Special Performances
Christmas Belles
December 7-23
By Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, Jamie Wooten
A church Christmas program spins hilariously out of control in this Southern farce about squabbling sisters, family secrets, a surly Santa, a vengeful sheep and a reluctant Elvis impersonator.
It's Christmas-time in the small town of Fayro, Texas, and the Futrelle Sisters—Frankie, Twink and Honey Raye—are not exactly in a festive mood. A cranky Frankie is weeks overdue with her second set of twins. Twink, recently jilted and bitter about it, is in jail for inadvertently burning down half the town. And hot-flash-suffering Honey Raye is desperately trying to keep the Tabernacle of the Lamb's Christmas Program from spiraling into chaos. But things are not looking too promising: Miss Geneva, the ousted director of the previous twenty-seven productions, is ruthless in her attempts to take over the show. The celebrity guest Santa Claus—played by Frankie's long-suffering husband, Dub—is passing a kidney stone. One of the shepherds refuses to watch over his flock by night without pulling his little red wagon behind him. And the entire cast is dropping like flies due to food poisoning from the Band Boosters' Pancake Supper. And when Frankie lets slip a family secret that has been carefully guarded for decades, all hope for a successful Christmas program seems lost, even with an Elvis impersonator at the manger. But in true Futrelle fashion, the feuding sisters find a way to pull together in order to present a Christmas program the citizens of Fayro will never forget. Their hilarious holiday journey through a misadventure-filled Christmas Eve is guaranteed to bring joy to your world!
4th Wall Comedy
Saturday September 8, 8 pm, $12 (date change)
They’re back…
Richardson Theatre Centre is proud to welcome Fourth Wall Comedy back to the stage. Featuring some of Dallas’ most seasoned improvisational comedians, Fourth Wall Comedy presents an energetic and highly-entertaining show. Blending improv comedy with audience participation, Fourth Wall Comedy creates a lively and funny theatrical experience. Each show is unique, using your suggestions for each scene.
If you like to laugh, this is an event not to be missed.
Tickets to this side-splitting event are on sale now. Call Richardson Theatre Centre at (972) 699-1130 for reservations. General admission tickets are $12 with a $2 discount for parties of four or more.
Come see 4th Wall Comedy live one night only!
4th Wall Comedy
Saturday April 28, 8 pm, $15
This comedy troupe has performed all over the country and is bringing their fast paced improvised musical spectacle to your own back yard. Come see why the L.A. Times says, "laugh"..."til"..."I"..."tinkled". Starring: Dan Glaser, Jeff Poteat, Chad Cline, Steve Hargrave, Jason Folks, and Jamey Whitley.
"Fourth"..."wall"..."comedy"..."hilarious" says The New York Times, Variety, and The Chicago Tribune.
All Dressed Up and No Place to Die
A comedy murder-mystery by Kurt Kleinmann
Friday and Saturday, April 20 & 21, 2012, 8 pm, Tickets $10
Reservations are available through the Richardson Theatre Centre box office at 972-699-1130.
It's Harry Hunsacker as you've never seen him! In color and sitting in a chair!
This reading of All Dressed Up And No Place To Die! is the first in a series of readings where the antic adventures of Harry Hunsacker and friends will be presented in chronological order. The series will cover a span of 14 years and begins in 1932 with All Dressed Up And No Place To Die! You can re-live the action just as Harry Hunsacker (world famous detective and aspiring actor), Nigel Grouse (Harry's paid-by-the-hour assistant and friend), and Lt. Foster (of the real police) first experienced it!
In this first adventure, the action takes place aboard the Monogram, a zeppelin similar to the Hindenburg. Guests aboard the largely automated Monogram have been invited to a Halloween party. Much to the horror of Lt. Foster (who has been employed to provide security for the event), Harry and Nigel are among the guests. One of the guests, however, has more on his mind than pleasant party chatter! Harry's wits(?) will be tested by a nefarious villain as Lt. Foster's patience is tested by Harry's every move. Can they join forces long enough to prevent a murder? Join us for an evening of mystery and mirth to find out!
Longtime Pegasus Theatre veteran A. Raymond Banda will direct this special event with a cast that includes series regulars Ben Bryant as Nigel Grouse, Chad Cline as Lt. Foster and Kurt Kleinmann as Harry Hunsacker.
"There are currently a total of 16 plays in the Harry Hunsacker series," says John Harvey, the series producer. "Over the years we've had numerous requests from audience members for us to provide them with a way to 'catch up' with the plays they've missed. Now there's no excuse to miss a single one!"
Please note this is a readers theatre production and no Living Black & White™ makeup, costumes, props, set, or lighting will be used as part of the reading.
Dearly Departed will not be performing on February 10 and 11.
