2014 Charlotte Fall Theater Preview
Duke Energy Theater
Spirit Square
345 N. College St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
(704) 372-1000
www.blumenthalarts.org
Dates: Sept. 26 to Oct. 4, 2014
Locally based Evening Star Productions reprises its sell-out show of 2012, Lorraine Hansberry classic "A Raisin In the Sun," at Spirit Square. The play opened on Broadway in 1959 with Sidney Poitier in the starring role, and enjoyed a Broadway revival this spring starring Denzel Washington. Tony Mullins, who stars as Walter Lee Younger, also directs the production. Evening Star was last seen at Spirit Square in 2013's "Crumbs from the Table of Joy."
Davidson Community Players
Armour Street Theatre
307 Armour St.
Davidson, NC 28036
(704) 892-7953
www.davidsoncommunityplayers.org
Dates: Oct. 2-19, 2014
Davidson's excellent community theater presents "Dixie Swim Club," a tour-de-force of Southern charm and comedy starring five of the area's top female actresses. The play is one of the most popular plays written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, known collectively as Jones Hope Wooten, a fabulously successful playwriting team with 14 comedies and over 3,000 productions so far. The play takes place over a span of 34 years, offering excellent opportunities for the cast to test their limits. The Davidson Players conclude the 2014 season with the holiday classic "It's a Wonderful Life" from December 4-21.
Theatre Charlotte
501 Queens Road
Charlotte, NC 28207
(704) 376-3777
www.theatrecharlotte.org
Dates: Sept. 5-21, 2014
Some of Theatre Charlotte's best productions are musicals and the cast is bound to pull out the stops with this musical romp. Based on the 1984 film (remade in 2011) of the same name, the musical debuted on Broadway in 1998 for a two-year run. The energetic dance numbers are set to familiar '80s tunes with additional songs by Kenny Loggins. Theatre Charlotte continues its season with "To Kill a Mockingbird," a drama based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, October 24 to November 9, followed by the classic "A Christmas Carol" from December 5-14.
Belk Theater
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
130 N. Tryon St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
(704) 372-1000
www.blumenthalarts.org
Dates: Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, 2014
The Blumenthal continues its tradition of bringing the best of Broadway to the Charlotte stage with "Once," winner of eight Tony Awards in 2012. The play, based on a 2007 Irish film, is highly praised for its music, innovative staging and its star-crossed story of a Dublin street musician and his muse. The talented cast of actor/musicians plays the score onstage, including the Oscar-winning "Falling Slowly." The PNC Broadway Lights series next features the enchanting Tony-winning musical "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella" from November 4-9. And on December 1, there will be a one-night presentation of the Broadway smash hit "Sister Act," a musical comedy produced by Whoopi Goldberg, who starred in the 1992 comedy film of the same name.
Actor's Theatre of Charlotte (ACT)
650 E. Stonewall St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
(704) 342-2251
www.atcharlotte.org
Dates: Sept. 3-20, 2014
Selected as the winning play by both audience and judges at the Actor's Theatre 2013 nuVoices Festival, "River City" explores a half-century of secrets in Louisville, Kentucky. Written by Louisville playwright Diana Grisanti, the play will tour nationally as part of the select National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere program, enjoying productions at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis and Borderlands Theater in Tucson in addition to its Charlotte run. The ACT season continues October 22 to November 8 with "Vanya & Sonia & Marsha & Spike," a comedy by Christopher Durang, which won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2013. The professional theater company closes out 2014 with "The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical" from December 3-28.
Related: How To Get Involved In Charlotte's Theater Community
