I met Bourdain a number of years ago, and had read "Kitchen Confidential" before that. Cool dude.

The official word: Internationally famous chef, author and television host, Anthony Bourdain, makes his first appearance at PlayhouseSquare, speaking at the State Theatre Friday, November 4th at 8 PM. Tickets to this one-night event are $57.50, $42.50 & $27.50, on sale now at 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org or the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office.

Bourdain hosts the Emmy-nominated Travel Channel show, “No Reservations,” (currently in its sixth season) where he travels to the farthest reaches of the globe exploring cuisine and destinations from Laos to New Orleans.

Dubbed “the bad boy of cuisine” for his rock star looks and blunt observations about the world of restaurants, chefs and cooking, Bourdain is an author of both non-fiction and fiction. His current New York Times bestseller is Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and People Who Cook, an insider’s perspective on the changes in the restaurant business.

Bourdain’s other bestselling books include Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (that has been translated into over 28 languages); A Cook’s Tour, written in conjunction with his Food Network television series; Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook (the New York eatery where he was executive chef for many years); The Nasty Bits and No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach, an illustrated journal of Bourdain’s travels. Bourdain’s crime novels include, The Bobby Gold Stories, Gone Bamboo and Bone in the Throat.

A contributing authority for Food Arts magazine, Bourdain’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Times of London, The New York Times and Gourmet. He has shared his insights about team building and crisis management with the Harvard Business Review, been profiled by “CBS Sunday Morning” and “Nightline” and appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

(Anthony Bourdain’s tour is presented by Jam Theatricals and the Seattle Theatre Group.)

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Read The Heldenfiles, the blog by Rich Heldenfels

Mark Kennedy
Associated Press

NEW YORK: ”The Book of Mormon” nabbed a leading 14 Tony Award nominations Tuesday morning, earning the profane musical nods for best musical, best book of a musical, best original score, two leading actor spots and two featured actor nominations, among others.

The second-highest nominations went to ”The Scottsboro Boys,” a searing tale of 1930s injustice framed as a minstrel show. It received 12 nominations, including best musical, best book of a musical, best original score as well as a leading actor and two featured actor nods.

Among others who earned nominations were Al Pacino, who played Shylock in ”The Merchant of Venice,” Vanessa Redgrave in ”Driving Miss Daisy,” Edie Falco in ”The House of Blue Leaves” and Ellen Barkin in ”The Normal Heart.”

Some notable snubs included James Earl Jones in ”Driving Miss Daisy,” Daniel Radcliffe in ”How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and Aaron Tveit from ”Catch Me If You Can.”

The Cole Porter comedy ”Anything Goes” was nominated for nine awards, including best revival, best leading actress for Sutton Foster, a best featured role nomination for Adam Godley, best scenic and costume design.

”I’m very happy. I’m thrilled for our show,” said Kathleen Marshall, who picked up her sixth and seventh nominations for directing ”Anything Goes” and its high-kicking choreography. ”’Anything Goes’ is one of those shows that is there to delight and entertain and transport the audience.”

”The Book of Mormon,” about two Mormon missionaries who find more than they bargained for in Africa, was written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of Comedy Central’s irreverent ”South Park,” and Robert Lopez, co-creator of the equally irreverent Tony Award-winning musical ”Avenue Q.”

The trio teamed up with Casey Nicholaw, who co-directed with Parker and choreographed. Both won nominations for best direction and Nicholaw won a best choreography nomination. ”Mormon” also earned its two missionaries — Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells — acting nominations as well as Nikki M. James for featured actress.

Of the 42 new productions this season, there were 14 musicals — 12 new ones and two revivals — and 25 plays, a whopping 16 of them brand new. The last time there were 16 new plays produced in a single season was 1986-87.

It is also shaping up to be a lucrative time for Broadway, with total box-office grosses already at more than $987,057,484, or 3.6 percent more than the same time last year. Attendance this season is at over 11.4 million, up 3 percent from this time last year.

The awards will be handed out June 12 at a new location: the Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side of Manhattan after producers lost their long-term space at Radio City Music Hall. It will be broadcast live by CBS.

Saw them last year, loved the show. Here's the official word on the next appearance:

Tickets go on sale Wed., May 4th at 10 am for the Sun., November 27th STRAIGHT NO CHASER concerts at PlayhouseSquare. The 10-member a cappella group will perform shows at 3 & 7:30 pm. (Their 2010 debut PlayhouseSquare concert was an immediate sellout!)

Tickets will be $44.50, $36.50 and $29.50, on sale May 4th at the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office; at playhousesquare.org or 216-241-6000.

Straight No Chaser (SNC) consists of former Indiana University grads whose performances put a uniquely sophisticated-yet-humorous spin on well-known hits and holiday favorites. They became a You Tube sensation, and have consistently sold out shows nationwide that attract fans of all ages.

SNC’s Nov. 27th PlayhouseSquare appearance is part of the groups’ fall concert tour, which follows their 10-week summer residency as headliners at Harrah’s Atlantic City. (For more information on SNC or their tour schedule, visit www.sncmusic.com.)

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Read The Heldenfiles, the blog by Rich Heldenfels

Kerry Clawson
Beacon Journal staff writer

I appreciate it when a craftily written comedy has the ability to completely surprise me.

