The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Arizona Theatre Company's favorite playwright, Jeffrey Hatcher (Turn of the Screw, Tuesdays With Morrie, Ella), has adapted Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story of evil, dual personalities, and grisly murder for another ATC world première. Not to be confused with the wildly popular musical version by Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse, this adaptation presents a series of scenes that depict Jekyll-Hyde events from differing perspectives. Directed by ATC Artistic Director David Ira Goldstsein and featuring R. Hamilton Wright, Ken Ruta, Stephen D'Ambrose, and Anna Bullard, the show runs through February 24 at the Herberger Theatre Center, 222 East Monroe Street. Call 602-256-6899 for showtimes and ticket prices.
Fiddler on the Roof: It is, of course, too much to ask that we should make it through a single theater season without this kosher chestnut getting dusted off for our perusal. God forbid we should have to not hear "If I Were a Rich Man" or "Sunrise, Sunset" for a whole year, and so the valley's premier dinner theater is schlepping us to Tsarist Russia, circa 1905, for more of Jerry Brock and Sheldon Harnick's instantly recognizable tunes. There, we hope to find a Tevye worthy of the accompanying entrees, which are included in the ticket price for the show. Through March 2. Arizona Broadway Theater is located at 7701 W. Paradise Lane in Peoria. Dinner is served one hour and 45 minutes before curtain; showtimes are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday matinees at 2:00 p.m., Sunday matinees at 1 p.m., and Sunday twilight shows at 7 p.m. Ticket prices are $39-$49, which includes dinner, show, and tax. Call the box office at 623-776-8400, and tell them Hodel sent you.
Gilligan's Island: The Musical: For those of us who can't get enough of the Professor and! Mary Ann!, Gilligan creator Sherwood Schwartz has cobbled together this musical version whose varied distinctions include a world première at Desert Stages, where it is being restaged now through the end of March. Fans will thrill to the sounds of Thurston Howell III singing "It's Good to Be Rich" and watching everyone's favorite TV scientist bellowing "The Professor's Lament." The rest of us will, well, probably stay home. Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale through March 29 at 4720 North Scottsdale Road. Curtain is at 7:30 on Fridays and Saturdays. Call 480-483-1664 for reservations and ticket prices.
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change: Anyone needing proof that we will never, ever be free of Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts' 12-year-old comic musical should consider these two facts: I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change is currently off-Broadway's longest-running musical, and this Desert Foothills production is one of two currently treading local boards. The play's tagline, "Everything you have ever secretly thought about dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives, and in-laws, but were afraid to admit," will be proved in this version by director Sara Bernstein and players Danette D'Anjou, Ashleigh Hunt, Ben Medina, and Michael Stewart. Through February 17 at Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center, 33606 N. 60th St. in Scottsdale. Call 480-488-1981 for more information.
Nunsensations: The Nunsense Las Vegas Revue: As with any cheeseball network sitcom, it was only a matter of time before Dan Goggin's incredibly popular series of Nunsense sequels went on location. This, the sixth follow-up to the smash original Nunsense, finds the usual bewimpled Brides of Christ (led by Noel Irick, who's reprising her role as Reverend Mother Mary Regina from an earlier Goggin show) acting silly and singing about it. Copperstate Dinner Theater is enormously proud to have scored the Arizona première of this show, directed by Peter Hill and featuring Chrystalle Reed, Laura Webb, and Elizabeth Reeves as some of the other Sisters of Hoboken. Transubstantiation jokes continue through March 9, with a special Valentine's Day performance on Thursday, February 14. The theater is located at Phoenix Greyhound Park, 3801 E. Washington St. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings, with dinner at 6:30 and curtain at 8, and on Sundays at 5:30 with a 7 p.m. curtain. Show and dinner price is $39.95; reservations can be made at 602-279-3129.
