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Entertainment
'Shhh, the curtains are about to open'
By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN
Published August 26, 2005
Yes, it's that time of the year again, time to pull out the tattered date book and pencil in all the plays, musicals, concerts and events you don't want to miss in the coming season.
To make things easier, today's Times is listing the plays and musicals coming to several area venues, together with information on times, days and tickets: Show Palace Dinner Theatre, the Palace Grand, Richey Suncoast Theatre, Stage West Community Theatre, and Avenue Players Theatre.
On Sept. 16, the Times will feature the upcoming seasons for the Florida Orchestra, the Pasco-Hernando Community College Foundation, Richey Community Orchestra, Hernando Symphony Orchestra, Aripeka Elks dinner shows, Community Performing Arts Guild at Mariner United Methodist Church in Spring Hill, and the Hernando Performing Arts Center Guild.
That way, you can line up good seats and see everything you want to without double booking. (Hint: There are more than 60 plays, musicals and concerts in Pasco and Hernando counties alone, not counting festivals, art shows, club acts and special events.)
Happy juggling!
SHOW PALACE DINNER THEATRE
16128 U.S. 19, Hudson. Shows are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, and 1:30 p.m. some Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Doors open two hours before each show for cash bar and included buffet. Dinner and show, $41; show only, $29.95; ages 12 and younger, $23.45 and $18.45, all plus tax and tip. Three or more shows, $34.75 apiece, all plus tax and tip. Call 863-7949 in west Pasco; toll free elsewhere at 1-888-655-7469.
Sept. 30-Nov. 13: Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, a musical set in a rip-roaring brothel where Miss Mona's girls make the politicians and nearby college boys verrrrry happy - until a crusading newsman sets his sights on all of them.
Nov. 24-Dec. 25: A Show Palace Christmas, music and dance of the holidays.
2006
Jan. 6-Feb. 26: Cabaret, a dark musical set in pre-World War II Berlin, where the dancers at the seedy Kit Kat Club distract the patrons from the looming disaster to come. Written by John Kander and Fred Ebb, the team who also wrote Chicago.
March 3-April 16: Brigadoon, a musical set in a mythical town that comes to life only once every 100 years.
April 21-May 28: Viva Vegas, a look at the icons of Vegas - the Rat Pack, Elvis, showgirls, comics, female impersonators, quickie weddings and more.
June 2-July 23: The Odd Couple, Neil Simon's comedy about a neurotic neatnik and his slob pal, who move in together when their wives toss them out.
July 28-Sept. 17: The '50s and '60s Revue, an encore of the popular 2004 look at the platinum era of music.
(Future shows: Sept. 29-Nov. 18, 2006, Mame; Nov. 23-Dec. 25, 2006, A Show Palace Christmas; Jan. 5-Feb. 18, 2007, Victor/Victoria; Feb. 23-April 15, 2007, Singin' in the Rain; and April 20-May 27, 2007, Swing Time Revue)
PALACE GRAND
275 Della Court (off U.S. 19 a quarter mile north of the Pasco-Hernando border), Spring Hill. Shows individually priced, all plus tax and tip. Call (727) 863-7949 or toll free 1-888-655-7469.
Oct. 7: Mentalist-hypnotist-comedian Ken Whitener. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Admission is $15, plus minimum of two appetizers or beverages.
Nov. 11: Sleuth Mystery Dinner Show, audience participation mystery show set in a quaint English country inn, with prizes for the best "detectives." Dinner and show, $35.95, plus tax. Doors open 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 31: Rockin' New Year's Eve Spectacular with American Bandstand's Troy Shondell (This Time We're Really Breaking Up), buffet, hors d'oeuvres, continental breakfast, champagne toast, and party favors. Tickets are $69.95, plus tax.
RICHEY SUNCOAST THEATRE
6237 Grand Blvd., New Port Richey. Shows are at 8 p.m. opening Thursday and the subsequent three Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $15 each, reserved seating. Five shows, $60; plus the Christmas show, $70. Box office is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and an hour before each show. Call (727) 842-6777.
Sept. 8-25: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical based on the Biblical story of young Joseph and the jealous brothers who sell him into slavery, only to be rescued by him later.
Oct. 20-Nov. 6: Neil Simon's Rumors: guests at a dinner party try to cover up what they suspect is a crime by their politically powerful host by some bizarre fibbing to each other and the authorities.
Nov. 25-27 and Dec. 2-4: A Pasco Christmas 2005: Mrs. Artiluke and her CAVE dwellers (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) are back, exerting all the power of a power-mad homeowners' association determined to spoil the holiday celebration.
2006
Jan. 12-29: George M., the life story of Broadway's George M. Cohan, who was a composer, lyricist, librettist, playwright, director, producer, actor, singer and dancer (Yankee Doodle Boy, Give My Regards to Broadway).
Feb. 23-March 12: The Odd Couple, Neil Simon's story of a neat freak and a slob sharing an apartment after their respective marriages fall apart.
May 11-28: Cinderella, the musical based on the fairy tale romance between a handsome prince and a scullery maid.
STAGE WEST COMMUNITY PLAYHOUSE
8390 Forest Oaks Blvd., Spring Hill. Plays, $15; musicals, $18; all five shows for $65. Call (352) 683-5113.
Sept. 8-25: Alan Ayckbourn's Table Manners, a comedy about love, trust and jealousy among siblings and their spouses.
Nov. 3-20: Finian's Rainbow, a musical: Irish immigrant Finian McLonergan goes to Rainbow Valley, Missitucky, to bury a pot of gold, which he claims will grow and make him rich.
2006
Jan. 12-29: Agatha Christie's Black Coffee has detective Hercule Poirot investigating a mysterious disappearance and a murder.
March 16-April 2: My Fair Lady, the musical story of the Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle's transformation under the guiding hand of Professor Henry Higgins.
May 11-28: Neil Simon's Broadway Bound, a comedy based on Simon's own life growing up in Brooklyn with dreams of becoming a famous comedy writer.
AVENUE PLAYERS THEATRE
Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art auditorium on the St. Petersburg College Tarpon Springs campus, 600 Klosterman Road (one-half mile west of U.S. 19), Tarpon Springs. Various prices for shows; special prices for members. Call (727) 712-5762. Founder-director is Diana Forgione.
Dec. 14-18: George Feydeau's French farce, The Boor Hug, a tale of an amorous gentleman trying to ditch his aging mistress in order to marry a young and rich girl. Tickets are $8 for nonmembers, $5 for members.
2006
March 22-April 2: The Orson Welles radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' novel, War of the Worlds, when aliens from Mars invade the world and cause panic. The production will be set in a radio broadcasting station. Tickets are $10 for nonmembers, $7 for members.
[Last modified August 26, 2005, 15:19:51]
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