That’s what audiences can expect with Larry Shue’s The Nerd, which has viewers rolling merrily along with its general craziness. But this broadly played comedy ultimately imparts a sweetness that elevates it to something altogether different.

Shue’s main character, Willum Cubbert, is written as a rather bland, middle-aged architect, played at Weathervane by Dane Castle. Akron-area audiences have seen Castle play a total nerdball — the unforgettably gross William Barfee in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee last summer at Porthouse Theatre. But despite Castle’s geeky look and demeanor as Willum, he’s not the true nerd of this story.

That’s delegated to actor James Lynch, who pulls out all of the oversized-spastic-toddler stops as the taped-glasses, pants-hitched-high Rick Steadman. Rick was Willum’s hero during the Vietnam War, saving his life by dragging him 11/2 miles through the jungle to safety after Willum was shot.

Many years and plenty of letters later, Willum finally meets Rick, who becomes the guest from hell at his Terre Haute, Ind., home. As obnoxious as Rick is, Willum feels beholden to him because he saved his life.

The play, which premiered in Milwaukee in 1981, opened on Broadway in 1987. It feels like somewhat of a period piece with girlfriend Tansy’s wool plaid skirts and all the quirky first names, which also include Warnock, Clelia and Thor.

At Weathervane, The Nerd is directed by Rohn Thomas, who directed Shue’s other big hit, The Foreigner, at Porthouse last summer. Shue, a member of the Milwaukee Rep’s Resident Acting Company, died at age 39 in a plane crash.

Goofball Rick makes his first appearance wearing a monster mask, which is nothing compared to his totally inappropriate behavior. This chalk factory inspector is like a dense, gangly kid who repeatedly jumps on the couch and plays the tambourine while singing very badly.

Kudos go to Lynch for creating a character whose id has run amok. His crazy physical comedy includes his following Willum’s every move while rotating on a stool, and a wackily memorable moment where he imitates a fountain spouting water. One of the silliest sight gags in the show comes during a game of ”Shoes and Socks,” in which Rick has his hosts walking around with paper bags on their heads.

Tom Stephan is the show’s greatest delight as the witty Axel, the gadfly neighbor who’s quick with the quips and offers running commentary. He has great zingers such as this one referring to Rick: ”Where’s the Amityville Horror?”

Playing nicely opposite Stephan’s curmudgeon act is Michelle Chaho as sweet and sunny girlfriend Tansy, who’s reluctant to get too close to Willum because he lacks ”gumption.”

Other goofy characterizations are created by Laura Stitt as the hapless Clelia, who lets out her aggressions by smashing plates, and youngster Cameron Danielle Nelson, who brings a big dose of humor playing a terror of a little boy, Thor.

On opening night, the first act at Weathervane felt a bit lengthy. But there’s quite a bit of exposition that must be taken care of in this three-act comedy.

Rick’s hosts eventually become so fed up with him, they try to turn the tables and scare him away by acting out an elaborate ruse.

It would be a little too simple if everything ended that way. This talented cast brings some well-embedded clues to light that reveal there’s quite a bit more simmering beneath this story than there originally appears to be.

Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

DETAILS

• Comedy: The Nerd

• Where: Weathervane Community Playhouse, 1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron

• When: Continuing through May 15, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays

• Onstage: Dane Castle, Michelle Chaho, Tom Stephan, John Q. Bruce, Laura Stitt, Cameron Nelson, James Lynch

• Offstage: Larry Shue, playwright; Rohn Thomas, director; Rachel Gehlert, assistant director; Julia McAdams, stage manager; Lois Bennett, sound; Barbie Trotter, costumes; Steve Lawson lighting; Jennifer Maxson Draher and Jessica Maxson, props; Alan Scott Ferrall, scenic designer

• Cost: $21; senior citizens and college students $19 Thursdays and Sundays; children 17 and under, $17

• Information: 330-836-2626 or http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com.

By Kerry Clawson
Beacon Journal staff writer

The Ladies Man is a romp that induces loads of laughs at Actors’ Summit, despite the fact that the French farce’s supporting characters are doing most of the comedy work.

Ric Goodwin is debonair as Dr. Hercule Molineaux in this farce adopted from the 1880s work of Georges Feydeau. But he’s not animated enough to make us believe his character is experiencing high anxiety as he goes through a preposterous series of misunderstandings revolving around his relationship with his young wife.

Keith Stevens, Ric Goodwina and Leah Frires in The Ladies Man at Actor's Summit. (Bruce Ford photo)

Goodwin never lets loose, though his Molineaux is supposed to be going out of his mind after his wife accuses him of infidelity and her mother arrives to save the day. Because Goodwin doesn’t mine the heart of his character, his surface-level characterization feels unnatural.

All of the other actors in the cast gamely take the ball of this wild farce and run with it. In this story, adapted by Charles Morey from Feydeau’s The Ladies Dressmaker and A Flea in Her Ear, the doctor has some unfortunate fits of the giggles in his marital bed, which forces him to sleep in a separate room.

It all starts with a loving little private nickname his wife gives him. Dr. Molineaux commits one small lie in an effort to get over his embarrassment in the bedroom but all hell ends up breaking loose.

Goodwin’s Dr. Molineaux is the hub from which all of the other characters’ humor should radiate. Director Neil Thackaberry’s excellent supporting cast includes the adorably flustered Jen Walker as the young wife, Yvonne; the deliciously funny Keith Stevens as the lecherous and sarcastically officious valet, Etienne; and Margo Parker as the imperious man-hater Madame Aigreville, Yvonne’s mother.

