Touchstone Theatre is re-staging a treat for admirers of the chanteuse Edith Piaf produced by the Italian theatre group, Teatro Potlach. Accompanied by Touchstone’s Jason Hedrington, Piaf will be portrayed singing her most famous songs in “Edith Piaf: Hymn to Love,” March 5-8.
The Genesius Theatre kids in Reading will stage the “Jr.” version of the 2007 Broadway musical “Legally Blonde” March 6-15 in Reading. It follows the story of a sorority girl who goes to law school to get her boyfriend back. Along the way, of course, she learns life is more than worrying about what to wear.Steel River Playhouse in Pottstown is staging the deeply moving play “The Diary of Anne Frank” March 6-22 in Pottstown. The unforgettable story is based on the writings of a young Jewish girl during the two years that she and her family were in hiding from the Nazis during World War II. It brings to life a book that has profoundly affected the lives of young people around the world.
Bucks County Playhouse has snagged a “world premiere musical adventure” called “Other World” for March 13-17. Two youngsters are trapped in the universe of their video game and discover their inner strengths while they try to escape. Civic Theatre is staging “Silence, The Musical,” a comic parody based improbably on “The Silence of the Lambs” March 13-22 in Theatre514. Bill Sanders will direct this satire of the vicious Hannibal Lecter and his obsession with the naïve Clarice. This Lehigh Valley premiere won accolades when it played at the New York Fringe Festival. Civic warns that this show is for adults only. Over in Belvedere, N.J., Country Gate Players are preparing the juke box musical ”Mamma Mia” based on songs by the Swedish pop group ABBA. March 16-24. Celebrate St. Paddy’s with a brand new play by Crowded Kitchen Players, presented as part of the IceHouse Tonight series in Bethlehem. “The Rising” will trace the tragic week of the 1916 Easter rebellion in poetry and song, with music by guitarist Joey Mutis. Ara Barlieb constructed the play from contemporary ballads, speeches, news stories, letters, and poems and was inspired by the comment by Irish singer Frank Harte: “Those in power write the history, while those who suffer write the songs.”
Selkie Theatre will stage Lauren Gunderson’s biting political comedy, “The Revolutionists,” at the IceHouse in Bethlehem March 20-29. The New Yorker calls Gunderson “America’s most popular playwright,” who by age 35 had more than 20 of her plays produced. This one is about four activist women who lived through the French Revolution’s reign of terror.
From March 20 to May 10, Pines Dinner Theatre will provide supper and some holy-rollin’ good fun in the performance of the musical “Nunsations,” in which the Little Sisters of Hoboken take their act to Las Vegas. The problem is what to do about Sister Mary Amnesia.After that, head over to Cedar Crest College for another of Gunderson’s plays, “Silent Sky,” based on the life of the brilliant and pioneering astronomer Henrietta Leavitt. The play ranges from 1900 to 1920 as she develops her career in the male-dominated world of science. “Silent Sky” will run March 26-29. The ancient Greek play, “The Bacchae,” is thought of as one of Euripides’ greatest tragedies as it explores the myth of King Pentheus and how he ends up being literally torn apart by his own mother and the women of Thebes. The students of Muhlenberg College Theatre will present it March 26-29. For its second production of 2020, Pennsylvania Playhouse will tackle “12 Angry Jurors,” based on the Emmy-winning “12 Angry Men,” March 27-April 19, in Bethlehem. After hearing a murder case, a jury must decide whether a 19-year-old man is guilty or innocent. The drama ensues as one juror won’t vote to convict. “Newsies” by Harvey Fierstein takes the 1899 strike of New York’s newsboys and turns it into a mega-musical. Star of the Day will present the show March 27-April 5 at St. John’s UCC in Emmaus. Watch as the lowly newsboys go up against media giants William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer.#