As we head into September, the leaves of summer stock Shakespeare productions are starting to curl into a Greater Lansing theater season teeming with artistry, entertainment and even some new plays!
This month, the curtain rises on season-opening shows that offer our community the chance to bliss out and sing along, consider climate change and women’s suffrage and experience new works brought to life by local talent. Let’s go behind the curtain and explore the six shows opening this month.
“Annie”
Lebowsky Center for Performing Arts
The sun will come out for two weekends at the Lebowsky Center for Performing Arts in Owosso. We all know the story: Little orphan, very spunky, classic family musical. The Owosso community has decided that it’s time to revisit this tale of a penniless little girl asking the most powerful billionaire in America for the thing she wants most: to find her real parents. Rags, riches and a whole lot of singing middle schoolers promise a heartwarming kickoff to the school year.
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”
Peppermint Creek Theatre Co.
Before Taylor Swift, there was Carole King, one of the most successful female songwriters of all time. Her classics, such as “You’ve Got a Friend,” “One Fine Day” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” were made famous by stars from James Taylor to Aretha Franklin. Now 82, King continues to make headlines and perform, most recently at a virtual Swifties for Kamala Harris fundraiser. In “Beautiful,” audiences go all the way back to the story of a young Carole Klein to find out how this songwriter from Brooklyn, New York, became one of the most iconic musicians in the world.
“In Pieces” and “P/A”
Michigan State University Department of Theatre
That little-known cultural hub just past Frandor will mount two distinctly different theater performances this month. “In Pieces,” a new musical by Joey Contreras, weaves together the love stories of six people across three different chapters of life. MSU students will have the opportunity to workshop the show under the guidance of a Broadway-caliber director and leadership from MSU’s theater department and the Wharton Center. As a former MSU “theater kid” myself, I can say that tech week in the Pasant was the experience of a lifetime, especially for a 19-year-old.
“P/A” is a work of devised theater by Department of Theatre assistant Professor Alexandria Davis, a postmodern choreographer who uses dance to explore social commentary and advocate for liberation and alternative narratives. “P/A” draws inspiration from women’s suffrage, and audiences can expect the show to challenge and confront their preconceived notions of gender roles. In a world that demands women are seen and not heard, this piece in MSU’s Storefront Series invites the audience to reflect on women’s historical struggle to be unapologetically authentic.
“Thirst”
Williamston Theatre
This month, our very own local equity theater opens its season with a play of firsts! Written by Chicago-based playwright, actor and director Terry Guest, “Thirst” is Williamston Theatre’s first-ever commission, a world-premiere show about a dystopian future in Michigan where water is on everyone’s minds. In an interview with Pride Source, Williamston Theatre co-founder and artistic director Tony Caselli described how he was so moved by seeing Guest’s work that he approached him and asked for a show about water rights, human rights and “the need to profit off of everything.” The result? A murder-mystery thriller with humor and intrigue focused around something as decidedly unique as the Great Lakes and the people who care about them.
“Pickleball”
Riverwalk Theatre
In the run-up to “Pickleball’s” debut at Chelsea’s Purple Rose Theatre Co., theater founder and playwright Jeff Daniels told Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest he sees the sport as “half-court basketball for elderly people.” According to an article by The Pickler, Daniels couldn’t understand his wife’s fascination with the sport. But he did what all great artists do and responded to the times we’re living in with a play about the sport that’s taking our fitness centers by storm. Two years later, “Pickleball” has made headlines around the country as a wild comedy that celebrates the triumphs of middle age without any apologies, excuses or room for weakness.
“Annie”
Sept. 6-8 and 13-15
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday
2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Lebowsky Center for Performing Arts
122 E. Main St., Owosso
(989) 723-4003
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”
Sept. 6-8, 12-15 and 19-22
7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday
2 p.m. Sunday; Sept. 21
Stage One at Sycamore Creek Eastwood
2200 Lake Lansing Road, Lansing
(517) 927-3016
“In Pieces”
Sept. 19, 21-22
7 p.m. Thursday, Saturday
2 p.m. Sunday
Wharton Center Pasant Theatre
750 E. Shaw Lane, East Lansing
(517) 355-6690
“Thirst”
Sept. 12-Oct. 20
Opening weekend showtimes:
7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday
2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Rest of run showtimes:
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday
2 p.m. Thursday, Saturday-Sunday
Williamston Theatre
122 S. Putnam St., Williamston
(517) 655-7469
“P/A”
Sept. 24-27, 29
7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday
8 p.m. Friday
2 p.m. Sunday
Studio 60 Theatre
542 Auditorium Road, East Lansing
(517) 355-6690
“Pickleball”
Sept. 26-29 and Oct. 3-6
7 p.m. Thursday
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday
2 p.m. Sunday
Riverwalk Theatre
228 Museum Drive, Lansing
(517) 482-5700
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