Frank Jackman steals the show as the fantastically funny Bassinet, a patient with a wacky lisp. Jackman plays him as a larger-than-life, idiotic cartoon character who spits on everyone. Bassinet talks about ”thothial ditheathes” (social diseases) and repeatedly calls the doctor a ”thad old thpayed tomcat.”

Feydeau’s favorite theme was the comic efforts of an unfaithful spouse to conceal amorous escapades — a theme that receives a twist in this farce. He also loved to play with characters who wanted to avoid each other, as the doctor tries to avoid just about everybody in his quest for sleep.

Rounding out the cast are Leah Frires, who plays the ”vile trollop” Suzanne with over-the-top, sexy self-awareness; and Ashley Conlon as saucy maid Marie. All of the high-class ladies wear gorgeous period gowns by MaryJo Alexander.

Alex Nine also elicits lots of laughs as the militant Prussian Gustav, a meaty role in his Actors’ Summit debut.

The piece has plenty of humorous mistaken identities, slamming doors, a flogging and some perfectly timed chases as actors run pell-mell on and off stage. Amid all the wonderful language repetition in Morey’s translation, Yvonne refers to a ”pleasure palace of sin where every carnal appetite is satisfied.” Despite the numerous naughty double entendres, The Ladies Man is actually very clean.

At the height of the fun, everyone’s stories start to unravel. And Goodwin redeems himself as his doctor gives a final, complicated summary of all the shenanigans with amazing alacrity.

Farce: The Ladies Man

Where: Actors’ Summit, Greystone Hall, 103 S. High St., Akron

When: Continuing through April 3, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays

Onstage: Keith Stevens, Ashley Conlon, Jen Walker, Ric Goodwin, Frank Jackman, Margo Parker, Leah Frires, Alex Nine

Offstage: Charles Morey, adapter; Georges Feydeau, original material; Neil Thackaberry, director/set and lighting design; Katie Perkowski, stage manager; MaryJo Alexander, costumes/props; Gary Morgan, production assistance

Cost: $30 Fridays-Saturdays; $27 Thursdays and Sundays; senior citizens $24 Thursdays and Sundays; students, $7. Dinner option available through Sunday, $25 additional for adults, $10 for children under 12

Information: 330-374-7568 or http://www.actorssummit.org

Director Sean McConaha on the set of the Weathervane Playhouse's production of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge. (Karen Schiely/Akron Beacon Journal)

By Kerry Clawson
Beacon Journal staff writer

Directing Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge has been a satisfying homecoming for Sean McConaha, former co-artistic director for the Bang and the Clatter Theatre Company.

It’s been nearly two years since he directed a theatrical production (BNC’s Wrecks) and nearly five years since he last directed at Weathervane — Tony Kushner’s Angels in America Part II: Perestroika.

McConaha, who ran BNC with Sean Derry from 2005 to 2009, was terminated as Weathervane’s education director in 2006. Former executive director Elynmarie Kazle would not comment on the personnel issue at the time, but McConaha said he was told his work as co-founder of BNC posed a conflict of interest with his Weathervane position.

BNC’s bad-boy image, risky play selections and high-quality work made it one of the hottest theatrical tickets in town for several years. But when the theater expanded to a satellite Cleveland location, that venue never took off like Akron’s had, and the tanking economy took its toll.

The theater also lost much of its Akron subscriber base after its lease ran out at Summit Artspace and it produced in two temporary locations. Both BNC theaters closed in the fall of 2009.

”I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world,” McConaha said of running his own theater. ”I just wish we had done it with less ego and more [business] intelligence.”

McConaha, who said he doesn’t miss dealing with the financial pressures, has gone through a personal bankruptcy since closing BNC.

That’s all water under the bridge now as McConaha sinks his teeth into a Miller classic that he’s been wanting to direct for years. The play opens with a preview Thursday, running through April 10. Call 330-836-2626 or see http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com for tickets.

”I really jumped at the chance to
do it. I felt enough time had passed where old wounds would be healed,” said McConaha, who worked on staff at Weathervane for eight years.

He played lead Eddie Carbone in a staged reading 13 years ago at Weathervane, and campaigned to get it on the theater’s season schedule ever since.

The 1955 play originally was a one-act. Miller revised it for the 1998 Broadway production starring Anthony LaPaglia, which is the version Weathervane is producing. The tragedy was remounted on Broadway in 2009, starring Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson, who won a Tony for her portrayal of Catherine.

Longshoreman Eddie’s tragic tale is as ancient as the Greeks’. In his destructive hubris, he is blind to his greatest flaw, which springs from unrequited, unspoken love. Instead of admitting his great wrong, Eddie ends up taking everyone down with him.

”The play is really about betrayal — betrayal of yourself, your society, your values,” McConaha said.

The Weathervane production stars Scott Shriner as Eddie, Marie Smith as his wife, Beatrice, and Alexandra Tlapa as their niece, Catherine. Set in Brooklyn, it deals with a family whose passions are ignited once two illegal immigrant cousins come to live in the household.

The relationship between Eddie and Catherine is tricky, so the actors have to walk a fine line to reveal those layers. For instance, should young Catherine be played as an innocent or not?

