East Lansing bristles with theater and musical performances
Act I: Children get wicked; students go skating
Halloween is over, but the performers at All of Us Express Children’s Theatre still have some spooks in store for their audiences.
From Nov. 4-6 and Nov. 11-13, they’ll be presenting the stage adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s classic, “Something Wicked This Way Comes.” It opens their 34th season, which also includes “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “School of Rock” and “Frozen.”
“Something Wicked” begins when a strange carnival comes to a small Midwestern town, tempting its residents with promises to fulfill their deepest wishes. Two boys, Will and Jim, get drawn into machinations of the carnival and must choose between good and evil as those around them fall prey to the dangers of Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show. Soon only the two boys and Will’s father, Mr. Halloway, can save Green Town from the sinister carnival.
As is traditional with All of Us Express shows, all actors and tech crew are children. Guild members alternate between performing on stage and backstage.
All shows take place at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center. Show are 7 p.m. on Fridays and 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for those younger than 18 and can be purchased at the Hannah Center front desk, by calling 517)333-2580 or at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/67696.
Elsewhere in East Lansing, college students will be performing “For the Love of, or The Roller Derby Play” from Nov. 11-20 at the Arena Theatre on the Michigan State University campus.
Written by Gina Femia and directed by Alexis Black, “For the Love of” explores what happens when Joy Ride is invited to join the Brooklyn Scallywags, a roller derby team. She meets the star, Lizzie Lightning, which turns the lives of her and her long-term partner Michelle upside down.
The cast is made up of all women and has strong queer representation. The Department of Theater at MSU has made community its theme for the academic year, and “For the Love of” explores what happens to a person’s community when they pursue their dreams and what they love. It asks what people have to sacrifice to get what they want.
Act II: Spartans put on a spectacular show
For 51 years (ignoring a few pandemic blips), the Spartan Marching Band has come in from the football field to put on an indoor concert designed to wow their audiences and show off their musical talents.
This year, the Spartan Spectacular will be at 3 p.m., Nov. 6 in the Cobb Great Hall at Wharton Center.
The program will fill the hall with the upbeat sounds of the marching band and throw a spotlight on its twirlers, color guard and drumline.
Joining the marching band will be the MSU Wind Symphony, Jazz Octet I and other ensembles..
Tickets start at $12 and are available at the Wharton Center https://www.whartoncenter.com/events/detail/spartan-spectacular-2022
Encore!
Mummenschanz comes to the Wharton Center’s Cobb Great Hall at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 8, as part of its 50th anniversary tour. They’ll revive some of their most popular sketches and such characters as the Clay Masks and the Toilet Paper Faces. The troupe, which has built a brand of affectionate, creative and humorous whimsy, puts on an interactive show for all ages. Tickets start at $30 and are available at https://www.whartoncenter.com/events/detail/mummenschanz.
The Reduced Shakespeare Company will make a return visit to Wharton’s Pasant Theatre to perform “Hamlet’s Big Adventure (the prequel).” The comedy team known for its irreverent approaches to Shakespeare now tackles the bard’s longest play. The two shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9-10. Tickets are $53 ($19 for students).
Peppermint Creek continues its partnership with local libraries as they host a play reading date focused on “My Name is Rachel Corrie,” a one-woman play taken from the diaries of Rachel Corrie, an American activist who was killed by an Israeli tank when she was 23 and trying to defend the house of a Palestinian. The play was edited by journalist Katharine Viner and actor Alan Rickman. Each of three events will include a discussion of the play, a theater panel and a performance of a few scenes from the show. Copies of the play can be checked out from the participating libraries. Each event is free and begins at 6:30 p.m. They will be held at the Fowlerville District Library on Nov. 8, the East Lansing Public Library on Nov. 9 and the CADL Downtown Lansing Library on Nov. 10.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: All of Us Express Children's Theater, Michigan State theater events
