Spamalot. You probably know that the 2005 Tony winner for Best Musical is a gleeful ripoff of the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. But what you may not have heard is that, in addition to the Knights of Ni and the amazing Killer Rabbit, Spamalot brings us a send-up of Broadway musicals from West Side Story to Phantom of the Opera. If you're a Python fan, you won't want to miss it. Ni! See the review on p. 32. Jan. 23-Feb. 4, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, 813-229-STAR.
This Is How It Goes. Neil LaBute specializes in speaking the unspeakable. In this outing, presented by Jobsite Theater, he introduces us to an interracial couple, white Belinda and black Cody, and then throws in a third party, a white former classmate of Belinda's. As the two men compete for Belinda's affections, LaBute challenges our notions of gender, race and love. An added attraction: The show is directed by Jobsite artistic associate Ami Sallee Corley, whose brilliant staging of Cloud 9 some seasons ago belongs on everyone's Best Ever list. Jan. 25-Feb. 11, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, 813-229-STAR.
Shakespeare's Murderers, Madmen and Kings. If you love the English language, you know there are few more satisfying aural experiences than a well-acted Shakespeare play. In this program, classically trained actor Joshua Kane brings us many of the Bard's most exciting and eloquent characters: Richard III, Oberon, Henry V and others. Kane calls his show "an evening of violence, politics, sex and greed," and promises to transport us from the Roman Senate to the vasty fields of France. Real and wannabe Shakespeare aficionados will wannabe there. Feb. 16-18, TECO Theatre, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, 813-229-STAR.
Cigar City Chronicles. A Musical History of Tampa. This brand new show, written by Claude McNeal and Stan Collins, dramatizes the whole history of Tampa from the time of the Native Americans to the present. Is the Cigar City ready for its apotheosis? Is there enough material in our humble burg to support an evening of song and dance à la Chicago and 42nd Street? If you've long suspected that Tampa is the rockin' center of the universe, this is for you. And if you're skeptical, well ... they laughed at Jose Gaspar. Feb. 16-April 29, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, 813-229-STAR.
Independence. Lee Blessing's play, set in Independence, Iowa, introduces us to the three daughters of Evelyn Briggs. There's lesbian Kess, a university professor in Minneapolis; Jo, a longtime virgin who's suddenly become pregnant; and Sherry, who just wants to finish high school so she can get out of town for good. Can any of these sisters escape the oppressive presence of their mother? What does it take to accomplish real independence? A Gypsy Production. March 9-April 1, Suncoast Theatre, St. Petersburg, 727-456-0500.
Suddenly Last Summer. American Stage presents Tennessee Williams' shocker about gay artist Sebastian, whose mysterious death in Europe may or may not have driven his cousin Catherine insane. Williams fans will see in the threat by Sebastian's mother to have Catherine lobotomized a reference to Williams' sister Rose, who indeed was subjected to such a procedure. And fans of Greek mythology will find an ancient resonance in the gruesome method of Sebastian's death. March 16-April 7, American Stage, St. Petersburg, 727-823-PLAY.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This crowd-pleasing musical introduces six young people in the throes of puberty, all vying for some sort of success and all overseen by grown-ups who have barely managed to escape childhood themselves. The show broke attendance records at the Off-Broadway Second Stage Theatre before moving to Broadway, where it won the Tony for best book and best featured actor. Before each show, four members of the audience are chosen to participate — adding their unpredictable reactions to this entertaining concoction. March 27-April 1, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 813-229-STAR.
Doubt. It's the 1960s in New York, and Sister Aloysius, an old-fashioned nun with a strong sense of the moral verities, suspects young Father Flynn of sexually abusing their Catholic school's first black student, Donald Muller. But the evidence is ambiguous, and the turmoil in Muller's family adds further confusion to the ethical mix. John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize-winning play may not be a dazzler, but it's still a powerful character study and something of a brainteaser. Can Sister Aloysius prove that what she suspects is real? Or is that the wrong question? April 24-29, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, 813-229-STAR.
The Sisters Rosensweig. The late Wendy Wasserstein had a big Broadway success with this tale of sisters who gather in London to celebrate the eldest, Sara's, birthday. All three sisters are successful at what they do — Sara's a banker, Gorgeous is a radio talk-show host, and Pfeni's a world-traveler. But Sara has tried to deny her Jewish roots and is troubled by the attentions shown her by an oh-so-Jewish furrier. The play isn't as uncompromising as Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles, but it's fast-moving, funny and occasionally very wise. May 10-27, Stageworks, Tampa, 813-251-8984.
Mix it up: Spring arts
What to watch for
- Intro
- Consider the possibilities
- Get Together Right Now
- Theater
- Art
- Classical
- Rock/Pop/Jazz
- Dance
- Film