”I think the play’s far more interesting if she’s not,” McConaha said. ”I think she has a sense of herself and her effect on him [Eddie].”

The director said Miller’s work fits in perfectly with the type of play he’s drawn to.

”I like the raw and the immediate, and the assault it puts on an audience,” he explained.

McConaha said he honed his directorial skills at Weathervane, where his four children grew up: ”To be honest, all the success I’ve had in the arts is directly attributable to Weathervane.”

Music happening

Akron Symphony Chorus Director Maria Sensi Sellner will make her Akron conducting debut with the Ohio premiere of Missa Mysteriorum by Nancy Galbraith at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Sebastian Church, 476 Mull Ave. Members of the Akron Symphony Orchestra’s wind and percussion sections will perform with the chorus.

The piece began as a commission for the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. Sellner is a Carnegie Mellon alumna and protege of Galbraith, who serves on the music faculty there.

Sunday’s concert will include other sacred choral favorites by Scarlatti, Bach and Schubert. Sellner said she wanted the Akron Symphony Chorus to present a piece it had never performed in its 54-year history.

”I sang in performances of Missa Mysteriorum in 2002 with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh under conductor Robert Page. The audience reaction was electric and instantaneous, and the mood was more like a rock concert than a classical music event,” Sellner said.

Tickets are $15, $7.50 for students. Call 330-535-8131.

NEW SHOWS

The Intimacy Tour with KEM — 7:30 p.m. March 17, PlayhouseSquare State Theatre, 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. With Musiq Soulchild and Ledisi. $49.50-$76.50. 216-241-6000.

The Trashcan Sinatras — 9 p.m. March 18, Winchester Music Hall, 12112 Madison Ave., Cleveland. $15. 216-226-5681.

Kelly Richey — 9 p.m. March 19, Winchester Music Hall, 12112 Madison Ave., Cleveland. $12. 216-226-5681.

Don Williams — 7:30 p.m. March 22, Akron Civic Theatre, 182 S. Main St., Akron. With Ashley Brooke Toussant. $41.50 and $59. 330-253-2488, 800-745-3000 or http://www.akroncivic.com.

Jennifer Batten — 9 p.m. March 25, Winchester Music Hall, 12112 Madison Ave., Cleveland. $12. 216-226-5681.

Martin Memorial: For Martin Juredine — 7 p.m. March 28, Beachland Ballroom and Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. With George Foley, Kevin Richards, Bill Lestock, Hillbilly Idol, Vicki Chew, Jen Mauer, Jim Volk, Carlos Jones, Natural Facts, Charlie Mosbrook, Michael McDonald and Ryann Anderson. $5. 216-383-1124.

7 Walkers — 8 p.m. March 29, Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. Featuring Bill Kreutzmann, George Porter Jr., Papa Mali and Matt Hubbard. $25 in advance, $28 day of show. 216-383-1124.

The Books — 8:30 p.m. March 31, Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. $15 in advance, $18 day of show. 216-383-1124.

S. Carey — 8:30 p.m. March 31, Beachland Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. With Lighthouse and the Whaler. $8 in advance, $10 day of show. 216-383-1124.

Spring Jazz Festival — 2-5 p.m. April 3, Happy Days Lodge, 500 W. Streetsboro Road, Peninsula. Sets by traditional jazz bands as well as impromptu sets organized by those in attendance. Free. 330-657-2665 or 330-467-7323.

Les Miserables — April 5-17, PlayhouseSquare Palace Theatre, 1615 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. $10-$85. 216-241-6000.

Marty Balin & Band — 8 p.m. April 7, Winchester Music Hall, 12112 Madison Ave., Cleveland. $20. 216-226-5681.

This Must Be The Band: Talking Heads Tribute — 9 p.m. April 9, Beachland Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. $12. 216-383-1124.

Zach Deputy — 9 p.m. April 15, Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. $10 in advance, $12 day of show. 216-383-1124.

Crocodiles — 9 p.m. April 21, Beachland Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. With Library Time. $8 in advance, $10 day of show. 216-383-1124.

Terry Clark — 8 p.m. April 27, Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. With Keri Noble. $20 in advance, $22 day of show. 216-383-1124.

Femi Kuti and the Positive Force — 8:30 p.m. April 28, Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. With DJ Jake Fader and DJ Charleston Okafor. $20 in advance, $22 day of show. 216-383-1124.

Petfix Benefit with Exhibit A — 5:30 p.m. May 1, Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. With Hillbilly Idol and State Road. $12 in advance, $15 day of show. 216-383-1124.

Bob Milne — 7 p.m. May 6, Queen of Heaven Church Parish Life Center, 1800 Steese Road, Green. $10. 330-896-2345.

Glass Harp — 8 p.m. May 7, Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. $35 standing, $50 seated. 216-383-1124.

Guy Fieri Food Tour — 7:30 p.m. May 22, PlayhouseSquare Palace Theatre, 1615 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. Friday. $39.50 and $49.50. 216-241-6000.

Detroit Cobras — 9 p.m. June 17, Beachland Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. $12 in advance, $14 day of show. 216-383-1124.

Joe Purdy — 8 p.m. June 28, Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. $15 in advance, $17 day of show. 216-383-1124.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band — 7 p.m. July 19, Blossom Music Center, 1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. $36-$136. http://www.livenation.com.

THEATER

Beck Center for the Arts — (Studio Theater, 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood; 216-521-2540) Jerry Springer: The Opera continues through March 27. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 7 p.m. Sundays. $28, $25 seniors and $17 students.

