Several big plays are on the horizon.
 Auditions are happening Jan. 14 and 15 at casa for  a new thriller Hatrix will be putting on at McNally School in May.
 Karolyn Harker is excited about Frederick Knott’s  “Wait until Dark, a newly revised play that was first put on in 1966 and turned into a hit 1967 movie starring Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin.

 It is about sinister con man  Roat and ex convicts Mike and Carlino who are seeking a mysterious doll, which a strange woman has persuaded a blind woman Susy’s husband to transport across the border into Canada. Jeffrey Hatcher revised the play for Broadway in 2013.

 The men have convinced Susy that her husband Sam Hendrix has been implicated in the mystery woman’s murder and that the doll is evidence. She figures out the charade with her young neighbour’s help. The thriller takes place at McNally school at the end of May. Rehearsals will begin  in January after the play is cast.

Auditions for The Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society‘s production of the comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor have also been announced. They will be Jan. 30 at the University of Lethbridge and at Casa, Jan. 31. Callbacks will be  Feb. 1 at Casa. Auditions will be held in groups, so sign up for a time slot at https://doodle.com/poll/vy49id8ard9b8dqt.
Prepare a 1-2 minute monologue from any genre and be prepared to move. Playgoers of Lethbridge brings another Broadway hit to the Sterndale Bennett Theatre, Feb. 19-22 with Sean Devine’s drama “Daisy.” Rita Peterson is directing this play about the infamous 1964 election ad which launched the era of negative advertising.

New West Theatre “Celebrates” 30 years with a whole lot of humour in this year’s music-comedy revue— with an emphasis on comedy.

 The talented cast, including long time members and directors Erica Hunt and Scott Carpenter, representing each of the past three decades, delved back through 30 years of scripts and songs to design this show. Hunt, Carpenter and co musical director Kathy Zaborsky represent the ’90s, Jessica Ens and Grahame Renyk represent the 2000s and Katie Fellger and  Rylan Kunkel represent the 2010s.

 As always the cast exude joy and happiness and a strong Up with People vibe through singing and dancing, and as always, the comedy which especially stands out in this one.
 They open with  “ A Little Less Conversation” and things just get funnier.

 There are  nuns, mounties , streakers and cast members  playing old people cracking jokes about their spouses.
 And every cast member gets to  show off their many talents.
 Scott Carpenter pretty much steals this show. Because while he is usually known for comedy, he shows off his exceptional singing voice on several  songs, both solo and as a group.

 They guys all show off their voices on a a capella version of Love Potion #9.

 They all dress in their ’60s best on the Mama and Papas ’ “California Dreaming,” with Carpenter dressed as Mama Cass.
 Rylan Kunkel shows off his saxophone on “Just A Gigolo,” featuring Carpenter doing his best crooner impression. Kunkel also tries his hand on the grand piano for an impressive version of Elton John’s  “Your Song,” though it was a shame is back was to the audience.  Kathy Zaborsky shows off her beautiful operatic voice and piano prowess on grand piano on Chiquita, a duet with co-musical director/ guitarist Scott Mezei.

 Drummer Keenan Pezderic steps out from behind the drums for a couple of comedy bits as well as shows off his baritone in Love potion #9— he usually sings in a falsetto when he plays with his funk/ R and B band Adequate, which also features Scott Mezei.

Jessica Ens  belts out  a couple numbers including “ Holding Out For a Hero,” which adds comedy by featuring superheroes Superman (Scott Carpenter, trying to get out of his Clark Kent clothes and into his Superman tights,” Batman (Grahame Renyk strutting around the stage) and harry Potter (Rylan Kunkel appearing out of a side door by the end of the song. Ens also belts out another Bonnie Tyler classic “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” The country part of the show comes courtesy of Kathy Zaborsky and Rylan Kunkel singing a duet of “Act naturally.” Kunkel also plays the Strek, cracking up both cast members Erica Hunt and Scott Carpenter during a hilarious version of the Ray Stevens classic.
 There are a lot of comedic highlights including Grahame Renyk and Kunkel as the Irish nuns and Scott Carpenter as  the Mountie.

New West Theatre takes kids of all ages on a their new pirate themed adventure “ The Legend of the Lost Tooth, ” running at the Sterndale Bennett Theatre until Jan. 4 at 1 p.m. each afternoon.
 The talented cast of Kelly Malcolm, Erica Barr and Ryan Reese under the tutelage of writer/director   Nicola Elson, tell the story of a little girl who loses her tooth in a French  cafe, but with nary a word of dialogue.

 Instead  of dialogue there is a lot of physical actions, miming and puppets with  a few exhorted words in  French like “L’amour,” and “Incroyable, plus the odd utterances of  “tooth” “play” “clue” and “swim.”

The actors collaborated with director Nicole  Elson and composer Kathy Zaborsky to create this piece of devised theatre. Zaborsky’s soundtrack is  a beautiful combination of classical piano, accordion to create the French cafe atmosphere and a touch of jazz, plus a few bars of “La Vie de Rose” to reflect the love story between the Maitre De and the lady.

 Familiar face Kelly Malcolm steals the show as always. Several of the kids in the front row recognized her from previous New West’s Theatre for Young Audiences shows,” as just before the production, she recruited them to play fish later in the show.

 It is a weird show, but also entertaining. It reminded me of Mr. Bean if he was part of a pirate adventure.
 It is colourful, there is a lot of movement, and three fantastic masks, but it takes a while for the story to get started.