ENTERTAINMENT

Political theater (and not): 15 plays and musicals to see in November

Kerry Lengel
The Republic | azcentral.com
Paige Davis in Arizona Theatre Company's production of "An Act of God."

Forget Turkey Day. The big red circle on the calendar this month is over Nov. 8. And that’s why the theater scene has politics on the brain, with comic takes on the Trump-Clinton election by Stray Cat Theatre and the musical jokesters from Washington’s the Capitol Steps. Best bets for November also include Broadway’s “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical” and Paige Davis starring in “An Act of God.”

‘The Trump Card’

Stray Cat Theatre founder Ron May stars in this comical look at the Donald Trump phenomenon, written by monologue artist Mike Daisey. May previously took on Daisey’s persona in “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs” with Actors Theatre.

Details: Through Sunday, Nov. 6. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway. $20-$25. 480-227-1766, straycattheatre.org.

READ:Local theaters take on Trump

The original cast of Childsplay's "Rock the Presidents" (from left): Colin Ross, Eric Boudreau and Yolanda London.

‘Rock the Presidents’

An update on the “Schoolhouse Rocks!” concept, Childsplay’s original musical uses cheeky humor to teach kids about the 43 men (not 44 — and they explain why) who have held the highest office in the land. Songs range from the soft, sweet calypso of “John and Tom,” about two Founding Father frenemies, to the guitar-crunching raveup “More Than Four Years,” a salute to one-termers such as Jimmy Carter.

Details: Through Sunday, Nov. 13. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway. $12-$26. 480-350-2822, childsplayaz.org.

READ: “Rock the Presidents” review

11/3: Slate Presents 'Unelectable You' | As the presidential election draws closer, improvisational comedy troupe The Second City and online magazine Slate, are examining this year’s candidates and the campaign trail in a sketch comedy bit called "Unelectable You." Attendees can expect a thought-provoking night full of satire, improvisation and crowd interaction as they try to come to terms with what makes a presidential candidate electable these days. | Details: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3. Mesa Arts Center, One East Main St., Mesa. $35. 480-644-6500, mesaartscenter.com.

‘Unelectable You’

Chicago’s famed Second City comedy troupe has teamed with the online magazine Slate to create this satirical show on the politics in the age of social media. The Chicago Tribune’s reviewer called it “exceptionally smart and funny” — and noted that when he attended, a preshow poll showed there was just one Republican in the audience. Just so you know what you’re getting into.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4. Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. $35-$45. 480-644-6500, mesaartscenter.com.

RELATED: Phoenix theaters take on Trump phenomenon | New direction for Tempe Center for the Arts | Our Theater critic reviews haunted houses. He seems confused. | Unmissable: Top 10 plays, concerts and exhibits for 2016-17 arts season in Phoenix

‘1776’

Before there was “Hamilton,” there was “1776,” the Broadway musical about John Adams and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The show premiered in 1969, so don’t expect any rap battles. This production is by Zao Theatre, a Christian community troupe in Apache Junction.

Details: Friday, Nov. 4, through Saturday, Nov. 19. Centerstage Church, 550 S. Ironwood Drive, Apache Junction. $12-$20. 480-924-5122, zaotheatre.com.

‘Assassins’

If you thought “Sweeney Todd” is a little edgy for musical theater, then you might have missed Stephen Sondheim’s even more controversial “Assassins,” an acerbic examination of the twisted souls of the men and women who decided the only way to save America was to kill the president. Opening amidst the most vitriolic election in recent memory, a disturbingly timely choice.

Details: Friday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 20. Fountain Hills Theater, 11445 N. Saguaro Blvd. $23-$30. 480-837-9661, fountainhillstheater.com.

‘Love Is Here to Stay: A Gershwin Cabaret’

After scoring a hit in 2014 with the original musical revue “I Get a Kick Out of Cole,” Theater Works turns its attention to another icon of the Great American Songbook. Featured tunes by George and his lyricist brother, Ira, include “’S Wonderful,” “I Got Rhythm” and “Summertime.”

Details: Friday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 20. Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, 8355 W. Peoria Ave. $14-$36. 623-815-7930, theaterworks.org.