Broadview Heights Spotlights — (Broadview Heights Cultural Arts Building, 9543 Broadview Road; 440-526-4404) Final performances of All in the Timing 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $10, $9 seniors.

Canal Fulton Players — (United Methodist Church of Canal Fulton, 363 W. Cherry St., Canal Fulton; 330-854-4387 or 330-494-1022) Final performances of Caught in the Net 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. $8, $6 seniors and children younger than 12.

Cleveland Play House — (Baxter Stage, 8500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-795-7000, ext. 4) My Name is Asher Lev continues through April 3. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 3 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; 1:30 p.m. March 17; 7 p.m. March 22. $46-$66, $10 students under 25.

Dobama Theatre — (2340 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights; 216-932-3396) A Steady Rain continues through March 20. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sundays; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays. $25, $23 seniors for Fridays and Saturdays; $20, $18 seniors for Thursdays and Sundays. Student tickets $10.

Dynamic Community Theater of Tallmadge — (Tallmadge High School Auditorium, 140 N. Munroe Road, Tallmadge; 330-633-5031) Our Town at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $8 adults, $6 seniors and students.

Great Lakes Theater Festival — (PlayhouseSquare Hanna Theatre, 2067 E. 14th St., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) opens Friday and continues through March 27. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays; 1:30 p.m. March 19 and 26; 7:30 p.m. March 17, 23 and 24. $15-$70.

Kent Trumbull Theatre — (4314 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren; 330-675-8887) The Tempest opens Friday and continues through March 20. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. $10, $8 seniors and students, $6 Kent State students.

Lake Center Christian High School — (12893 Kaufman Ave., Hartville; 330-877-2049) Little Women: The Musical at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $6, $5 and $4.

Main Course Murder — (Rolando’s, 2433 Whipple Ave. NW, Jackson Township; 330-477-5934) Where’s Hemingway mystery dinner theater production, 7 p.m. Fridays. $38.

North Canton Playhouse — (525 Seventh St. NE, North Canton; 330-494-1613) The Rockin’ Tale of Snow White continues through March 20. 7:30 p.m. tonight, Sunday and March 18; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. March 19; 2:30 p.m. Sunday and March 20. $10.

Oberlin Theatre — (Hall Auditorium, 67 N. Main St., Oberlin; 440-775-8169 or 800-371-0178) La Clemenza di Tito will be performed at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 18 and 19; 2 p.m. March 20. $12, $8 seniors, Oberlin staff and faculty, $5 students. All tickets $3 more at the door.

PlayhouseSquare Kennedy’s Down Under — (1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Flanagan’s Wake continues through April 30. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. $20-$23.

PlayhouseSquare 14th Street Theatre —(2037 E. 14th St., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Celebrity Autobiography 7:30 tonight and Friday; 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $39.50.

PlayhouseSquare Palace Theatre — (1615 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Final performances of Shrek the Musical 7:30 tonight and Friday; 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. $10-$75.

PlayhouseSquare State Theatre — (1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Je’Caryous Johnson’s Cheaper to Keep Her at 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. $34.50 and $49.50.

Stow Players — (Heritage Barn, 5238 Young Road, Stow; 330-655-6051) The Trip to Bountiful opens Friday and continues through March 26. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 20. $12, $10 seniors and students.

Walsh Jesuit High School — (4550 Wyoga Lake Road, Cuyahoga Falls; wjcenterstage@gmail.com) Singin’ in the Rain opens Friday and continues through March 20. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. $12, $8 seniors and students.

Weathervane Community Playhouse — (1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron; 330-836-2626) Final performances of The Art of Deduction: Inside the Mind of Sherlock Holmes, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Sunday. $12.

CANTON, OHIO –MARCH 8, 2011– Lee Blessing’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize nominated play, “A Walk in the Woods,” opens Friday, March 18, at 8:00 p.m. at the Kathleen Howland Theater, located in the 2nd April Galerie, 324 Cleveland Avenue, North in downtown Canton.
Produced by B and B Productions, play dates are March 18, 19, 25 and 26, all at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens, students with a school identification card and anyone presenting a public library card. Also being offered is a special “dinner and a show” package with Primo’s Restaurant, located walking distance from the theatre.

Tickets can be purchased at the door prior to each performance, by calling 330-451-0924, or logging on to www.secondapril.org. For details on the dinner package, call the theatre.

“A Walk in the Woods” tells the story of two Cold War diplomats who take breaks from endless arms negotiations with a walk in the woods outside of Geneva, Switzerland, where they learn much more than they bargained for.

When the play made its debut in 1988, “Time” magazine called it, “A marvelous evening of theatre. A great treatise on the nature of mankind, it’s the best in drama and the best in comedy.”

The production is directed by Phillip L. Robb and features Rod Lang as Andrey Botvinnik, a seasoned, career Soviet diplomat; and David Sponhour as John Honeyman, an ambitious and naïve American negotiator.

Lang last appeared at the Howland in Sam Shepard’s “True West,” and has also appeared there as Yvan in Yazmina Reza’s “ART.” Sponhour is a veteran area actor, and last appeared at the Howland in Matknife Production’s “The Eight: Reindeer Monologues.” He also performs regularly there with the “Scared Scriptless” comedy improvisation troupe.

