The return of fall brings a cool breath of life to the city as well as a hot new theater season. Houston’s thriving theater scene entertains and inspires diverse crowds with both classic and contemporary plays that never cease to showcase incredible talent.
Avid theatergoers or those who are just curious about what the art of theater has to offer may look no further than the Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre at the University of Houston’s main campus. UH’s School of Theatre ‘ Dance is presenting two productions this fall. Richard Dresser’s Below the Belt is a comedy about three men, each possessing a different personality, colliding in a cold, prison-like corporate world. It will run Sept. 28 and 29 and Oct. 5-7. Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard, is a journey through time from 1809 to the present accompanied by romance, scandal and sensuality. This show will run Nov. 9, 10 and 16-18.
Houston’s Hobby Center and Theatre Under the Stars present Bill Kenwright’s Whistle Down the Wind, a musical about a young Louisiana girl who vows to protect a criminal that she found hiding in her barn. The power of love and soul of the South is captured in the gospel, blues, country and rock ‘n’ roll music. This production runs from Sept. 9-22. For tickets, call (713) 558-8887.
The Alley Theatre is renowned for having wonderful shows well worth the price of admission, and they have a very interesting season lined up. It begins with the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning drama, Doubt, A Parable by John Patrick Shanley, directed by James Black. In a 1964 Catholic school, there are suspicions that the liberal Father Flynn is up to no good, and his female co-worker notices. She faces a moral dilemma and uncertainty as she ponders whether to speak out. This production runs from Aug. 31†to Sept. 23.
Also at the Alley Theatre this fall is Arsenic and Old Lace, by Joseph Kesselring, directed by Gregory Boyd. It is a comedy about the Brewster sisters and their two nephews, Teddy, who believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt, and Mortimer, the drama critic. Mortimer discovers that his aunts commit a murder involving a glass of arsenic-spiked elderberry wine. This show runs from Oct. 5†to Nov. 4.
The third production scheduled for fall is The Scene, by Theresa Rebeck, directed by Jeremy B. Cohen. The Scene is a witty comedy about four New Yorkers involved in the entertainment industry. Charlie is an actor, currently out of work, married to Stella, a TV producer. Conflict comes into play and Charlie’s life becomes complicated when he meets a gorgeous blonde from Ohio. The show runs from Oct. 25†to Nov. 25. For tickets to any of the Alley Theatre shows, call (713) 220-5700.
Another theatre with some great plays for fall is the Grace Theater, home of the A.D. Players Theater Company founded by Jeannette Clift George. Jane Austen’s classic, Pride and Prejudice, by James Maxwell and revised by Alan Stanford runs through Sunday.
George will be on stage to personally welcome the audience: "I welcome you to our 41st season with a one woman show full of many people, many stories, and Corrie, Ruth and Me," she said. Her one-woman show will be on stage from Sept. 7 through Oct. 14. In 1976, George was nominated for a Golden Globe for her lead role, Corrie ten Boom, in The Hiding Place.
The A.D. Players will also stage a Christmas production titled Christmas Tree-O featuring three small plays in one production all written by George. The Littleboro Valley Story is about a town that decides to cut down on eating by not celebrating Christmas. A Christmas of Many Parts is about four members of a theater company who discover that half their cast is stranded in Atlanta before their Christmas show. It is up to them to produce one out-of-the-ordinary show. En Dash is about Millicent Waggoner, who is unsure of her new position as a temporary receptionist during Christmas time at Klatchen’s Department Store. Millicent’s Christmas season looks up when she receives a surprise visit from an understudy -†Santa Claus. This production runs from Nov. 16 through Dec. 31. For tickets, call (713) 526-2721.
