As is so often the case in the Tampa Bay theater scene, we go through periods when there's nothing much going on, and then suddenly there's a weekend like this one, with five fantastic shows all playing at once. You've got to act quickly if you want to catch them all, though; three are closing on Sunday.
Three to catch this weekend before they're gone:
• Lights Rise on Grace. The only play of these five that doesn't involve murder or monsters (’tis the season, doncha know), Lights Rise is a new play by Chad Beckim that's receiving what's called a "rolling premiere" in the U.S., with a series of productions at leading regional theaters, including Tampa's own Stageworks. A moving play about "love, loss, and (a kind of) redemption," in the words of Mark E. Leib's four-star review for CL, it features three actors playing multiple roles under the sure-handed direction of Karla Hartley. Performances tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3. Stageworks, 1120 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 813-374-2416, stageworkstheatre.org
• Ira Levin's Deathtrap: A Thriller in Two Acts. Hat Trick Theatre has kicked off its first season as the resident company of Ruth Eckerd Hall with a bang, with killer performances by Brian Shea as a mystery writer and Jamie Jones as his foil, according to Julie Garisto's 3.5-star review. Tonight and Sat. at 7:30 p.m.; Sun. at 3 p.m. Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Murray Studio Theatre. $20. rutheckerdhall.com.
• A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder. The 2014 Tony winner for Best Musical is a delight: inventively staged, beautifully designed and just a heck of a lot of fun. See my four-star review. Tonight at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 & 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 & 7:30 p.m. Straz Center, 813-229-STAR, strazcenter.org.
And here are two that have longer runs, but they're very hot tickets; better reserve now if you want to see them.
• The Importance of Being Earnest with Zombies. Even if the mere mention of The Walking Dead makes you run screaming from the room, don't worry: Eric Davis's zombie-inflected adaptation of the Oscar Wilde masterpiece leaves all the Wildean wit intact, according to Mark Leib's 3.5-star review. Through Nov. 1 at freeFall Theatre, 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 6099 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. freefalltheatre.com.
• Silence! The Musical. Hilariously raunchy and a must for Silence of the Lambs fans and newbies alike (though you'll probably get an even bigger kick out of it if you re-watch Lambs before you go). In her four-star review, Julie Garisto says it'll go down as one of Jobsite's best shows ever. Runs through Nov. 15; 8 p.m. Thurs., Fri. and Sat., 4 p.m on Sun., Jaeb Theater at the Straz Center, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa; $29.50 (discounts available); jobsitetheater.org.
Note: Lights Rise, Earnest and Silence! are all Theatre Tampa Bay Recommended, which means they have received high ratings from a majority of TTB judges — the nine people (including myself) who see everything produced by local participating theaters and score the productions on private ballots to determine the winners of the annual TTB awards. Gentleman's Guide was not eligible because TTB doesn't presently judge Broadway touring productions; Hat Trick is a TTB member but has opted not to participate in the awards program, which is voluntary.
This article appears in Oct 22-28, 2015.