Stage manager for the production is Megan McFee.

THEATER

Actors’ Summit — (Greystone Hall, 103 S. High St., Akron; 330-374-7568) Final performances of Becky’s New Car, 8 tonight-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $27 tonight and Sunday, $30 Friday and Saturday.

Akron Civic Theatre — (182 S. Main St.; 330-253-2488) Logan Wells in a Tribute to Patsy Cline at 7:30 tonight. $25.

Amish Door Village — (1210 Winesburg St., Wilmot; 888-264-7436) 34west Theater Company presents Heartbeat Hospital: A Romantic Mystery dinner theater, at 6:15 tonight-Saturday; 12:15 p.m. Friday. $38.

Baldwin-Wallace College — (Kleist Center for Art & Drama, 95 E. Bagley Road, Berea; 440-826-2240) La Boheme and Rent in repertory continue through Sunday. Rent, 7:30 tonight and Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; La Boheme, 7:30 p.m. Saturday and

Sunday. Single tickets: $25, $20 seniors and students with ID. Weekend tickets for both shows, $45.

Beck Center for the Arts — (Studio Theater, 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood; 216-521-2540) Jerry Springer: The Opera continues through March 27. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 7 p.m. Sundays. $28, $25 for seniors and $17 for students.

Broadview Heights Spotlights — (Broadview Heights Cultural Arts Building, 9543 Broadview Road; 440-526-4404) All in the Timing opens Friday and continues through March 12. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sunday, March 6. $10, $9 seniors.

Broadway in Akron — (E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, 198 Hill St., University of Akron; 800-745-3000) Riverdance, 7:30 tonight. $25, $35, $47.50, and $55.

Cleveland Play House — (Drury Theatre, 8500 Euclid Ave.; 216-795-7000, ext. 4) Final performances of The Trip to Bountiful, 7:30 tonight, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Saturday; 1:30 p.m. Sunday. $46-$66, $10 students under 25.

Cuyahoga Community College Western Campus Theatre Department — (11000 Pleasant Valley Road, Parma; 216-987-5536) The Student Theatre Showcase at 8 tonight-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $10, $8 students, seniors and staff, $2 Tri-C students.

Dobama Theatre — (2340 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights; 216-932-3396) A Steady Rain opens Friday and continues through March 20. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturday; 7:30 p.m. this Sunday only, all other Sundays at 2:30 p.m.; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays. Preview performance at 7:30 tonight for $10. Regular tickets: $25, $23 seniors for Fridays and Saturdays; $20, $18 seniors for Thursdays and Sundays. Student tickets $10.

Geauga Lyric Theater Guild — (101 Water St., Chardon; 440-286-2255) Final performances of The Miracle Worker, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. $15, $13 students and seniors. There will be interpreted performances by the HeArd, for deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons, on Friday.

Great Lakes Theater Festival Touring Production — Twice Told Tales of the Decameron: 2 p.m. Sunday, Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St., Akron, 330-643-9072; 7 p.m. March 3, Akron-Summit County Public Library, Nordonia Hills branch, 9458 Olde Eight Road, Northfield; 1 p.m. March 9, Akron-Summit County Public Library, Northwest Akron branch, 1720 Shatto Ave., 330-836-1081. Free. Information: 216-241-5490, ext. 307, or http://www.greatlakestheater.org.

Kathleen Howland Theatre — (2nd April Galerie & Studios, 324 Cleveland Ave. NW, Canton; 330-451-0924) Final performances of an abridged production of Henry V, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $10.

Kent State School of Theatre and Dance — (E. Turner Stump Theatre, Kent State University Music and Speech Center, 1325 Theatre Drive, Kent; 330-672-2497) Final performances of Grease, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m Sunday. $16, $12 for KSU faculty, staff, alumni and seniors, $8 Students. 330-672-2497.

Kent State University Stark Theatre Department — (Fine Arts Theatre, 6000 Frank Ave. NW, Jackson Township; 330-244-3348) Final performances of Songs for a New World, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. $12, $5 students under 17 and seniors, free for KSU students.

Main Course Murder — (Rolando’s, 2433 Whipple Ave. NW, Jackson Township; 330-477-5934) Where’s Hemingway mystery dinner-theater production, 7 p.m. Fridays. $38.

North Canton Playhouse — (525 Seventh St. NE, North Canton; 330-494-1613) Final performances of Below the Surface, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $12, $11 seniors and students.

PlayhouseSquare Kennedy’s Down Under — (1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Flanagan’s Wake continues through April 30. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. $20-$23.

PlayhouseSquare Palace Theatre — (1615 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Shrek the Musical opens Tuesday and continues through March 13. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. $10-$75.

Stage Door at E.J. Thomas Hall — (198 Hill St., University of Akron; 330-972-7570, 800-745-3000 or http://www.ticketmaster.com. ) Shot! at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $10, $5 UA students.

Stow Players — (Heritage Barn, Silver Springs Park, 5238 Young Road, Stow; 330-655-6051, http://www.stowplayers.net) Final performances of Working, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $14, $12 seniors and students.

THEATER

Cleveland Play House — (Studio One Theatre, 8500 Euclid Ave.; 216-795-7000, ext. 4) The Little Mermaid continues through Feb. 19. 1 and 3 p.m. Saturdays. $20, $10 age 12 and younger.

