Thru April 19: The Coastal Repertory Theatre presents Steel Magnolias, the heart-warming—and heart-breaking—story of the friendship between six Louisiana women: spunky hairdresser Truvy; naïve Annelle; the curmudgeonly Ouiser; the wealthy eccentric, Clairee; and M’Lynn, whose daughter Shelby is about to get married. It’s touted as the “funniest show to ever make you cry.” Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. (Half Moon Bay: Coastal Repertory Theater, 1167 Main St.; 650/726-0998; www.coastalrep.com)
Thru April 20: City Lights Theatre Co. presents Lysistrata. Aristophanes’ classic comedy comes to life in a brand-new, fast-paced and bawdy adaptation by Will Huddleston, commissioned especially for City Lights’ 25th Anniversary. In this hilarious battle of the sexes, men and women in compromising political positions duel it out before a side-splitting reconciliation between ages and genders. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm & 7pm. (San Jose: 529 S. Second St.; 408/295-4200; www.cltc.org)
Thru April 20: San Jose Rep presents Souvenir. Can dedication and persistence trump a lack of talent? Bringing up the question, this hilarious Broadway hit tells the story of real-life socialite Florence Foster Jenkins, otherwise known as the “Dire Diva of Din” for her enthusiastically awful arias. Though tone-deaf and lacking in talent, Jenkins enjoyed a successful concert career and earned the admiration and respect of her accompanist, Cosme McMoon, for her triumphant spirit and belief in herself. Tues, 7:30pm; Wed-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 3 & 8pm; Sun, 2 & 7pm. (San Jose Rep: 101 Paseo de San Antonio; 408/367-7255; www.sjrep.com)
April 2-27:TheatreWorks presents Caroline, Or Change. Set to a blues, gospel and Motown-inspired score, this dramatic Broadway musical centers on the relationship between Caroline, a black maid, and the Southern Jewish family she works for. The plot unfurls amid the turmoil of the Civil Rights movement before and after the Kennedy assassination, making this a compelling, inspiring story. Tues & Wed, 7:30pm; Thurs & Fri, 8pm; Sat, 2 & 8pm (8pm only on Apr 5 & 27); Sun, 2 & 7pm (2pm only on Apr 6 &13). (Mountain View: Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St.; 650/903-6000; www.ci.mtnview.ca.us)
April 2-27: San Jose Stage Company presents Blade to the Heat, a co-production with San Francisco’s Thick Description. This stark drama captures the brutality of the boxing world against the backdrop of tumultuous 1959 America. All the elements of a good story—romance, action, social commentary, athletic glory and shame—all come together in an explosive, choreographed fight that looks as real as a true boxing match as you’ll ever see onstage. Wed-Thurs, 7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. (San Jose: 490 South First St.; 408/283-7142; www.sanjose-stage.com)
April 3-20: Broadway By the Bay presents Little Shop of Horrors. A down-and-out floral assistant finds fame and fortune when he discovers an exotic plant with a taste for flesh—human flesh, that is. Is the plant really just a cranky, R&B-singing freak of nature, or it is an alien from outer space trying to take over the world? Watch this wacky, award-winning musical and find out. Tues-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 2pm & 8pm; Sun, 1pm & 6:30pm. (San Mateo: San Mateo Performing Arts Center, 600 N. Delaware Ave.; 650/579-5565; www.broadwaybythebay.org)
April 3-27: Teatro Vision presents Hero. In this work by playwright Luis Alfaro, a young Chicano soldier returns to U.S. soil after serving in the Iraq War, only to encounter a mixed homecoming from a disgruntled veterano from the “real war”, a concerned brother and a hard-working mother. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. (San Jose: Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, 510 S. First St.; 408/272-9926; www.teatrovision.org)
April 17-May 11: Northside Theatre Company presents Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Edward Albee’s harrowing drama about a husband and wife whose mutual hatred ignites an emotional war during an evening of post-party drinks with a young couple. The source of the bitter feud is revealed in the end, exposing just exactly where their relationship went wrong. 8pm. (San Jose: Black Box Theatre, 848 E. William St.; 408/288-7820; www.northsidetheatre.com)
April 22: Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway. Relive the best moments from the biggest musicals of the past century, as the actual stars of shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, CATS and Jesus Christ Superstar take the stage. 8pm. (Cupertino: Flint Center, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd.; 408/864-8816; www.flintcenter.com)
April 22-27: American Musical Theatre presents Mamma Mia! The smash hit musical featuring the music of ABBA comes to Silicon Valley. Set on a fictional Greek island, it centers on a young woman’s quest to find out who her real father is so he can walk her down the aisle at her upcoming wedding, much to the chagrin of her secretive mother. Tue-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 2pm & 8 pm; Sun, 1pm & 6:30pm. (San Jose: Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd.; 888/455-SHOW; www.amtsj.org)
April 26-May 11: Palo Alto Players presents The Light in the Piazza. When Clara Johnson and her mother, Margaret, tour the Italian countryside, Clara has a chance encounter with a handsome young Florentine named Fabrizio, sparking a vivid musical courtship. Margaret, however, rails against the budding romance, for reasons unknown to the audience until the end. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun 2:30pm. (Palo Alto: Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Rd.; 650/329-0891; www.city.palo-alto.ca.us)
