Home > Metrospective

Denver theater in bloom
A guide to the city's best onstage offerings

Photo courtesy of the Bug Theatre Diana Dresser stars in the Bug Theatre’s production of Theresa Rebeck’s comedy Bad Dates.

The Denver Center Theatre Company
Denver Center for the Performing Arts
1101 13th St.
(303) 893-4100
www.denvercenter.org

To wrap up its 2006-2007 season, the Denver Center Theatre Company will present an Elizabethan tragedy, a modern take on Eastern fantasy and a morbid view of modern psychosis.

The theater company’s spring productions, 1001 and King Lear, will pull their inspiration from well-established dramatic sources, while The Pillowman will rely on a contemporary and controversial motif as its central source of action.

Director Anthony Powell will bring playwright Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman to the Ricketson Theatre in a production that will run from Jan. 18 to Feb. 24. McDonagh’s drama hints at the link between creative brilliance and mental disturbance, as the interrogation of a writer reveals a disturbing connection between his art and a series of grisly murders. The production will feature DCTC players Scott Ferrara, Lawrence Hecht, Douglas Harmsen and David Ivers.

Playwright Jason Grote’s 1001 draws from a template of classic myth and allegory to address quintessentially contemporary issues. Using variations from A Thousand and One Nights, Grote’s text explores the innate tensions and conflicts in a modern relationship between a Jewish-American man and an Arab-American woman. Director Ethan McSweeny will lead a freshman cast through this provocative and layered work. 1001 will run from Jan. 18 to Feb. 24 in the Space Theater.

The DCTC’s creative director, Kent Thompson, will follow last year’s production of Measure for Measure with one of Shakespeare’s best-known tragedies, King Lear. The bard’s epic exploration of power, loss and familial betrayal will be brought to life with set designer Ralph Funicello’s tiered set, which encompasses the diverse locations of the play. From England to North Africa, Lear’s vast kingdom will be condensed onto a single stage in the Stage Theater. King Lear will run from Jan. 25 to Feb. 24.

Students with valid IDs can buy tickets for $10 to select performances. For regular ticket rates and show times, call the Denver Center’s box office or log on to its website.
– Adam Goldstein • goldstea@mscd.edu

The Buntport Theater
717 Lipan St.
(720) 946-1388
www.buntport.com

The Buntport Theater will draw on their skill for iconoclastic, wry and just plain silly humor in a revival of Something Is Rotten.

The play follows Julius, Harold and George as they seek to mount one of the theater’s omnipresent warhorses, Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Following in the spirit and approach of Titus Andronicus: The Musical, Buntport drenches a theatrical standard with their inimitable acerbic view and flawless comedic timing.

The Buntport players will also maintain their commitment to biweekly improvised humor with their new live sitcom, Starship Troy. Though the Buntport retired their well-loved Magnets on the Fridge series last season, Troy keeps the dynamics and spirit of the onstage adventure alive. This season’s sci-fi sitcom centers on a quirky crew of space voyagers with a motif straight from Star Trek.

The revival of Something Is Rotten will run Fridays and Saturdays Jan. 19 to Feb. 3, with a general admission of $15, or $12 for students and seniors. A new episode of Starship Troy will be performed every other Tuesday and Wednesday until May 23 with an entrance fee depending on the audience member’s luck in a game of chance. The prices range from $5, $6 to $7.
– Goldstein

The Bug Theatre
3654 Navajo St.
(303) 477-5977
www.bugtheatre.org

Classic drama and contemporary comedy rule the stage at the Bug Theatre this spring.

Bad Dates, written by one of today’s most popular female playwrights, Theresa Rebeck, is a comedy about single parenting and the dating world. Set in modern-day New York City, the show is an insightful and light-hearted look at the Romanian mob, raising a teenage daughter and a severe love of shoes. Bad Dates, which ran off-Broadway, opens Jan. 19 and runs through Feb. 25.

Edward Albee’s Pulitzer-winning drama Seascape presents a thought-provoking look at aging, life and moving on. The story focuses on a middle-aged couple relaxing on a beach. When they meet another couple, suspicion and tension rises. Ultimately, the couples find common ground and discover the mutual need and respect they have for one another. Seascape opens Mar. 10 and will run through Apr. 15.

Tickets for Bug productions are $20 for the public, and $15 for students with a valid ID. Special events are held on Thursdays, including Girl’s Night Out on Jan. 25 and Feb. 8 and a wine and cheese mixer on Feb. 1. Tickets for each special event are $25, a fee that includes the show. For more information, including production dates and times, call the Bug Theatre at (303) 477-5977.
– Chelsey Emmelhainz • cemmelha@mscd.edu

The Paragon Theatre
1124 Santa Fe Drive
(303) 300-2210
www.paragontheatre.com

The Paragon Theatre Company’s 2007 spring season will kick off with a production by one of theater’s most celebrated playwrights, Emmy and Tony-award winning writer Terrence McNally. McNally’s comedy, Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune, traces the unlikely romance that develops between Frankie and Johnny, a middle-aged pair of nobodies. Through a series of ordinary circumstances, they begin to feel a poignant need for each other in their everyday lives, beyond the casual parameters of a one-night stand. Frankie and Johnny opens Feb. 10 and runs through March 10.

Following Frankie and Johnny will be the world premiere of How We May Know Him by Paragon resident Ellen K. Graham. In this dark comedy, a gated community is thrown into chaos by the antics of a charming oddball who moves into the quiet neighborhood. Full of humor, wit and some mistaken identities, How We May Know Him gives new insights into what we think we know about ourselves and others. The show opens April 21 and will run until May 19.

Shows by the Paragon take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. at the Phoenix Theatre, 1124 Santa Fe Drive. Tickets for any performance are $19 for general admission and $15 for students and seniors.
– Emmelhainz