Metro stage calendar packed with premieres, finales, and comedy
A wide range of theatrical events opens or closes across the region this weekend, including a Shakespeare abridgment and a Balanchine ballet screening.
By James Anderson ·
Theatergoers in the metro area face a crowded schedule this weekend as multiple productions open, close, or reach their final performances. The slate includes new drama premieres, a high-concept comedy, and the last showing of a musical that runs through Sunday, Nov. 8.
At the Fisher Theatre in Detroit, “Six: The Musical” wraps up its run on Nov. 8. The production reimagines the six wives of Henry VIII in a rock format. Meanwhile, the Detroit Opera House hosts the season-opening run of “Tosca,” with a final performance scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7.
New productions launch Friday, Nov. 6, at several venues. Stagecrafters presents the comedy “Calendar Girls” at the Baldwin Theatre in Royal Oak. The Birmingham Village Players opens “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged] [revised] [again]” at the Village Playhouse in Birmingham. Both shows run through Nov. 22.
The Detroit Repertory Theatre marks its 70th season with the Michigan premiere of Sarah Treem’s “When You Were Young and Unafraid.” The drama opens at the theater’s Detroit location and runs through Dec. 13. The Detroit Mercy Theatre Company begins its 56th season with Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice” in the Black Box Theatre on campus. That run ends Nov. 15.
Comedy and poetry events fill the remaining venues. Registered nurse John Dela Cruz performs “Nurse John: Against Medical Advice” at the Fillmore Detroit on Friday. Newscaster Don Lemon and comedian DL Hughley team up for “Anything Goes” at the Masonic Jack White Theatre, also on Friday. The All-City Poetry Slam Finals are set for 8 p.m. Friday at Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, followed by the Decent Collective’s Dubstep Finals on Saturday.
Other scheduled events include Shelly Smith’s one-person show “On Hold” at Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck, which runs through Nov. 14. COSM Detroit screens “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” through New Year’s Eve. “Sesame Street Live: Elmo’s Got the Moves” plays at the Fox Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 8.
In Ann Arbor, Colorado poet Andre Gibson presents “Love Letter From the Afterlife” at the Michigan Theater on Sunday. Megan Falley also performs. Tickets and schedules for all listed events are available through the respective venue websites.
