Drama, comedy, music -- three local venues

Tom Titus

There’s plenty of theater waiting in the wings in Huntington Beach

these days as three local productions prepare to strut and fret their

respective hours on the stage.

First up, opening this weekend at the Huntington Beach Playhouse, is

“A Man for All Seasons,” Robert Bolt’s historical drama focusing on King

Henry VIII’s campaign to divorce his first wife, defying the Catholic

Church’s prohibitions and the conscience of its lord chancellor,

SirThomas More.

For the Huntington Beach players, it’s the second time around for

“Seasons,” which they first staged back in 1982 when they were

sequestered in a storefront theater in the Seacliff Village shopping

center. That production stretched the dimensions of the facility, as did

musicals such as “Carousel” and “West Side Story.”

Now the playhouse has a spacious proscenium theater in the Huntington

Beach Library complex, where “A Man for All Seasons” will unfold Friday

evening under the direction of David Colwell. Playgoers will be

transported back in time to Henry VIII’s reign and his efforts to shed

his wife, Catherine of Aragon, so he may wed a second, the ill-fated Anne

Boleyn. Only the stubborn archbishop, Sir Thomas More, stands

insurmountably in his path.

Featured in the Huntington Beach production are Mark Ciarrocchi, David

Colley, Tony Grande, Richard C. Hawkes, Annie Mezzacappa, Christian

Morgan, Maria O’Connor, Mark Pulsipher, Joe Schulein, Tom Turnley and

Ivar Vasco.

“A Man for All Seasons” will be presented through May 12 with

performances Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8

p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Central Library Theater, 7111

Talbert Ave., Huntington Beach. Call (714) 375-0696 for ticket

information.

Academy presents “You Can’t Take it With You”

Opening the following weekend, for a brief four-day engagement, is the

Pulitzer Prize-winning Kaufman-Hart comedy “You Can’t Take It With You,”

a production of the Academy for Performing Arts at Huntington Beach High

School.

The eccentricities of a New York family in the midst of the Great

Depression run rampant in this often-farcical play punctuated with

fireworks and fire water. If you thought the movie “Meet the Parents” was

funny, wait till you catch this impromptu introduction.

Performances of “You Can’t Take It With You” will be presented May 2-4

at 7:30 p.m. and May 5 at 2 p.m. in the high school auditorium, 1905 Main

St., Huntington Beach. Tickets are $8 for general admission and $5 for

students and senior citizens. Call the Academy of Performing Arts office

at (714) 536-2514, Ext. 302, during office hours for details.

Pirates of Penzance at Golden West College

On the following weekend, musical theater returns to Golden West

College with Gilbert and Sullivan’s satiric confection “The Pirates of

Penzance,” playing May 10-19 in the Golden West College Mainstage

Theater.

Grant Rosen is directing the lyrical comedy and periodic social

satire, with musical direction by Bruce Bales.

“Our production will remain true to the music, lyrics, book and

traditional stylings that are essential to any staging of ‘The Pirates of

Penzance’,” the directors promise. “Just as importantly, we will work to

recapture the freshness of spirit that makes this show timeless.”

Tickets for “Pirates” are $18.50 for general admissions and $16.50

with a Gold Key Card. The show plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and

Sundays at 3 p.m. for two weekends, and tickets may be ordered at the

Golden West College box office, (714) 895-8150.