The following groups will be at the theatre on those dates.
Friday, February 10, 8 pm
Of COURSE I Remembered It’s Valentine’s Day, Honey!
Improv Group
Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and what better way to celebrate than treating your sweetheart to a rare theatrical adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ “The Notebook”?
In case you’d rather not have to sit through that (but still get credit for taking your special someone to the theatre) then come join the fun Friday, February 10 as we present a Rogues’ Gallery of some of the best and brightest improvisational comedians in Dallas. Richardson Theatre Center presents “Of COURSE I Remembered It’s Valentine’s Day, Honey!” featuring (in order of talent*): Ashley Meledeo, Brad Redick, Bryan Hardy, Chad Cline, Dan Glaser, Jamey Whitley, Jason Folks, and Steve Hargrave.
This energetic and highly-entertaining show blends improv comedy with audience participation to create a lively and funny theatrical experience.
* This is also alphabetical order, but we assure you this is purely coincidental.
Saturday, February 11, 7:30 pm
UpSwing Band
Big Band Era Music
The 20-member UpSwing band performs for senior centers, retirement facilities, schools, and events such as meetings and receptions. The group plays Big Band swing, jazz and Latin music of the 30s and 40s, plus a little rock from the 50s and 60s.
Dearly Departed
January 27-February 19
A Comedy by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones
In the Baptist backwoods of the Bible Belt, the beleaguered Turpin family proves that living and dying in the South are seldom tidy and always hilarious, even during their earnest efforts to pull themselves together for their father's funeral. Amidst the chaos, the Turpins turn for comfort to their friends and neighbors. The whole family of misfits manages to pull together and help each other in this drop dead funny and quirky look at a southern family funeral.
Lost in Yonkers
March 23-April 15 (no Easter Sunday performance)
By Neil Simon
A Pulitzer Prize-winning play of an eccentric New York family in crisis in the summer of 1942. On the run from a loan shark, a frightened and weak-willed father leaves his two teenage boys, Jay and Arty, with their domineering grandmother, who runs a candy store in Yonkers. The effect of the old woman's tyranny over two generations of offspring becomes evident as she coldheartedly attempts to control not only their lives but also that of her mentally challenged middle-aged daughter, Bella, who desperately yearns for love and independence. The boys are forced to live by their stern grandmother's rules until their gangster uncle, Louie, comes to town one night and goes into hiding in the family home. Uncle Louie ends up helping both the boys and Bella understand their aging grandmother and realize the importance of acceptance and love, despite the hardship of life in Yonkers.
http://thecolumnawards.org/columnonline/review/04-03-2012_LOST-IN-YONKERS/
Diary of Anne Frank
May 18-June 10
Dramatization by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett
A classic for all times. Diary of Anne Frank was a dramatization of the book Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, the personal account of a teenage Jewish girl in hiding with her family in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. The diary, first published in the U.S. in 1952 and considered one of the most single important documents of World War II, has been translated into 55 languages and has captured the hearts of readers all over the world.
Laundry and Bourbon and Lonestar
August 10-September 2
By James McLure
A hilarious portrait of the goings-on in the dusty one-horse town of Maynard, Texas. In Laundry and Bourbon Elizabeth and Hattie sit on the porch folding laundry, sipping drinks and gossiping. They’re soon joined by the self-righteous Amy Lee, who can’t resist blurting out a bombshell: Elizabeth’s husband, Roy, has been seen around town with another woman. In “LONE STAR” we meet Roy, who’s back from Vietnam and anxious to begin his life again. As he drunkenly recounts his military exploits, his younger brother Ray confesses a shocking secret that makes Roy question his entire life.
http://thecolumnawards.org/columnonline/review/08-20-2012_LAUNDRY-AND-BOURBON-and-LONE-STAR/
Deathtap
September 21-October 14 (date change)
A Thriller by Ira Levin
A spine tingling and nail biting thriller by Ira Levin which encompasses many plot twists and is essentially a play within a play. It is a play in two acts with one set and five characters. It holds the record for the longest running comedy-thriller on Broadway and was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. This is one not to be missed!
http://thecolumnawards.org/columnonline/review/09-30-2012_-DEATHTRAP/
The Full Monty
November 30-December 23
A Musical with a Book by Terrence McNally and Score by David Yazbek
In this Americanized musical stage version adapted from the 1997 British film of the same name, six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers, low on both cash and prospects, decide to present a strip act at a local club after seeing their wives' enthusiasm for a touring company of Chippendales. One of them, Jerry, declares that their show will be better than the Chippendales dancers because they'll go "the full monty" — strip all the way. As they prepare for the show, working through their fears, self-consciousness, and anxieties, they overcome their inner demons and find strength in their camaraderie.
