Funny Money: Last years screen adaptation of this Ray Cooney farce, starring Chevy Chase and Penelope Ann Miller, made a splash on the film festival circuit, then sank without a trace. The Copperstate staging of Cooneys original play promises to stick around for at least a month in its Valley première. Set in England, Cooneys story involves a mild-mannered accountant, a briefcase full of cash, and a dead guy whos been pumped full of lead. Lets hope this production doesnt also include phony British accents, which always spell death for across-the-pond comedies produced locally. Funny Money plays at the Copperstate Dinner Theater, 3801 E. Washington (inside Phoenix Greyhound Park), through April 8. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings, with dinner at 6:30 and curtain at 8. Sunday Supper Shows offer dinner at 5:30 and a 7:00 curtain. The $32.95 ticket price includes dinner and the show. Phone in your reservations to 602-279-3129.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona: The gentlemen in question are Old Wills Valentine and Proteus, old pals who are striking out for Milan, although Proteus hopes to bag the fair Julia and would rather stay behind. Once in Milan, the usual cross-dressing, mistaken identities, and presumed infidelities ensue (hey, its Shakespeare), but after much iambic pentameter, everyone gets laid and goes home happy — even the servants! Southwest Shakespeares production takes the stage next week and plays through March 24 at the Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. in Mesa. Call 480-641-7039 for tickets and showtimes.
Guys and Dolls: Nathan Detroit, Arvide Abernathy, and Harry the Horse are returning to us, this time by way of Phoenix Theatres current production of Frank Loessers famed musical. Adapted from several short stories by Damon Runyon, most notably The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown and Pick the Winner, Guys and Dolls bowed on Broadway in 1950 and ran for 1200 performances. It won the 1951 Tony Award for Best Musical, and has been revived three times since. Most of us can hum at least part of the score — which includes now-classic selections like Luck Be a Lady and A Bushel and a Peck — a fact that Phoenix Theatre, which excels at staging well-known musicals, is probably counting on. This production is directed by Michael Barnard and features a Whos Who of local musical theater talent, including Robert Kolby Harper (as Nathan Detroit), Kristen Drathman, Dion Johnson, and Black Theatre Troupes David Hemphill. Through March 18 at Phoenix Theatre, 100 E. McDowell Rd. Call 602-254-2151 for more information.
Suds: Local critics havent much liked this goofball extravaganza of tunes from the 1960s, and who can blame them? Of the innumerable inane musical revues that attempt to wrap era-specific pop songs around a slim story, this ones the hokiest. To sell its silly tale of a Laundromat owner who attempts suicide and is cornered by a trio of guardian angels, a troupe really needs talented singers with a wide range of singing styles. Reportedly, Desert Stages has chosen a different route. But there are always audiences who dont care whos crooning Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman, You Cant Hurry Love, or Wishing and Hoping; they just want their big slice of 60s pie. This one may be mincemeat, but itll be playing for months on end: Desert Stages plans to keep Suds afloat until April in its Theatres Actors Café at 4720 North Scottsdale Road. Curtain is at 7:30 on Fridays and Saturdays; tickets are $20-$25. Call 480-483-1664 for reservations.
