OPENING
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS | The American Repertory Theater makes its first Loeb Drama Center appearance of the season with this holiday musical with book and lyrics by Randy Weiner and music by Obie winner Diedre Murray. Part of new ART artistic director Diane Paulus's "Shakespeare" season, it got a thumbs-up from the New York Times— "This rousing musical has taken the plot from The Winter's Tale, tossed out anything resembling Shakespearean language, and achieved a hypnotic effect with musical numbers that leave the audience whooping" — so never mind that the language is the best part of any Shakespeare play and just enjoy the R&B and gospel treats. The cast includes Gregg Baker, Mary Bond Davis, and Jeanette Bayardelle; Paulus herself directs. | Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St, Cambridge | 617.547.8300 | November 21–January 3 | Curtain 7:30 pm Tues-Wed [no November 25] | 2 pm [December 31] + 7:30 pm [no Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Eve] Thurs | 8 pm [no Christmas Day] Fri | 2 pm [no November 21, 28] + 8 pm Sat | 2 + 7:30 pm [no evening November 29 or January 3] Sun | $25-$75; $15-$65 seniors; $20 student rush
A CHRISTMAS CAROL | Trinity Repertory Company's annual rendition of Dickens's holiday classic is down to one cast this year, with Timothy Crowe as Scrooge, Mauro Hantman as Bob Cratchit, Barbara Meek as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Fred Sullivan Jr. as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Joe Wilson Jr. as Marley, Rachael Warren as Fan, David Rudi Utter as young Scrooge, and Monica Willey as Belle. No mention of the third Spirit, so we're assuming the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come will be playing itself. Birgitta Victorson directs. | Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington St, Providence, Rhode Island | 401.351.4242 | November 20–December 27 | Curtain 7:30 pm Tues-Fri [no Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day; Christmas Eve @ noon + 5 pm] | 2 pm [no November 21] + 7:30 pm Sat | noon + 5 pm [2 pm only November 22] Sun | $40-$65; children ages 2-14 $10
HEROES | Merrimack Repertory Theatre presents the New England premiere of this Tom Stoppard adaptation of the Olivier Award–winning drama by French playwright Gérald Sibleyras in which three combat survivors of World War I find themselves stranded, 40 years later, in a veterans' home, alone with their injuries, their memories, a 200-pound stone dog, and a masochistic nun. Carl Forsman directs; Ken Tigar, Jonathan Hogan, and Tony winner Ron Holgate make up the cast. The approximately 90-minute performance will run without intermission. | Merrimack Repertory Theatre, 50 East Merrimack St, Lowell | 978.654.4MRT | November 19–December 13 | Curtain 7:30 pm Tues [November 24] | 2 + 7:30 pm Wed [November 25] | 7:30 pm Thurs [no Thanksgiving Day] | 8 pm Fri | 4 pm [no November 21] + 8 pm Sat | 2 + 7 pm [no evening December 13] Sun | $26-$56; $23-$51 seniors; $15 students [balcony]
MACHINAL | The Boston Conservatory Theater Ensemble presents Sophie Treadwell's 1928 play based loosely on the true story of Ruth Snyder, a Long Island housewife who went to the electric chair after conspiring with her lover to murder her husband. Clark Gable played the lover in the original 1928 Broadway production. Doug Lockwood directs. | Midway Studios, 15 Channel Center St, Boston | 617.912.9222 | November 19-22 | Curtain 8 pm Thurs-Sat | 2 pm Sun | $22; $12 seniors; $7 students
