Donald’s list: Weekend choices (April 13)
Highlights for this busy weekend include “Guys and Dolls” (a collaboration between Fresno Pacific University and the Selma Arts Center), a concert for all proud band geeks, the not-to-miss StageWorks Fresno cabaret, and the tantalizingly titled play “Nana’s Naughty Knickers.”
‘Guys and Dolls’
You know her as a powerhouse actress who last gave us a walloping Hedda Gabler. Now Brooke Aiello, an adjunct theater professor at Fresno Pacific University, is making her directorial debut with “Guys and Dolls.”
A scene from rehearsal in “Guys and Dolls.” Photo by Karen Vargas / Fresno Pacific University
For the first time, the university is collaborating with the Selma Arts Center for a one-weekend run of a musical. The production includes students, community members and a special guest artist: professional actor Chris Carsten. (He just happened to play opposite Aiello in last summer’s New Ensemble production of “Hedda Gabler”). He will play a cameo as Arvide Abernathy, who sings the touching song “More I Cannot Wish You.”
“Guys and Dolls” is chock full of beloved songs, of course, including “A Bushel and Peck,” “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”
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Local theater blogger Heather Parish (“What’s My Call Time”) has a nice post on the show.
Details: The production opened Thursday night, and continues 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 13, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 14, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 15, at the Selma Arts Center, 1935 High St., Selma. Tickets are $18 general, $15 students and seniors.
Fresno Community Concert Band
Once a band geek, always a band geek. The happy folks in the Fresno Community Concert Band on Sunday showcase the Sanger High School Wind Ensemble in a joint concert of band music:
The program includes Hindemith’s “March from Symphonic Metamorphosis” and Overture in C for Winds by Mendelssohn. There’s also “Fanfare and Allegro” by Clifton Williams and “Danzon” by Arturo Marquez, plus Robert Jager’s “Sinfonia Nobilissima.”
StageWorks cabaret
If you’ve never been to a StageWorks Fresno cabaret, you’re missing out. The company, which is currently presenting “The Fantasticks” at the Fresno Art Museum, always puts on a cabaret following the performance on the second Friday night of a run. Cabaret showtime is 10 p.m., and tickets are $10. Better yet, combine the show and the cabaret for a double-header.
Grandmotherly undergarments
The Visalia Players sure can pick a title: The company opens “Nana’s Naughty Knickers” at the Ice House Theatre. A description:
Bridget and her grandmother are about to become roommates. However, what Bridget saw as a unique opportunity to stay with her favorite Nana in New York for the summer quickly turns into an experience she’ll never forget. It seems her sweet grandma is running an illegal boutique from her apartment, selling handmade naughty knickers to every senior citizen in the five borough area! Will Bridget be able to handle all the excitement?
The question is, will Visalia be able to handle the excitement?
Details: Opens 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 13, Ice House Theatre, 410 E. Race Ave. Runs through April 29. Tickets are $16 general, $8 student in advance, $20 general, $10 student at the door.
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