Theatre III back live with rom-com
Acton’s Theatre III joins the growing throng of theaters across the region that are slowly, but surely, returning to live performances with a production of the rom-com “Lovers and Other Strangers” Nov. 5-7 and Nov. 12-13 at its Central Street, West Acton, home.
The stalwart community group, around since the mid-’50s, is thrilled to return to live shows after a long, COVIDinduced hiatus.
The show is written by the real-life married theater couple Joseph Bologna and Renee Taylor and directed by Theatre III’s married thespians Shahn and Ed Knights. It’s an evening of five untitled comedic one-acts about love, marriage and more.
The first deals with the leadup to a seduction, while the second involves a couple’s problems with infidelity. In the third, a husband and wife quarrel over passion, while the fourth finds a father and mother struggling to help their son feel confident about his marriage. In the fifth, a groom gets cold feet the night before his wedding.
Tickets are $22, adult; $19 for senior/student. Call 978263-9070 for reservations or visit ticketstage.com/T/TIII to purchase tickets online.
In other Theatre III news, auditions for “Puffs,” the February show, will be held at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9 and 10. For info and signups, visit signupgenius.com/ go/8050f45aaaf29a57-puffs. Its spring show is “James and the Giant Peach” with performance dates TBA.
In the Wings
BROADWAY’S BACK » Lowell joins countless cities across the country in celebrating the return of the Great White Way with a new Broadway Series at Lowell Memorial Auditorium in 2022. Lowell Management Group announced the threeshow lineup this week along with a subscription package to go with it. Shows include “Rent 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour” on Jan. 17; “The Simon and Garfunkel Story,” a concert-style show, March 26; and “An American in Paris,” the George Gershwin classic, May 17. All shows at 7:30 p.m. The three-show subscription package goes on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. Individual tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Nov. 19. Visit www.lowellauditorium.com or call 1-800- 657-8774 for info.
A MONSTER SHOW » The Players’ Ring Theatre of Portsmouth, N.H., sets the stage for a creepy Halloween weekend and into November with a new production of “Frankenstein,” based on Mary Shelley’s horror masterpiece. Adapted and directed by Bretton Reis, it plays Friday through Nov. 14. “You may know the story of Frankenstein’s blind ambition and his grotesque creature, but you’ve never seen it told quite like this,” notes the theater’s website. “It will chill you to the bone.” Performances Fridays
and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. General admission $25; students and seniors (65+), $22 at https: playersring.org/frankenstein/.
FRIDAY SCREENING » Ever wonder what it’s like to cross the Atlantic in a 53foot sailboat? Experience the sensation at the screening of “Hard to the Wind” at 7 p.m. Friday at Chelmsford Center for the Arts, 1A North Road. It’s a story of wind and wave, sun and rain, terror and boredom, chaos and adventure aboard the 53foot Brava as she crosses the ocean during spring of 2019. Filmmaker Matt Scott, the captain and some crew will be there for a post-screening Q&A. Free but donations to
CCA are welcome. Proof of COVID vaccination and masks required. Visit www.chelmsfordarts.org. SAVE THE DATE » Image Theater of Lowell returns to a live performance format on Dec. 2 with “City Stories: A Celebration of the Spoken and Written Word.” It takes place in the upstairs space at the Old Court, 29 Central St., at 7:30 p.m. and includes song, poetry and prose and features local authors, actors and musicians. $15 advanced purchase required. For COVID policy and tickets, visit www.imagetheater.com.
‘PRETTY WOMAN’ » Tickets are on sale now for “Pretty Woman: The Musical,” playing Citizens Bank Opera House Jan. 18-30 as part of the Broadway in Boston season. Based on the popular Hollywood film, it’s directed by Jerry Mitchell, a two-time Tony Award winner. Tickets start at $39.50 at www.BroadwayInBoston.com or the box office.