‘Babe: An Olympian Musical’

Arizona State University’s Lyric Opera Theatre presents a reading — which in this case might be more properly called a “singing” — of a musical in development about Mildred “Babe” Didrikson, a pioneer of women’s sports who won gold in track and field at the 1932 Olympics and went on to win 10 major golf championships in the LPGA.

Details: 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6. ASU Kerr Cultural Center, 6110 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. music.asu.edu/events.

‘Divas on Broadway’

Vocal impersonator Paulette Rockir re-creates the style and personality of two talents that, in any other context, one might have to call inimitable: Ethel Merman and Barbra Streisand. Is she doesn’t sing “There’s No Business Like Show Business” or “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” expect a riot.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second St. $26.50. 480-499-8587, scottsdaleperformingarts.org.

‘Billy Elliot the Musical’

With songs by Elton John, this musical about a working-class English lad who wants to become a ballet star won a whopping 10 Tony Awards in 2009. Phoenix Theatre searched from coast to coast to find a pair of young actors with the acting and dancing chops required for the title role.

Details: Wednesday, Nov. 16, through Saturday, Dec. 24. Phoenix Theatre, 100 E. McDowell Road. $30-$80 (subject to demand pricing). 602-254-2151, phoenixtheatre.com.

"Nogales: Storytellers in Cartel Country" is a multimedia docudrama about America's immigration issue.

‘Nogales: Storytellers in Cartel Country’

This docu-drama takes on the immigration issue by telling the story of a Mexican boy who was shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent. The multimedia production, which draws on interviews and incorporates film projections, was developed by Tucson’s Borderlands Theater in collaboration with San Francisco’s Campo Santo and Magic Theatre.

Details: Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 17-20. Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. $24. 480-644-6500, mesaartscenter.com.

Paige Davis in Arizona Theatre Company's production of "An Act of God."

‘An Act of God’

“The Daily Show” writer David Javerbaum turned his Twitter persona @TheTweetOfGod into a book and then a hit comedy on Broadway, in which the Supreme Being took on the form of “The Big Bang Theory” star Jim Parsons to deliver an update on the Ten Commandments. Arizona Theatre Company adds a twist to the celebrity casting with Paige Davis, onetime host of TV’s “Trading Spaces,” who also has starred in “Chicago” on Broadway.

Details: Thursday, Nov. 17, through Sunday, Dec. 4. Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe St., Phoenix. $25-$100. 602-256-6995, arizonatheatre.org.

READ:Paige Davis stars in “An Act of God”

Anthony Rapp

He originated the role of Mark Cohen in Broadway’s “Rent” and recently starred opposite Idina Menzel in "If/Then."  This concert celebrates the 20th anniversary of the show that launched him to stardom.

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second St. $39-$69. 480-499-8587, scottsdaleperformingarts.org.

‘Beautiful — The Carole King Musical’

It’s the national tour of the Broadway hit that tells the life story of a precocious Jewish girl who talks her way into a Manhattan songwriting shop in the early 1960s. King, of course, eventually becomes a recording star in her own right with the “Tapestry” album, but not before composing such hits as “The Loco-Motion,” “One Fine Day” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” re-created here by girl-group sound-alikes. The show also documents King’s romance with writing partner Gerry Goffin and their friendship with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who wrote such hits as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”

Details: Tuesday through Sunday, Nov. 22-27. ASU Gammage, Mill Avenue and Apache Boulevard, Tempe. $20 and up. 480-965-3434, asugammage.com.

The Capitol Steps singing comedians return to the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 28–29.

The Capitol Steps

It’s a Thanksgiving tradition in Scottsdale to host this satirical troupe from Washington, D.C., that specializes in song parodies. Will laughs be a balm to voters suffering from politics fatigue? Call it a little hair of the dog.

Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25; 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second St. $49-$69. 480-499-8587, scottsdaleperformingarts.org.

‘Anything You Hear And Only Half of What You See’

Stray Cat Theatre, the Valley’s leading “indie” troupe, serves up the world premiere of a dark crime comedy by local playwright Ron Hunting. It’s about a mailman (sorry, letter carrier) who may or may not have witnessed a murder, and may or may not survive to tell about it. (The script was also adapted as a movie, titled “Postmarked.”)

READ: Writer battling Lou Gehrig’s disease sees dream come true on the big screen

Details: Friday, Nov. 25, through Saturday, Dec. 10. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway. $15-$30. 480-227-1766, straycattheatre.org.

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