What's On: Upcoming Shows in Cleveland and Akron - 4/1 to 4/30

A SONG & A DANCE
Carl Topilow and the Cleveland Pops present A SONG & A DANCE on Saturday, April 21st at 8pm at Severance Hall. This concert will feature NEOS Dance Theatre members Brooke and Bobby Wesner and vocalists Jennifer DeDominici and Daniel Fosha.

A SONG & A DANCE is a glittering review of the top-rated song and dance numbers in the history of Broadway, Hollywood and live stage shows. Remember the mambo in WEST SIDE STORY, Gene Kelly and Vera Ellen dancing the thrilling "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" in the movie WORDS & MUSIC or "Razzle Dazzle" from CHICAGO? These and more to be performed on stage at Severance Hall!

Tickets range from $28 to $78. Purchase tickets online at www.clevelandpops.com/concerts.htm or by calling the box office at 216.231.1111. Severance Hall is located at 11001 Euclid Avenue, just east of downtown Cleveland.

The Addams Family
Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley and the rest of The Addams Family make their way to Cleveland for 16 performances from April 12th to 22nd. Evening performances are at 7:30pm, with weekend matinees available.

This is definitely not the same old song and dance. It's every parent's nightmare. Your little girl has suddenly become a young woman and, what's worse, has fallen deliriously in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. Yes, Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has a "normal" boyfriend, and for parents Gomez and Morticia, this shocking development will turn the Addams house downside up. It's a family portrait that's completely off the wall.

The Addams Family is part of PlayhouseSquare's Smart Seats program. Tickets range from $10 to $87.50. Purchase tickets online at www.playhousesquare.org or by calling the box office at 216.241.6000. The Palace theatre is located at 1615 Euclid Avenue, in the heart of Cleveland's theatre district.

GOD OF CARNAGE
Dobama Theatre presents the regional premiere of GOD OF CARNAGE from April 20th to May 13th. Performance times are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2:30pm.

GOD OF CARNAGE is the story of two seemingly courteous and civilized couples who meet after their boys' fistfight in a neighborhood schoolyard. Michael and Veronica, whose son's teeth were knocked out with a stick, invite Alan and Annette, whose son did the knocking, to their home to settle the matter. Civility crumbles. Grownups behave badly as these parents argue about who influenced their sons' misbehavior. Carnage erupts with finger-pointing, name-calling, stomping and carrying on. And then they break out the liquor.

Tickets are $21 or $26, depending on performance day. Discounts are available to seniors and students. Purchase tickets online at dobama.ticketleap.com or by calling the box office at 216.932.3396. The Dobama Theatre is located at 2340 Lee Road, adjacent to the Cleveland Heights/University Heights Library.

GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES
The regional premiere of GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES debuts at Ensemble Theatre from April 27th to May 20th. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm with a 2pm matinee on Sundays. A special benefit performance is being held May 12th, which includes an opportunity to meet playwright Rajiv Joseph.

Over the course of 30 years, the lives of Kayleen and Doug intersect at the most bizarre intervals, leading the two childhood friends to compare scars and the physical calamities that keep drawing them together.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $10 for students. Tickets from the May 12th benefit are $50 for an individual or $90 for a couple. Purchase tickets online at www.ensemble-theatre.com/box-office/gruesome-playground-injuries or by calling the box office at 216.321.2930. Ensemble performs at the former Coventry School, located at 2843 Washington Blvd. in Cleveland Heights.

IN THE NEXT ROOM, or the vibrator play
Cleveland Play House presents IN THE NEXT ROOM, or the vibrator play from April 13th to May 13th in the Second Stage Theatre. Evening performances are at 7:30pm and weekend matinee performances are at 2:30pm. Post-show discussions with the cast and creative team are scheduled for April 24th, April 29th and May 6th.

At the dawn of electricity, a remarkable treatment for "hysterical" men and women is taking place. Patients arrive troubled and depart delighted with the assistance of the doctor's "little helper." One of the most gifted and adventurous American Playwrights to emerge in recent years, Sarah Ruhl offers an inspired new comedy about the mysteries of our inner lives. (IN THE NEXT ROOM, or the vibrator play contains sexual content and brief male nudity.)

Tickets range from $49 to $69 for adults and are $15 for students. Purchase tickets online at www.clevelandplayhouse.com or through The PlayhouseSquare box office at 216.241.6000. The Allen Theatre is located at 1407 Euclid Avenue, the new home of the Cleveland Play House.