Cleveland Play House — (Drury Theatre, 8500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-795-7000, ext, 4) The Trip to Bountiful, preview performances Friday-Sunday and Tuesday. Opens Wednesday and continues through Feb. 27. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursday; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturday; 3 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; 1:30 p.m. Thursdays and Feb. 27; 7 p.m. Feb. 22. $46-$66, $10 students under 25.

Coach House Theatre — (732 W. Exchange St., Akron; 330-434-7741) The Unexpected Guest continues through Feb. 20. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays,

2:30 p.m. Sundays; 2:30 p.m. Sunday and Feb. 19. $18, $12 for students.

Main Course Murder — (Rolando’s, 2433 Whipple Ave. NW, Jackson Township; 330-477-5934) Where’s Hemingway mystery dinner-theater production, 7 p.m. Fridays. $38.

Malone University Department of Theatre — (Performing Arts Hall, 2600 Cleveland Ave. NW, Canton; 330-471-8202) Hamlet at 1 and 7 p.m. today. $8, $2 Malone University Students.

North Canton Playhouse Youth Theater — (1210 S. Main St., North Canton; 330-494-1613) Insert Inspirational Message Here, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. $8.

PlayhouseSquare Kennedy’s Down Under — (1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Flanagan’s Wake continues through April 30. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. $20-$23.

PlayhouseSquare Palace Theatre — (1615 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) South Pacific continues through Feb. 13. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. $10-$75.

PlayhouseSquare’s 14th Street Theatre —(2037 E. 14th St., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Celebrity Autobiography, 7:30 tonight and Friday; 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. $39.50.

PlayhouseSquare Kennedy’s Cabaret — (1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Beyond Belief: An Intimate Evening of Psychological Illusion, 8 tonight. $39.59.

Please see E17

Continued from Page E16

Stow Players — (Heritage Barn, Silver Springs Park, 5238 Young Road, Stow; 330-655-6051, http://www.stowplayers.net) Working opens Friday and continues through Feb. 26, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 20. $14, $12 seniors and students.

Weathervane Playhouse — (Dietz Theater, 1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron; 330-836-2626) Quilters opens Friday and continues through Feb. 20. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays. $24, $21 seniors and students on Thursdays and Sundays. Preview performance is 7:30 tonight, $18.

With hints of Saturday Night Live and the Marx Brothers, “Romantic Fools” examines the laugh out loud side of romance. The show is playing from January 13 to January 30 at Actor’s Summit at Greystone Hall, Akron, OH.

Romantic Fools is the second play by Oberlin College grad Rich Orloff that Actors’ Summit has presented. In 2009 Neil Thackaberry and Keith Stevens performed in Big Boys. When the Plain Dealer’s Tony Brown reviewed Big Boyshis comment ‘breakneck speed . . . nonstop, naughty laugh lines,’ could easily be applied to Romantic Fools.

There are men, there are women, and there are romantic relationships. Sometimes it’s the battle of the sexes, sometimes it’s a love fest. What happens when your blind date turns out to be a cave man? What would a Stepford husband be like? From first date to first marriage, from desire to boredom, this play is a riotously funny look at all of us Romantic Fools.

• Tickets and times at the Actors’ Summit Web site.

THEATER

Amish Door Village — (1210 Winesburg St., U.S. 62, Wilmot; 888-264-7436) Andrew and Peter: A Play Called Fish Eyes, 6:15 p.m. Friday. $38.

Beck Center for the Arts — (Mackey Main Stage, 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood; 216-521-2540) Final performances of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Closed New Year’s Day. $28, $25 for seniors, $17 for students, $10 age 12 or younger.

Dobama Theatre — (2340 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights; 216-932-3396) The New Century continues through Jan. 9. 7:30 tonight; 8:30 p.m. Friday; 8 p.m. Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Jan. 6; 8 p.m. Jan. 7-8; 2:30 p.m. Jan. 9. Regular tickets: $25, $23 seniors for Fridays and Saturdays; $20, $18 seniors for Thursdays and Sundays. Friday is a special fundraiser night. Tickets are $65 per person and $115 per couple.

Main Course Murder — (Rolando’s, 2433 Whipple Ave. NW, Jackson Township; 330-477-5934) Where’s Hemingway mystery dinner-theater production, 7 p.m. Fridays. $38.

THEATER

Actors Summit — (Greystone Hall, 103 S. High St., Akron; 330-374-7568) A Christmas Carol opens Friday and continues through Dec. 29. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. 8 p.m. Dec. 28 and 29. $30 Fridays and Saturdays, $27 Thursdays and Sundays.

Cleveland Play House — (Drury Theatre, 8500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-795-7000, ext, 4) This Wonderful Life opens Friday and continues through Dec. 19. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; 1:30 p.m. Dec. 9; 7 p.m. Dec. 14. $46-$66, $10 students under 25.

Coach House Theatre — (732 W. Exchange St., Akron; 330-434-7741) Present Laughter opens Friday and continues through Dec. 19. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Saturday matinee 2:30 p.m. Dec. 4. $18.

Main Course Murder — (Rolando’s, 2433 Whipple Ave. NW, Canton; 330-477-5934) The Addams Family-New Moon mystery dinner-theater production, 7 p.m. Fridays through Dec. 4. $38.

PlayhouseSquare’s 14th Street Theatre —(2037 E. 14th St., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) The Santaland Diaries opens Friday and continues through Dec. 19. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. $20-$30.

