses, the people look forward to a period of peace under King Edward IV. But Edward's younger brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, has other ideas. The play will be staged at the Alban Arts Center at 65 Olde Main Street in St. Albans. The show will be presented Feb. 22, 23 and March 1, 2 at 8 p.m., and Feb. 24 and March 3 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students/seniors. Call 304-721-8896 for reservations and visit www.albanartscenter.com for more information. 

- Sleuth - Kanawha Players presents a play about the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse in a cozy English countryside house owned by celebrated mystery writer. Revenge and murder is plotted in the ultimate “whodunnit.” The show will be presented Feb. 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. 

- Perfect Wedding - Blazer Theatre presents Robin Hawdon's romantic comedy. Come see what happens when the groom wakes up the morning of his wedding with a girl who isn't his bride-to-be. The play will be presented Feb. 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 10 at 2:30 p.m. at Paul Blazer High School’s Millennium Center. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors.

- The Taming of the Shrew - Jenny Wiley Theatre presents the story of the courtship of Petruchio and Katherina.  Petruchio has accepted a challenge to tame the headstrong and stubborn "shrew" Katherina. Through the mischief of reverse psychology, Petruchio does his best to domesticate Katherina, which leads to one comedic pratfall after another. The show will be presented Feb. 21, 22, 23, 28, March 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jenny Wiley Theatre at 218 Second St in Pikeville, Ky.

- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - Ashland Community and Technical College presents the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about the Biblical saga of Joseph and his coat of many colors. The show will be staged Feb. 22 and 23 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 24 at 2:30 p.m.

- Arsenic and Old Lace - Appalachian Community Theatre presents the play Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. as a dinner theatre at the Paintsville Country Club. Tickets are $30/person or $50/couple - call 606-369-4900 to make reservations. On Feb. 15 and 16, it will be dessert and coffee night at the Paintsville Country Club. Then, on Feb. 22 and 23 at the Strand Twin in Prestonsburg, tickets are $10/person and sold at the door. The show starts at 7 p.m.

- Murder and Merriment - the group will host a number of murder mysteries, including: Feb. 9 at Greenbo Lake State Resort Park: Marriage, Mob, & Murder; Feb. 14 at Sleepy Hollow Golf Country Club: Music, Murder, and Mayhem; Feb. 22-23 at The Greenhouse of Teays Valley: The Murderer Who Came to Dinner!

   Whew! So there you go, lots to see! Get out there and support your community theatre!