ON THEATER: A festive fundraiser

If you’re one of those theater-oriented people who complain that there’s never anything to do on a Monday, Laguna Beach’s Gallimaufry Performing Arts has a treat for you.

This coming Monday, Gallimaufry will celebrate its fifth anniversary with an evening of festivity at the Irvine Improv, and the tab is only $35.

“The cheapest fundraiser you’ve ever been invited to,” comments Steve Josephson, executive director of Gallimaufry. “It’s an evening of food, drink, fun, games, prizes and musical comedy.”

That price not only gets you a drink and an appetizer, it also offers an evening of bingo and horse racing, interrupted only by performances from a number of musicals, hosted by the cast of Gallimaufry’s recent comedy “Sordid Lives.”

“Our best singers will be performing the best songs from our best shows,” Josephson promised.

Those show tunes will be excerpted from musicals such as “42nd Street,” “A Chorus Line,” “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “Red, Hot & Cole,” “Carousel,” “South Pacific” and “Cabaret.”

In addition, Gallimaufry will offer patrons some sneak previews of its stage productions for the 2009-10 season.

The big event gets underway at 7 p.m. at the Improv in the Irvine Spectrum, 71 Fortune Drive #841, in Irvine.

You can obtain more information or purchase tickets by going to the company’s website at www.gallimaufry.org/ birthday.html or by calling (949) 499-5060.

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Coastline Pilot.