The Toledo Repertoire Theatre is planning a season of "Mischief, Mayhem, and Mystery" for its 79th year, and it includes the annual production of A Christmas Carol and five Edgy Rep Readings, three of which will be at local restaurants.
Unless otherwise noted, productions will be at the theater at 16 10th St.
The Mainstage season comprises:
● Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure from Sept. 16 through Oct. 2. Steven Dietz's reinterpretation of the Holmes canon won the 2007 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Play, and it presents the detective at the height of his entertaining exploits.
● Bell, Book and Candle from Nov. 4-20. Written by John van Druten, the romantic comedy centers on a beautiful witch living in 1950s New York City.
● The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 from Jan. 13-29. John Bishop's comic mystery has bodies piling up, including a murdered maid who won't stay dead, and accusing fingers pointing in all directions.
● Bordertown Cafe from April 13-29. Kelly Rebar's family drama focuses on Marlene, who owns a small diner in a rural Alberta town. Her life is thrown for a loop when her 17-year-old son, Jimmy, announces that he's been invited to live with his father and stepmother in the United States. Wise words from Grandpa and wisecracks from Grandma help Jimmy and Marlene navigate the difficult waters of parent/teen relations.
● The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas from June 8-24, 2012. From the book by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and featuring music and lyrics by Carol Hall, the story is set in the 1970s when a crusading television reporter targets a brothel that has been operating for decades outside of Gilbert, Texas. Even though the owner, Miss Mona, takes care of her employees and is on good terms with the townsfolk, political ramifications put her business in jeopardy.
Moving to the Valentine Theatre this year will be A Christmas Carol. The Rep promises a new musical score for the shows on Dec. 2-4.
The Edgy Rep Readings series, which uses minimal props and staging as it focuses on less-mainstream works, opens with The God of Hell on Oct. 15 in the Maumee Chop House, 1430 Holland Rd., Maumee. Sam Shepard's drama uses one household in the American heartland as the backdrop for an examination of patriotism and blind conformity.
Scheduled Feb. 11 in Table Forty4, 610 Monroe St., Neil LaBute's In a Dark Dark House looks at two brothers who are forced into court-ordered rehab to examine the skeletons buried deep in their past.
Next up is Caryl Churchill's A Number, a chilling look at human cloning and identity, and the implications when people seek to rationalize bad behavior and unthinkingly objectify others. The reading will be staged on March 24 at the University of Toledo's medical school, the former Medical College of Ohio, at 3000 Arlington Ave.
Gina Gionfriddo's Becky Shaw will be presented on May 26, 2012, in the Beirut restaurant, 4082 Monroe St. The wickedly funny play asks what we owe the people we love and the strangers who cross our paths.
The series concludes with Ivan and Adolf: The Last Man in Hell on July 28, 2012. Stephen Vicchio's story features one character from literature (Ivan Karamazov) and another from history (Adolf Hitler), struggling to find redemption. The reading will be performed at Owens Community College's Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, 30335 Oregon Rd.
A season ticket package that includes every show, including the readings, is $150. Mini-packages are also available, as are tickets to individual shows. Information: 419-243-9277.
Summer in Huron
The Huron Playhouse has announced a full slate of shows for the summer.
Founded in 1949, the playhouse was until last year the summer-stock program of the Bowling Green State University Department of Theatre and Film, but budget cuts caused the relationship to end. The playhouse is now a separate entity, and it continues to offer shows featuring the talents of professionals, students, and members of the community.
Its 63rd consecutive season opens June 28 and runs through July 30, with shows changing weekly. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays in the auditorium of McCormick School, 325 Ohio St., Huron, about 65 miles southeast of Toledo.
Season passes are $65 before Tuesday, $70 after. Individual tickets, which go on sale June 15, are $16 for adults, $15 for students and seniors, and $12 for youngsters. Information: 419-433-3503 or, starting June 15, 419-433-4744.
The season comprises:
● Beguiled Again, a musical revue of the songs of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, June 28 through July 2.
● Cheaper by the Dozen, a comedy about a large family headed by parents who are efficiency experts, July 5-9.
● A Little Night Music, Stephen Sondheim's musical ode to love, July 12-16.
● Don't Dress for Dinner, Marc Camoletti's sophisticated comedy about wives, husbands, and lovers, July 19-23.
● The King and I, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's musical based on the book Anna and the King of Siam, July 26-30.
Contact Nanciann Cherry at: ncherry@theblade.com or 419-724-6130.