entertainment

The 2010-2011 theatre scene is nearly upon us. Here’s a brief snapshot of what’s on the playbill at Winnipeg’s larger theatres starting this fall. For the new season, MTC Mainstage pays homage to classic films and film buffs. Here’s the scoop.

Manitoba Theatre Centre

MTC's mainstage season opener is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, an adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel and the 1975 film that propelled Jack Nicolson's career. Key question: Who will play Nurse Ratched?

Calendar Girls is the stage version of the feel good film about a group of women who pose for a fundraising calendar, expose a little skin and draw global attention. A comedy with discreet nudity!

Brief Encounter honours Noel Coward and the silver screen's classic romantic affair. A married woman is faced with choosing between the family she loves and the man who reawakens her passion.

White Christmas, an adaptation of Bing Crosby's hit film, features the music and lyrics of Irving Berlin. The story about two WWII veterans turned Broadway stars aims to charm.

A reprisal of Patrick Friesen's The Shunning adds social relevance to the mainstage line-up. A Mennonite farmer challenges church doctrine and faces the punishment of shunning.

The mainstage season closes with The 39 Steps, a take on Alfred Hitchock's 1935 film. Murder, mayhem and four actors juggling 150 roles... perfect ingredients for a thriller.

Tom Hendry Theatre

Over at the Tom Hendry Theatre (MTC Warehouse), check out these engaging productions...

Jake's Gift follows a WWII veteran's return to Juno Beach for a D-Day anniversary and his encounter with a precocious 10-year old girl. A 2009 Winnipeg Fringe Festival hit.

In The Seafarer, James "Sharkey" Harkin plays poker with some drunken rowdies and a mysterious guest. It's Christmas Eve in Dublin and things aren't quite what you think.

After Miss Julie, selected for StrindbergFest 2011, brings seduction and betrayal to the stage. Miss Julie engages in a forbidden affair with her father's chauffeur and a class struggle ensues.

The promo for the Warehouse's season finale  The Drowning Girls says it all: "Three ghostly brides surface from bathtubs filled with water to gather evidence against their womanizing, murderous husband." An Edmonton Fringe Festival hit.

Prairie Theatre Exchange

For a more intimate theatre experience check out this year's offerings at Prairie Theatre Exchange. As Robert Metcalfe, artistic director, says, "I've planned our next season to be like a series of parties with good friends, where each evening we have an interesting special guest who adds a new perspective, or even an entirely new topic, to the conversation."

PTE''s season opens with The Savannah Disputation about a young Pentecostal missionary who meets two Catholic spinsters, sparks a crisis of faith and gets more than she bargained for. Aptly promoted as "a comedy made in heaven."

Back to You: The Life and Music of Lucille Starr traces the rise and fall of a St. Boniface-born 1960's country music sensation who was the first Canadian female musician to sell a million records.

The December Man, Colleen Murphy's play about the after-effects of the Montreal Massacre on a  working class family won the 2007 Governor General's Award for Drama.

Burnin' Love by local writer Sharon Bajer is"a play about love, death and Elvis."

Thunderstick follows two journalist cousins estranged since their time on the reservation. Their car breaks down in a remote forest and things couldn't be better. Starring Lorne Cardinal (Corner Gas) and Craig Lauzon (Royal Canadian Air Farce).

Two PTE faves also hit the stage:  Wingfield Lost and Found by Dan Needles sees the return of Walt Wingfield.

With The Paper bag Princess and more, Robert Munsch's stories are transfomed into live theatre once again. Watch for the pajama parties.

–Barbara Abramchuk is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer.  To comment on this or any other article in Outwords, e-mail letters@outwords.ca