By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
With restrictions lifting, more and more theater companies are turning on the stage lights and announcing upcoming seasons.
Among those were Grand Rapids Civic Theatre which announced that after 16 month of being dark — except for the 10 For All playwright competition — that it would produced the musical “Flat Stanley” this summer.
Based on Jeffery Brown’s beloved children’s book, this one-hour musical follows 10-year-old Stanley Lambchop, whose life becomes a grand adventure when he wakes up one morning completely flat. Stanley becomes the ultimate exchange student, scouring the globe for a solution to his problem by being stamped, posted, and shipped from Hollywood and France to Honolulu and beyond.
Specific show dates have not been announced but tickets will start selling on June 23. For more information, visit grct.org.
On with the show
Circle Theatre already has had its first performance with its second “Always…Patsy Cline” set June 3 – 20. Starring Emily Diener and Mary Kate Murnen, the show is based on a true story about Cline’s friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger, who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk in 1961 and continued a correspondence with Cline until her death.
Considered a musical tribute to the late country star, the show has down-home country humor and features more than two dozen of Patty’s hits such as “Crazy,” “I Fell to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “Walking After Midnight.”
The performance will take place on the lawn of the Aquinas College’s Performing Arts Center, 1703 Robinson Rd. SE. Showtimes will be 7 p.m with matinees on Sunday at 3 p.m. For more information about the show and upcoming performances, call 616-456-6656 or visit circletheatre.org.
Something to get jubilant about
The Barn Theatre School will be celebrating its platinum jubilee — 75th anniversary — with some fan favorites such as “Mamma Mia!,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Rocky Horror Show,” along with “Doly Parton’s 9 to 5 The Musical” and “Spongebob Squarepants The Broadway Musical.”
The season also will include showings of films recorded last summer in the Barn and performances of “Double ‘0’ 69” written by the Barn Theatre’s own Brendan Ragotzy and “A Slippery Slope” by Patrick Hunter.
Tom Wopat, of “Dukes of Hazard” fame, along with other famous Barn Theatre alumni will be stopping in through the season. To get the full rundown, visit www.barntheatreschool.org.
