Regional community theater is abundant and varied in May, with a celebration of a local playwright; the arrival of a recent, unexpected Broadway smash; a classic comedy, and iconic children’s characters taking the stage.
In Scranton, Actors Circle presents “The Works of Art Walsh,” beginning with one performance Thursday, and then continuing for two weekends.
Walsh said a lot of his characters come straight from bars he tended in New York and locally. One day a man walked into a bar, started drinking Absolut on the rocks and eventually admitted his real name was god — spelled with a small “g.” Walsh was not put off.
“No, he was kind of interesting,” he said. “You meet all kinds of interesting people tending bar, you really do.”
The audience is left to draw their own conclusions about the man in “‘Small g,” one of two short plays on the program. Director Ciaran Burke said it is witty, but leaves a lot to think about.
The other part of the program is “Wrangler,” a Western farce with dim locals and a couple trying to steal a bag of money. It’s “very silly,” Burke said.
Playwright Art Walsh (Actors Circle)
Among those appearing in the “The Works of Art Walsh” at Actors Circle will be: Kandis Hill, Frank Carey, Chris Eibach, and Ray Hopkins. (Actors Circle)
Actors Circle presents “The Works of Art Walsh” May 1-4, and 9-11, at Providence Playhouse, 1256 Providence Road, Scranton. Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10-$15. Reservations: 570-342-9707. Pay cash at the door or buy tickets online at www.actorscircle.com. Pictured, back row from left: Gregg Germano, Tiffany Atkins, Phil Minnich; Ciaran Burke, director; Lisa Benedict, Stephen Rinaldi, Kandis Hill; and Jeff Ginsberg, producer. Kneeling from left: Austin Monahan and Dana Jackson Burke, stage manager. (SUBMITTED)
Merrily We Roll Along. (Music Box Dinner Playhouse)
Mike Wawrzynek, Elisabeth Spencer, Ben Steltz play three old friends in show business (Music Box Dinner Playhouse)
Walsh, 84, has been writing, directing and acting at various regional theaters since coming to the area in the mid 1980s.
“He’s led a very long, interesting life,” Burke said.
Actors Circle’s home is the Providence Playhouse, 1256 Providence Road, Scranton. Shows are Thursday through Sunday and May 9 through 11. Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows are at 7 p.m. Sundays are at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $10 to $15. Reservations: 570-342-9707. Pay cash at the door or buy tickets online at actorscircle.com.
In Swoyersville, “Merrily We Roll Along” begins Friday at the Music Box Dinner Playhouse. For decades it was known as one of composer Stephen Sondheim’s rare flops. Reworked and staged with a big name cast, it got good reviews, became a hot ticket on Broadway and won several Tony Awards in 2024.
It is told in reverse chronological order over decades, tracking the personal and professional lives of three people who began as close friends in the 1950s. Last year, it won the Tony Award for best musical revival and for orchestration. Jonathan Groff won best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical and Daniel Radcliffe won best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical.
Beginning this week, it runs Fridays through Sundays, until May 18, at the Music Box Dinner Playhouse, 196 Hughes St. Friday and Saturday shows start at 8 p.m., following dinner. Sunday afternoon shows, following the buffet, begin at 3.
There are tickets for dinner and a show, or the show only. There is a $3 discount for opening weekend tickets using the code “HeyOldFriends.” Adult show-only tickets are $25, plus fees. Dinner and the show for adults is $60. Show-only student tickets are $20. There are two options for children’s tickets that include dining. See: musicbox.ticketleap.com. Or call 570-283-2195.
The Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre is producing “Arsenic and Old Lace,” a popular Broadway play and then a Cary Grant movie in the 1940s. It’s a staple of community theaters and schools. Genteel murder is played as farce. The show runs weekends, May 9 through 18, at 537 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 p.m. Sunday shows are at 3 p.m. Tickets at ltwb.org or call the box office at 570-823-1875. Tickets are $20.
Also beginning May 9, “Seussical” is on stage in Hazleton for one weekend, with youth performers of the Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts.
The Sunday show, at 3 p.m. will be a sensory-friendly performance, in cooperation with the Collaborative Autism Movement. The full show will be produced, but without an intermission and with sound and lights adjusted to reduce the risk of overstimulation. The audience is free to move around. Quiet areas, sensory aids and other resources will be available.
Other showtimes are Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 3 and 7 p.m. “Seussical” prices are: adults: $24; seniors and students: $20; and children ages 5 to 12: $15. Available at: ptpashows.org.
In Pottsville’s Majestic Theater, performers between ages 5 and 11 will put on “Winnie the Pooh Kids” the weekend of May 16. It is based on the classic stories and the Disney movie. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7 p.m. and Sunday’s show is at 2 p.m. Tickets for ages 12 and over are $15, those younger get it free with a paying adult. Tickets: majestictheater.net. Address: 209 N. Centre St.