Theater Blossoms this Spring at the Tobin

 

The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts has comedy and tragedy, drama and musicals lined up for the spring season. The Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater is a black box arena offering world class presentations and performances. The H-E-B Performance Hall with its state-of-the art flexible design, can be transformed to suit any theme from an elegant upscale soiree to an iconic South Texas Celebration for 2,100 of your closest friends. Let’s take a look at upcoming theater performances.

 

Late Nite Catechism: Las Vegas is coming soon to the Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater. This comedy, part of the Tobin Center EDGE Series, runs February 25-28. The convent needs a new roof, so the order has decided that Sister (who has 25 years of gambling experience running the church bingo) will organize a Las Vegas night as a fundraiser.

Kimberly Richards, Late Nite star, tackles topics ranging from show girls and live animal acts to the dangers of drive-through marriage chapels. Don’t be late for this show. Don’t chew gum. Don’t make noise. Don’t make Sister angry. You won’t like Sister when she’s angry. Find ticket details here.

 

Next door to the Carlos Alvarez Theater is the H-E-B Performance Hall. Bravo Broadway, which hits the stage February 26 and 27, will appeal to the music lover.

Christiane Noll and Doug LaBreque, two renowned Broadway stars, will bring songs from some of the world’s most popular musicals. Akiko Fujimoto will conduct the orchestra for tunes from such musicals as West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Cats, Chicago, Les Misérables, Mamma Mia! and Phantom of the Opera. Visit the Tobin’s website to reserve your tickets for this dynamic and energetic concert.

 

Another performance at the H-E-B Performance Hall is the Woody Allen hit, Bullets Over Broadway. This musical comedy about the making of a Broadway show comes to the stage for one night only, March 6.

In Allen’s 1994 film, a struggling playwright in 1928 is forced to cast a mobster’s talentless girlfriend in order to move forward with his latest drama. In 2014, director Susan Stroman added choreography and took it to Broadway. Bullets has been touring ever since.

 

The sly humor of Woody Allen mixes with jazz and popular standards from the 1920s. A New York mobster makes the playwright an offer that he can’t refuse. This production is a hilarious musical that you can’t refuse. You will certainly get a bang for your buck. Visit the Tobin’s website for your reservation.

 

Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown, has been a classic of children’s literature for 60 years. So has The Runaway Bunny, Brown’s endearing pretend tale about leaving home. The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia will bring their animal puppets, spectacular scenic effects and expressive music to the H-E-B Performance Hall on March 7 for a re-creation of both stories.

 

A family-friendly show time (6:30 pm) and price ($9.00) will ensure an enjoyable kids’ night out. This is a perfect way to introduce a new generation to theater. Visit the Tobin’s website for tickets.

 

Meanwhile, back at the Carlos Alvarez Theater, Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man will be presented March 17-19 by the EDGE Series. In this new comedy, audiences are welcomed into a fun-filled world of foolproof moves and insider advice that could only be culled from that most insightful of individuals: the gay man.

The play is set at a local university auditorium where the English Department holds a monthly ‘Meet the Authors’ event. Robyn is the shy and studious moderator and his featured author is Dan Anderson of Sex Tips. The third character is Stefan, a hunky stage assistant.

 

Thwarting Robyn’s attempts to moderate a scholarly discussion of the book, Dan aims to entertain those in attendance with a highly theatrical, audience-interactive sex tip seminar. Will the power of Dan’s tips prove too titillating for Robyn to resist?  Will Stefan’s muscles be used for more than moving heavy scenery?  You’ll have to catch the performance to find out. Click here for tickets.

 

Almost 40 years ago, Baby Boomers were moving and grooving to the Bee Gees hits, “Stayin’ Alive,” “Jive Talking,” “You Should Be Dancing,” and “How Deep is Your Love,” from the film, Saturday Night Fever.

 

On March 28, the musical performance will come to the H-E-B Hall with your favorite tunes as well as several new songs written especially for this production. Relive the age-old tale of young Tony Manero as he learns the value of life in the Brooklyn nightlife. Who knows? You may awaken your inner John Travolta. Find tickets here.

 

Another type of classic is presented by the Valero Classics Concert series and co-sponsored by Opera San Antonio. Il Trovatore will be presented March 31 and April 2 in the H-E-B Performance Hall.

In the 1929 film, The Cocoanuts, the Marx Brothers played the “Anvil Chorus” on a cash register. Younger fans may remember the tune from Sylvester & Tweety and other cartoons. Come hear the song as it was meant to be heard in the masterpiece opera by Giuseppe Verdi.

 

Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick stars in an outstanding cast of American singers in this concert performance which is guaranteed to win new fans to the timeless glories of Italian opera. Make your reservations at the Tobin Box Office.   

 

Roberto Prestigiacomo, the Producing Artistic Director at AtticRep, said Secrets of a Soccer Mom will run at the Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater from April 7-17. This comedy by Kathleen Clark revolves around a mother/son soccer game gone terribly askew.

Three engaging women reluctantly take the field in a soccer challenge with their sons. They originally intend to let their kids win but they soon turn from sideline supporters into intense adversaries. Crisp dialogue punctuates fall on your face fun as the mothers reignite the independence and sexuality of their youth before the responsibilities of parenthood got the upper hand. Secrets of a Soccer Mom will resonate with every parent. Find your tickets here.

 

Also at the Carlos Alvarez is Listen to your Mother, a series of original readings performed live on stage by their authors on April 23.

This is a perfect production to get you in the mood for Mother’s Day. Listen to Your Mother is part of a movement to give motherhood a microphone in 41 cities across the United States and Canada. The mission is to take the audience on a well-crafted journey that celebrates and validates the maternal arts through giving voice to motherhood in all of its complexity, diversity, and humor.

 

This reading will support motherhood through artistic expression as well as a local non-profit organization. A portion of ticket sales will benefit Child Advocates of San Antonio. Find your ticket at the Tobin’s website.