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Stagefright

Movie star Jeff Goldblum (pictured above) is back on the New York stage starring in Domesticated, the new play by Bruce Norris, author of the celebrated Clybourne Park (now playing at 710 Main in a fine production by Road Less Traveled). Best known for the movies The Fly and Jurassic Park, Goldblum made his Broadway debut in 1971 in the musical Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Back at its home in the Market Arcade Film and Arts Centre, Road Less Traveled Productions will present the world-premiere of Mark Witteveen’s play Very Fine Use of a Grenade, January 24-February 16. Directed by Doug Zschiegner, the play will star John Fredo, Kristin Tripp Kelley, Renee Landrigan, and Greg Howze. The play was developed at the Emanuel Fried New Play Workshop.

Up next for Theater Jugend’s fourth season, a stage adaptation (the first ever) of Trey Parker’s 1997 film Orgazmo. Directed by Drew McCabe, the show opens February 13 at the ALT Theatre, starring Matthew Crehan Higgins, Marc Sacco, Jeffrey Coyle, Nick Lama, Jenny Marie McCabe, Eric Mowery, Bryan Patrick Stoyle, Matt Kindley, Jamie Nablo, Sara Marioles, Lindsay Salamone, D.P. Morris, and Geoff Pictor. The company’s current production of Dog Sees God has added a show on Friday November 22 at 11pm with special $10 late-night tickets.

The national touring production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the Broadway musical that closed in 2007 after a 13-year run, will play Shea’s April 29-May 4. Tickets go on sale this Friday, November 22.

Save the date! The fabulous Bethany Moore will be back in Buffalo on Monday, March 24 to perform a concert to benefit Second Generation Theatre. Moore is currently on Broadway appearing in the hit revival of Pippin. A national tour of the show will kick off in Denver in September 2014. Moore also appeared on Broadway in the musical Spider-Man, which just announced it will close in January 2014,

The also fabulous Michele Ragusa will join the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and JoAnn Falletta in the annual Holiday Pops, December 13-15.

Buffalo’s Carmen Ruby Floyd is back on Broadway appearing in the new musical revue After Midnight, which stars Dulé Hill of TV’s Psych fame. American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino guest stars through February 9. Pop singer k.d. lang is scheduled for February 11-March 9.

The Eclectic Improv Company will present their new live comedy show, The Fantastic Comedy Machine, on November 29 and 30 at 8pm at Burchfield Penney Art Center’s Auditorium. They will be joined by musical guests the Albrights. For tickets, visit www.eclecticimprov.com

After a successful run last year, the holiday presentation It WAS a Wonderful Life! returns to Forest Lawn Cemetery, November 30-December 29, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. Joe Demerly plays John Lay (the first person to take up residence in Forest Lawn in 1850), who will introduce several of the cemetery’s permanent residents reminiscing about Christmases past. Lisa Ludwig, Hillary Rose, and Mary Craig join the cast this year, alongside Loraine O’Donnell, Margo Davis, Gerry Maher, Chris Standart, and Timothy Finnegan.

For its holiday offering, Subversive Theatre will present the regional premiere of the non-traditional holiday farce You Can’t Get a Decent Margarita at the North Pole by California playwright Matt Hanf. Carlton Franklin will be making his directorial debut with this production, which will star Paul McGuiness, Betsy Bittar, Sean Marciniak, Lawrence Rowswell, and Carolyn Lansom. The show will run December 5-21 at The Manny Fried Playhouse.

Also making his directorial debut, Todd Fuller, with Jeffrey Goode’s hilarious The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, presented by The Fearless Players in association with American Repertory Theater of WNY, December 12-21 at ART’s space on Linwood Avenue inside the Church of the Ascension building. The production will star Bekki Sliwa, Matt Kindley, Lisa Ludwig, Scot Kaitanowski, Shayna Raichilson-Zadok, John Jacoby, Michael Wachowiak, and Virginia Brannon, with music direction by Michael Hake.

Mike Randall will be performing his solo show Charles Dickens Presents: A Christmas Carol December 12-15 at the Kavinoky as a fundraiser for Red Thread Theatre Company. Now in its seventh year, Randall will make his 100th performance during the run of the show.