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The Lively Arts
By Sally Hogarty

Get ready to laugh and cry as Role Players Ensemble presents David Lindsay-Abaire’s satirical comedy Kimberly Akimbo. The talented young playwright has written a touching work filled with zany characters telling the story of 16-year-old Kimberly, a teenager trapped in the body of a 60 year old. Imagine the dramatic and comedic possibilities!
Details: January 15 – February 6, Village
Theatre, 233 Front St., Danville. Tickets:
(925) 314-3400 or go to
www.villagetheatreshows.com.

For a rollicking good time, check out Hapgood Theatre Company’s production of Forever Plaid. This deliciously goofy revue centers on four male singers killed in a car crash in the 1950s on the way to their first big concert. Miraculously revived, they get a chance to perform their show.
Details: January 15 – 31, Nick Rodriguez Theater, 213 F St., Antioch. Tickets: 925-757-9500 or go to www.hapgoodtheatre.org.

Award-winning actor L. Peter Callender joins Diablo Actors’ Ensemble as Frank in Educating Rita. Made into a classic film staring Michael Caine and Julie Walters, Educating Rita is the story of a hard-drinking college professor who tutors a brash, young hairdresser.

Details: January 22 – February 14, Diablo Actors’ Ensemble Theatre, 1234 Locust St., Walnut Creek. Tickets: (866) 811-4111 or go to
www.diabloactors.com.

Center Rep Company presents award-winning actor James Carpenter in Caryl Churchill’s play, A Number. This thought-provoking work deals with the aftermath of cloning a human being. Appearing with Carpenter in this 2-person tour de force is Gabriel Marin.

Details: January 21 – February 7, Lesher Center for the Arts,
1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. Tickets: (925) 943-SHOW or go to
www.lesherartscenter.org.

The Willows Theatre begins 2010 with a powerful musical and epic romance set against the tumultuous backdrop of Northern Ireland during the late ’80s. Brimstone was an audience favorite when it debuted in 1998, and surely the story of Eamon Dunne will once again stir the hearts of audiences.
Details: January 25 – February 21, Willows Campbell Cabaret,
636 Ward Street, Martinez.
Tickets: (925) 798-1300 or go to www.willowstheatre.org.

Center Rep Company also opens 2010 with Syringa Tree, a new play by Pamela Gien. This deeply evocative story of two families is seen through the eyes of a 6-year-old child in South Africa. The New York Times has called the work “a thoroughly persuasive transport to an exotic place and time.”

Details: January 28 – February 27,
Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic
Dr., Walnut Creek. Tickets: (925) 943-
SHOW or go to
www.lesherartscenter.org.

Direct from Broadway, the Northern California premier of Curtains is not to be missed. From the musical team that created such smash hits as “Cabaret” and “Chicago” comes a musical whodunit about the misadventures of Lt. Frank Cioffi. Produced by Diablo Theatre Company.

Details: February 12-28, Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. Tickets: (925) 943-SHOW or go to www.lesherartscenter.org.

The Importance of Being Earnest brings Oscar Wilde’s razor-sharp wit to Lafayette’s Town Hall Theatre this February. In the playwright’s most enduring comedy, two young men find themselves in a complex web of mistaken identity as they attempt to dodge social obligations.
Details: February 25 – March 27,Town Hall
Theatre, 3535 School St., Lafayette. Tickets:
(925) 283-1557 or go to
www.townhalltheatre.com.

Young theatre goers will want to catch Diablo Theatre Company’s Stars 2000 performance of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Performed by talented teens and young adults, the musical comedy follows six young people as they vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime.
Details: January 15 – 30, Las Lomas High School, 1460 S. Main St., Walnut Creek. Call (925) 324-7359 or go to www.dloc.org.

There’s still time to catch Willows Theatre’s production of Hats: The Musical—a tuneful tribute to women at the company’s beautifully remodeled cabaret. The slightly naughty show celebrates members of the Red Hat Society.

Details: Runs through January 10,
Willows Campbell Cabaret, 636 Ward
St., Martinez. Tickets: (925) 798-
1300 or go to
www.willowstheatre.org.