This week’s theater openings:
Afterthought Theatre’s “The Wiz”
Opening Friday, Aug. 26, through Sept. 24: In this African-American musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy’s adventures have been set to a lively mixture of rock, gospel and soul music. This staging is getting lots of attention because Denver’s first lady, acclaimed performer Mary Louise Lee, is playing Glinda the good witch. Book by William F. Brown. Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls.
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; 5:30 p.m. Sundays
At the Dayton Street Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 720-365-7754 or
Rocky Mountain Rep’s “Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver”
Opening Friday, Aug. 26, through Sept. 24: This Denver Center Theatre Company creation weaves together the songs of John Denver to create a theatrical narrative that reflects on both the country and the man’s life. There are 29 Denver songs, including “Rocky Mountain High,” “Sunshine on My Shoulders,” “Annie’s Song” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane.”
Showtimes: 8 p.m. Aug. 26-28; 2 p.m. Aug. 30; times then variable
404 Vine St., Grand Lake, 970-627-3421 or
Equinox Theatre’s “Reefer Madness”
Opening Friday, Aug. 26, through Sept. 17: This “hit” show from 2010 is back at the Bug Theater. This raucous musical comedy, inspired by the 1938 propaganda film of the same name, pokes a tongue-in-cheek fun at the hysteria caused when clean-cut kids fall prey to marijuana, leading them on a comic downward spiral filled with evil jazz music, sex, and violence. Songs include “Listen to Jesus, Jimmy” and “The Brownie Song.”
Equinox’s 2010 staging of “Reefer Madness” was nominated for a Denver Post Ovation Award for best musical, though the star of that stagig, Eric Mather, is not in this year’s version.
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
At the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St., 720-434-5245 or
Firehouse’s “The Guys”
Opening Friday, Aug. 26, through Sept. 17: In Anne Nelson’s fact-based drama, a New York City fire captain struggles to prepare simultaneous eulogies for the majority of his squad who died in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. He talks about what made these men who who they were, why they were firefighters, and what they meant to him and the community – with a writer who is enlisted to help him get through their memorial services. In the process, the two embark on their own journey of friendship. With Rita Broderick as the writer and Michael Ingram as the fire captain. The performance runs 75 minutes without an intermission. At its conclusion, Firehouse will present “Aftermath” – 15 minutes of unrehearsed staged readings of stories written by and about Firefighters. The production marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; additional performances at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 29; 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4; and at both 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 11.
John Hand Theatre, 7653 E. 1st Pl., 303-562-3232 or
Coal Creek Community Theatre’s Front Range Playwrights’ Showcase
Friday, Aug. 26 only: Coal Creek Community Theater presents its fifth annual evening of new plays written by local playwrights. Featured: “Plan B, et seq.” by Linda Berry, “Pocket of Joy,” by Carrie Printz and “Volunteer Work,” by Katherine Dubois.
Showtime: 7 p.m.
Louisville Center for the Arts, 801 Grant St., Louisville, 303-665-0955 or
Curtains Up’s “Carousel”
Opening Friday, Aug. 26, through Oct. 2: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s dramatic musical about 1870s barker Billy
Bigelow and his pursuit of his love, Julie Jordan. Songs include “If I Loved You” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Showtimes:
6690 W. 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge, 720-308-2920 or
Candlelight Dinner Playhouse’s “Annie Warbucks”
Opening Saturday, Aug. 27, through Nov. 13: The world’s most famous orphan returns in this sequel to the popular family musical “Annie.” The action picks up where “Annie” left off. Child Welfare commissioner Harriet Doyle arrives on the scene to inform Daddy Warbucks he must marry in 60 days so the newly adopted Annie can have a proper mother. In the end, Daddy Warbucks’ whirlwind search for a fitting bride uncovers not only a plot by Doyle and her daughter to strip him of his fortune, but also his true feelings for Grace Farrell.
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays (dinner service 90 minutes before). Selected Saturday matinees.
4747 Market Place Drive, Johnstown, 970-744-3747, 1-877-240-4242 or
LOCAL Theatre Company’s “Stories By Heart”
Sunday, Aug. 28, only: Actor John Lithgow brings his one-man theatrical memoir to Boulder, in which he traces his roots as an actor and storyteller, interspersing his own story with two stories were read to him and his siblings when they were children: “Uncle Fred Flits By” by P. G. Wodehouse, and “Haircut” by Ring Lardner. In the first, a fretful young Englishman is taken on a wild afternoon’s escapade in suburban London by his irrepressible uncle. Lithgow portrays 10 distinct characters, including a parrot. By contrast,” Haircut” is a darkly comic look at Midwestern American implacability. It is a yarn told by a gossipy barber in small-town Michigan as he gives a shave and a haircut to a stranger in town. Tickets to a post-performance meet and greet Reception with Lithgow are sold separately. This performance constitutes the debut production of the new LOCAL Theater Company, founded by Lithgow’s niece, Pesha Rudnick of Boulder.