IPHIGENIA 2.0
In partnership with Oberlin College, Cleveland Public Theatre presents IPHIGENIA 2.0 from April 12th to 28th in the Gordon Square Theatre. All performances are at 7:30pm.

How fresh can a 2,400-year-old story be? IPHIGENIA 2.0, Charles Mee's striking update on Euripides' IPHIGENIA AT AULIS is surprisingly reflective of contemporary America tabloid culture, complete with paparazzi! Staged in modern times, this tragedy chronicles a military leader who much decide if he will sacrifice his daughter to legitimize his decision to go to war.

Tickets are $25, with a $3 discount for students and seniors. Tickets to Monday and Thursday performances are only $10. Purchase tickets online at www.cptonline.org/cleveland-public-theater-box-office.php or by calling the box office at 216.631.2727, ext. 501. The Gordon Square Arts District is located in Cleveland's near west side at 6415 Detroit Avenue, just minutes from downtown.

NOT THE FLYING STUPENDAS
Cleveland Public Theatre presents the world premiere of NOT THE FLYING STUPENDAS, created by northeast Ohioans Jill, Frank and Meredith Levin, at the Store Front Studio from April 19th to May 5th. All performances are at 7pm.

A show for the whole family! The audience has been promised The Flying Stupendas, acrobats extraordinaire, but due to a terrible accident the performance has been cancelled. The cruel Madame Producer, adamantly refusing to refund ticket sales, demands that her staff perform in place of the Stupendas. As the "performers" attempt magic shows, song and dance routines, bizarre juggling and clowning acts their own personal dramas play out as love, vengeance and forgiveness test their relationships.

Tickets are $25, with a $3 discount for students and seniors, and only $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets to Monday and Thursday performances are only $10. Purchase tickets online at www.cptonline.org/cleveland-public-theater-box-office.php or by calling the box office at 216.631.2727, ext. 501. The Gordon Square Arts District is located in Cleveland's near west side at 6415 Detroit Avenue, just minutes from downtown.

ROMEO & JULIET
ROMEO & JULIET will be playing at Great Lakes Theater from April 13th to 28th. Evening performances are at 7:30pm, with Saturday matinees at 1:30pm and Sunday matinees at 3pm.

The greatest love story ever told, Shakespeare's powerfully poetic tale of love and loss will steal your heart and leave you breathless. Transcending the hate of warring families, two star-crossed lovers risk all they have to be together.

Tickets range from $15 to $70 for adults and are $13 for students. Purchase tickets online at www.greatlakestheater.org or through The PlayhouseSquare box office at 216.241.6000. The Hannah Theatre is located at 2047 E. 14th Street, in downtown Cleveland.

SETH'S BIG FAT BROADWAY SHOW
Funny man Seth Rudetsky brings his BIG FAT BROADWAY SHOW to the Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare for one night only at 8pm on April 26th.

Anyone can give you highlights from Broadway's most renowned productions – but count on sassy Seth Rudetsky to give you the "lowlights", too. Not many performers are qualified to give their candid opinion (or amusing impersonation) of Broadway's finest; but having been a host for Sirius/XM radio, a Playbill.com weekly columnist, actor, playwright and vocal coach Rudetsky has earned the right. No Broadway play is off limits in SETH'S BIG FAT BROADWAY SHOW, and Rudetsky will be sure to enlighten audiences about the musical talent (or lack thereof) we have seen in Broadway's biggest hits.

SETH'S BIG FAT BROADWAY SHOW is part of PlayhouseSquare's Smart Seats program. Tickets range from $10 to $30. Purchase tickets online at www.playhousesquare.org or by calling the box office at 216.241.6000. The Ohio theatre is located at 1511 Euclid Avenue, in the heart of Cleveland's theatre district.

TITANIC
Yeston and Stone's TITANIC will be staged by the Akron Symphony at 8pm on April 14th, the 100th anniversary of the ship's ill-fated voyage. Led my maestro Christopher Wilkins, the Akron Symphony will be joined by a cast of 40 performers in this staged reading.

TITANIC focuses on the historical people aboard the ship and touches on themes suggesting why the disaster stands today as a watershed moment in world history. It is based on the book by Peter Stone with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. It opened on Broadway in 1997 and won five Tony Awards, including the award for Best Musical.

Tickets range from $20 to $50, with discounts available for seniors and students. Purchase tickets online at www.akronsymphony.org/titanic or by calling ASO Ticket Services at 330.535.8131 or the Akron Civic Theatre box office at 330.253.2488. The Civic Theatre is located on Main Street in the heart of downtown Akron.

Photo credit: The Addams Family cast. Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

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