Troupe to present thought-provoking tale

Laura Crawford and Maryjo Gavin in VP Collected Stories.

Playwright Donald Margulies will leave the audience questioning whether a professor or her protegee is right this weekend when the Village Players Theatre presents Collected Stories.

Maryjo Gavin as Ruth Steiner is a professor and respected short story writer who mentors Laura Crawford as Lisa Morrison, her student and promising author. The two develop a close intellectual relationship as Morrison journeys from an insecure student to a successful writer. She compromises the relationship by writing a novel based on Gavin's affair with a poet.

"I think it's really interesting because it's not often you see a love story that isn't necessarily a romantic love story. It's an intellectual love story between these two women that takes place over six years," said director Richard Furlong. "Hopefully it's one of those plays people will walk away from still talking about it -- who is right and who is wrong? He creates such a well-balanced argument... I hope it leads to a lot of lively discussions."

"Collected Stories" will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Nov. 17 at the Village Players Theatre, 2740 Upton Ave. Additional performances are at 8 p.m. Nov. 8 and Nov. 15. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for seniors and students. Information: 419-472-6817 or thevillageplayers.org.

'The Producers'

Oregon Community Theatre will open its 26th season this weekend with a huge undertaking to present Mel Brooks' musical comedy The Producers at Fassett Auditorium.

"This show is one of if not the hardest shows I've ever done," said director Amy Spaulding-Heuring. "Every scene has at least one song or dance number in it. Mel is sadistic."

This production moves away from the children and family-related shows typically produced by the theater, Spaulding-Heuring said. "I think they wanted to kind of shake things up a little bit in their organization. It's more of an adult entertainment. They also did it because I think they wanted to challenge themselves as actors, as singers, as dancers."

Reed Reamsnyder as Max Bialystock, the main producer, devises a scheme with Trent Dorner as Leo Bloom, an accountant, to scam investors by creating a musical flop and hiring the worst actors to perform it.

It opened on Broadway in 2001 starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick and won 12 Tony Awards, closing in 2007 after more than 2,500 shows.

"The music is excellent. The lines are hilarious. The script is funny and irreverent," said Spaulding-Heuring.

"There's a line that Max has that absolutely epitomizes this show: 'It was shocking, outrageous, and insulting, and I loved every minute of it.' I think that says it best."

"The Producers" will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Nov. 10 and at 3 p.m. Sunday by Oregon Community Theatre at Fassett Auditorium, Fassett Middle School, 3025 Starr Ave., Oregon. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors and students. Information: 419-691-1398 or oregoncommunitytheatre.org.

Opal's Friends

Optimist Opal Kronkie runs into a trio of unsavory characters this weekend as Genoa Civic Theatre presents Everybody Loves Opal.

The middle-aged recluse loves to collect things in her little red wagon. Three would-be con artists happen upon her and hope to forge a relationship. They want to hide out in her ramshackle mansion near a dump, be named her beneficiaries, and do away with the trusting Opal.

Will her unfailing kindness and unflinching faith in the goodness of human nature win out in the end?

"Everybody Loves Opal" will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Nov. 10 at the Historic Genoa Town Hall Opera House, 509 1/2 Main St., Genoa. Matinee performances are at 2 p.m. Sunday and Nov 11. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and students. Information: 419-855-3103 or www.genoacivictheatre.org

Munchkins and Dorothy

The Waterville Playshop opens its 61st season this weekend with The Wizard of Oz at the Maumee Indoor Theater in Maumee.

This family favorite will take audiences down the yellow brick road as Dorothy searches for a way home.

"The Wizard of Oz" will be performed by Waterville Playshop at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Maumee Indoor Theater, 601 Conant St., Maumee. Additional performances are at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $5 for children 12 and younger. Information: 419-340-5807 or watervilleplayshop.org.

Motown Tribute

Some of the greatest hits of the 1960s will be heard Friday when the River Raisin Centre for Performing Arts hosts Masters of Motown.

This tribute to the Motor City and its iconic artists includes a dance band and singers performing hits from numerous artists including Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Smokey Robinson, Four Tops, The Jackson Five, The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Commodores, The Temptations, and Stevie Wonder.

"Masters of Motown" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday at River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 S. Monroe St., Monroe. Tickets are $32 for adults, $29 for seniors, and $18 for children. Information: 734-242-7722 or www.riverraisincentre.org.

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