Showtime: 7 p.m.
Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder, 303-442-3282 or local’s home page
Melissa Faith Hart’s “The Scarlet Letter”
Sunday, Aug. 28, only: This new musical adaptation of Nathanial Hawthorne’s classic colonial story of adultery and branding is presented for one night only by is writer and star, Melissa Faith Hart of Parker. The story is set in Boston in 1642. Hester Prynne has been found guilty of adultery. The judgment by the townsfolk follows Hester, her daughter, the town’s doctor, and the minister, gradually unfolding an emotional story about dignity, repentance, revenge, and the courage to rise above.
Showtime: 2 p.m.
At the Aurora Fox, 9900 E. Colfax Ave., 303-748-9015
This week’s theater closings:
Today, Aug. 21: Denver Center Attractions’ “Dixie’s Tupperware Party,” at the Galleria Theatre
Today, Aug. 21: Ignite Theatre’s “Pippin,” at the Aurora Fox
Today, Aug. 21: Today: Candlelight Dinner Playhouse’s “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” Johnstown
Today, Aug. 21: Backstage Theatre’s “The Nerd” Breckenridge
Thursday, Aug. 25: Lake Dillon’s “Altar Boyz”
Friday, Aug. 26: Lake Dillon’s “Godspell”
Saturday, Aug. 27: TheatreWorks’ “The Merchant of Venice” Colorado Springs
Saturday, Aug. 27: Carousel Dinner Theatre’s “Annie Get Your Gun” Fort Collins
Sunday, Aug. 28: Boulder International Fringe Festival, at various locations
Sunday, Aug. 28: Aug. 28: Lake Dillon’s “The Who’s ‘Tommy’ ”
Sunday, Aug. 28: Miners Alley Playhouse’s “A Touch of Spring” Golden
Sunday, Aug. 28: Germinal Stage-Denver’s “Uncle Vanya”
Sunday, Aug. 28: Aug. 28: Theatre ‘D Art’s “Theatregasm Pleads the 5th” Colorado Springs
Sunday, Aug. 28: Edge Theatre’s “Faithful” Lakewood
Best Bet: Inspire Creative’s “The Wizard of Oz”
Follow the Yellow Brick Road: The Inspire Creative theater company presents “The Wizard of Oz” in Littleton. Adapted from the classic movie, the musical follows Dorothy on her strange journey through Oz, from the Wicked Witch of the East to the Wicked Witch of the West. 7 p.m. Aug. 19-20 and Aug. 26-27 at the Burgundy Theater, 9136 W. Bowles Ave., in Littleton. Reserved seats are $25 for adults, $20 for students and seniors, $15 for kids age 12 and younger. Gallery seating is $12; VIP tickets $30. . Kathleen St. John
This weekend’s other theater openings
“Love! Valour! Compassion!” In Terrence McNally’s iconic 1995 play, eight gay men hash out their passions, resentments and fears over the course of three summer weekends at a lakeside summer vacation house. Through Sept. 18. Vintage Theatre, 2119 E. 17th Ave., 303-839-1361 or
“The Mystery of Irma Vep” In Charles Ludlum’s quick-change spoof of gothic horror and Victorian melodrama, two actors jump from character to character at top speed — conjuring lovesick werewolves, ridiculous vampires and other camp creatures. Through Sept. 23. Creede Repertory Theatre, 124 N. Main St., Creede, 866-658-2540, or
“Sea of Blood” In their words: “Watch Captain Jake Tempest and his fearless pirate crew fight off the British Navy, hordes of angry tribesmen and the Giant Octopus in this evening of nonstop action, set to the live rock soundtrack of the War Ensemble. Presented as part of a double-feature, along with the samurai neo-kabuki carnage of Cycle of Tyranny, a blood-soaked power struggle over control of feudal Japan!” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday (Aug. 19 and 20) only. Presented by Planet X Productions at the Bug Theater, 3654 Navajo St., 303-477-5977 or
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
The Running Lines blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of the latest theater news:
