Winter Theatre

Dec. 5, 2010

Your Tickets to Winter Theatre: What’s on stage ’round the region
By Ross Boissoneau
If all the world’s a stage, then theatre enthusiasts across the region
will have ample opportunities to travel the globe over the next few
months.
Whether the preference is dramatic, musical or comedic, audiences will
have plenty of options. They can choose from a World War II drama, an
NYC socialite wooing and being wooed, a trip down a rabbit hole, a
duck-hunting expedition gone awry in a most heavenly way, and two
different beauties: One with a beastly admirer, and two different
versions of one in a deep, deep sleep.
In Traverse City, Mariam’s Pardon is playing at the Studio Theatre @
the Depot through the 18th of this month. Harriet and Mariam
Jabolonski, the wife and mother respectively of a WW II soldier, await
news of his fate after he goes missing in the Battle of the Bulge. The
action takes place in the mother’s cottage in Horton’s Bay on Lake
Charlevoix.
Duck Hunter Shoots Angel by Mitch Albom will entertain audiences with
the story of reporter Sandy and his photographer Lenny, who are sent
to the swamps of Alabama to get the scoop on two good ‘ol boys, Duane
and Dewell, who think they have shot an angel while hunting. Albom is
the Detroit Free Press and nationally-known sports columnist and
author of such best-sellers as Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five
People You Meet in Heaven. It runs from Jan. 14 through the 29th at
Old Town Playhouse.
The award-winning and longtime audience favorite Fiddler on the Roof
will showcase songs such as “Tradition,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “If
I Were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset.”
Weaving music, dance, love and laughter into an electrifying
experience of life, Fiddler tells the timeless tale of Tevye the
dairyman, who struggles with the rapidly changing world around him,
the traditions he holds dear, and his strong-willed daughters. It runs
March 4 – 26, also on the main stage at OTP.
Moving north, the Little Traverse Civic Theatre will host Sabrina Fair
Feb. 10-19 at the Ross Stokes Theater in the Crooked Tree Arts Center
in Petoskey. Sabrina Fairchild is the daughter of a chauffeur to the
wealthy Larrabee family, who live in a mansion on the North Shore of
Long Island. Returning from a stay in Paris, she presents herself as a
young woman of beauty, charm, and sophistication. Although she once
had a crush on David Larrabee, the young playboy of the family, and
returns to America with a wealthy French suitor in tow, she finds
herself drawn to his brother Linus.
LTCT switches gears for March – the March Hare, that is. Alice in
Wonderland will see that famous rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire
Cat, and all the rest come to life on stage March 10-19. At the end,
Alice may question whether her adventures were real or not, but it
makes no difference to the audience.
The Williamsburg Showcase Dinner Theater in Acme offers Sock Hop
Christmas with a singing, dancing cast headed by Dominic Fortuna, who
is just back from a Broadway production of Grease and a 49-city tour.
The cast serves dinner and drinks and then cuts loose with a must-see
holiday extravaganza. Tickets for the dinner and show are $39.95.
The Ramsdell Theater in Manistee is hosting the story of the beautiful
young woman and the terrifying master of the house whom she befriends
and eventually falls in love with. With a houseful of servants turned
into animated objects, a town posse bent on destruction, and its
complicated twists on Good vs. Evil, Beauty and the Beast became an
award-winning animated musical from Disney. This version runs through
Dec. 12.
The Ramsdell will also hasten the change of season with The Secret
Garden March 11-20. The story of neglected children and their
rejuvenation through their discovery of and tending to a similarly
neglected garden is a classic that’s received accolades and treatment
through the book, play and on screen.
If Beauty Number One finds her Prince Charming in a beast, Beauty Two
isn’t able to look for hers at all. In fact, she’s content to doze
through most of her troubles. The Cheboygan Opera House will host a
performance by the Russian National Ballet of the classic ballet
Sleeping Beauty for one show only, Thursday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. The
fairy tale of the Princess Aurora, the evil fairy Carabosse, a century
of sleep and the awakening kiss of a handsome prince is one of the
crown jewels of Russian ballet. It is famed for its majestic score by
Tchaikovsky.
That’s not the only place you’ll find Aurora. She will also be
sleeping, er, performing at Interlochen Center for the Arts’ Corson
Auditorium Dec. 10-12 in a student production. Interlochen will also
present Cyrano de Bergerac, the classic tale of the nobleman whose
overly large proboscis makes him believe he cannot “dream of being
loved by even an ugly woman.” His love for the beautiful Roxane
results in his writing letters that are delivered by his friend
Christian, with whom Roxane is in love.
Younger performers will also be in the spotlight in Cadillac, as the
Cadillac Footliters Junior Players present Feelin’ Good/Kids: The
Musical Feb. 4-12 at the Cadillac High School Auditorium. The show is
a collage of several musical vignettes that all kids can relate to
because the skits are based on things kids deal with every day. It
will feature performers age 8-18 singing, dancing and acting.

For tickets or additional information on any of the theatrical
presentations, contact the venue box offices by phone or online as
below.

Cadillac Footlighters
CadillacFootliters.com
(231) 775-7336

Ramsdell Theatre
RamsdellTheatre.org
1-800-836-0717

Old Town Playhouse
OldTownPlayhouse.com
(231) 947-2210
Little Traverse Community Theatre
ltct.org
231-348-1850 ext. 16

Cheboygan Opera House
TheOperaHouse.org
231-627-5841

Interlochen Center for the Arts
tickets.interlochen.org
800) 681-5920 (toll free)
(231) 276-7800

The Williamsburg
www.cateringbykellys.com
231-938-2181

Many venues also use the regional ticketing agency TREAT.
Visit treatickets.com.