Entertainment
Live Theater Preview
There’s Plenty to Enjoy This Season in Northeast Ohio
“Winnie-the-Pooh” and “The Importance of Being Earnest” will be performed at The Fine Arts Association in Willoughby this season.
Photo courtesy: The Fine Arts Association
By Marie Elium
Nothing’s quite as appealing when the weather turns cool as sinking into a comfortable theater seat.
Autumn’s blustery weather chases many of us indoors — and into one of Northeast Ohio’s theaters for live performances.
This theater season is gearing up to be another good one. We’ve got big productions in little theaters and even bigger productions in some of our finest showplaces. Here’s a roundup of what to see and where to see it.
Beck Center for the Arts
Beck Center for the Arts is more than a nonprofit organization that combines professional theater with arts education. It creates art experiences and is committed to doing so for all ages and abilities. Beck Center offers over 200 award-winning classes, programs and lessons in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, outreach and Creative Arts Therapies, serving more than 60,000 annually. Beck Center is at 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood.
Here’s the theater production lineup:
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Sept. 15-Oct. 8
“Waiting for Godot,” Oct. 6-Nov. 5
“Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” Dec. 1-31
“Hair,” Feb. 9- 25
“My First Time,” March 30-April 29
“Bent,” June 1-July 1
“Gypsy,” July 6-Aug. 12
The Fine Arts Association
The Fine Arts Association in Willoughby produces a full season of outstanding community theater featuring musicals, comedies, dramas and family shows.
Fine Arts also produces a Senior Matinee Performance Series on select Wednesdays. Season subscribers save 20 percent on individual ticket prices and are guaranteed choice seating. Discounted group pricing is also available.
Visit fineartsassociation.org/performance or call 440-951-7500, ext. 104, for more information and specific performance dates and times. The Fine Arts Association is located at 38660 Mentor Ave., Willoughby. Free, safe on-site parking is available.
Shows include the following:
“Wait Until Dark,” Sept. 29-Oct. 15
“Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” Nov. 24-Dec. 17
“Winnie-the-Pooh, Feb. 16-March 4
“The Importance of Being Earnest,” April 20-29
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” June 8-24
French Creek Theatre
French Creek Theatre — at 4530 Colorado Ave., Sheffield Village — will be starting the season off with a bang, with the performance of “Bonnie & Clyde the Musical” running Oct. 13- 29. Strap in for a sleek and sexy musical telling of the story of Bonnie and Clyde. For ticket information, call 440-949-5200 or visit metroparks.cc.
All shows are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sundays unless otherwise specified on the website.
Other shows this season are as follows:
“Annie,” Dec. 1-17
“I’m Not Rappaport,” Feb. 2-18
“Children of Eden,” March 9-25
“The Elephant Man,” May 4-20
“Oliver!” July 13-29
“Romeo and Juliet,” Aug. 17-19
Playhouse Square
As the country’s largest performing arts center outside of New York, the not-for-profit utilizes the arts to engage individuals and attract more than 1 million guests per year to over 1,000 annual events. Playhouse Square is located at 1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.
The Keybank Broadway Series brings terrific performances to Northeast Ohio audiences each season. For details, visit playhousesquare.org.
The 2017-18 lineup includes:
“Waitress,” Oct. 17-Nov. 5
“On Your Feet!” Dec. 5-23
“Love Never Dies,” Jan. 9-28
“Rent,” March 6-25
“The Humans,” April 10-29
“Aladdin,” May 2-27
“Hamilton,” July 17-Aug. 26