PlayhouseSquare State Theatre — (1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Billy Elliot the Musical continues through Dec. 12. No performance today. 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. $35-$130.

By Kerry Clawson
Beacon Journal staff writer

Well before Billy Elliot has successfully executed his first pirouette, the character has worked his way into audience members’ hearts.

The 11-year-old title character from the hit British musical Billy Elliot, played by Giuseppe Bausilio of Switzerland Sunday night at PlayhouseSquare, is innocent, sincere and passionate. This motherless child kindly looks after his addled grandmother and gently accepts differences in his best friend, Michael.

Giuseppe Bausilio plays the title character of Billy and Rich Hebert plays his father in the hit British musical Billy Elliot. (Michael Brosilow)

Bausilio, a soulful young actor and dancer, brings emotional depth to Billy. But we never forget that this young son and brother of miners in northeast England is very, very frustrated. The setting is 1984-85 during a strike that pits Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s government against hundreds of thousands of working-class miners.

A big part of what makes this musical so satisfyingly realistic is that it’s rooted in history: Thatcher, bent on crushing the union, intimidated strikers with riot police and eventually achieved her goal of privatizing Britain’s coal industry, closing down nearly all of the nation’s mines and destroying the communities built around them.

It’s a story of sacrifice and deprivation, but this musical’s chorus of miners clings to hope through solidarity. Elton John’s male anthems, including The Stars Look Down and Once We Were Kings, are among the most stirring musical moments.

In Cleveland, the second national tour’s second stop, the show got off to a hesitant start in a breakfast scene at Billy’s house, as if the actors were testing the waters. Sound balance was also a problem in the first two numbers; the miners’ lyrics were difficult to hear in The Stars Look Down and Faith Prince’s vocals as Mrs. Wilkinson were overpowered by the band in Shine.

The hard-times musical, with book and lyrics by Lee Hall, was well received when it opened on Broadway in 2008 at the height of the economic recession, winning 10 Tonys. But its story about striving for one’s dream amid adversity is timeless.

As a class war rages around him, young Billy accidentally discovers a talent for ballet, and his crusty teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, encourages him to break out of his crumbling world and audition for the Royal Ballet School.

The musical, adapted from the 2000 movie by Hall, remains true to the spirit of the film by focusing on a little boy who strikes out on his own path. Small, quirky moments from the movie become full-blown fantasy numbers in the translation to the theater, illustrating Billy and Michael’s need to escape the conflict that has overtaken their village.

The number Expressing Yourself, in which Billy discovers Michael in drag, becomes an ultra-colorful burlesque-style act, providing welcome comic relief. At the other end of the spectrum, Bausilio’s duet with an older version of Billy (Maximilien Baud), his dream self, is breathtaking as Bausilio swoops into an aerial ballet.

The musical also fleshes out the character of Billy’s grandma (Patti Perkins), giving her a background of an unfulfilled, abusive marriage. Warning: Both adult and child characters use harsh language, including the F-bomb.

Bausilio, 13, has the mad talent to hold us in the palm of his hand as he’s onstage for nearly the entire show. But something felt disjointed between sections of his Angry Dance, a rock and roll rant that grabs you by the throat at the beginning as Billy rages in his bedroom, transformed to look like a prison.

Undoubtedly, seeing the musical will be a different experience every night, as five young actors from three countries share the demanding role of Billy.

Ingenious choreography by Peter Darling ranges from the fabulous Solidarity, in which Billy’s two worlds meld as ballerinas dance on miners’ and cops’ laps, to accompanist Mr. Braithwaite stripping off articles of clothing, freeing himself with each successive layer as he dances in Born to Boogie.

The musical’s eight young ballerinas from hell are highly entertaining, thrashing and careening around the stage with their mouths agape, some snarling at Billy. The way they enfold him into his first dance, complete with feathers, is a comical choreographic moment.

Prince is thoroughly brassy as Billy’s washed-up, slightly embittered ballet teacher who must train the boy in secret when his macho father bans him from dancing. But Prince lets some tenderness show through Mrs. Wilkinson’s tough exterior as she kneels on the floor and lovingly buttons Billy’s jacket.

Billy Elliot never lets you forget the harsh economic realities of 1984-85. But its characters find humor in adversity, namely during a wild Christmas revue with scary Maggie Thatcher masks and puppets.

The scene illustrates that just about everybody’s got a hidden desire to perform, even if they’re only able to find the excuse to do so once a year. That’s something this ultimately joyous musical celebrates as a community comes together to support its own.

DETAILS

Musical: Billy Elliot

When: Continuing through Dec. 12, 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays

Where: State Theatre, 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland

Onstage: Starring Giuseppe Bausilio, Michael Dameski, Kylend Hetherington, Lex Ishimoto, Daniel Russell, Faith Prince, Rich Hebert, Patti Perkins, Jeff Kready, Joel Blum, Griffin Birney, Jacob Zelonky, Rachel Mracna

Offstage: Lee Hall, book and lyrics; Elton John, music; Peter Darling, choreography; Stephen Daldry, director; Ian MacNeil, scenic design; Julian Webber, associate director; Nicky Gillibrand, costumes; Rick Fisher, lighting; Paul Arditti, sound

Cost: $35-$130

Information: 216-241-6000 or http://www.playhousesquare.org