OPENING
THE ADVENTURES OF HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON | The picture books of Crockett Johnson come to the stage, as Harold uses his purple crayon to explore everything from the circus to the planet Mars. Recommended for children 3-8. | Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St, Boston | 800.982.ARTS | October 24 | Curtain 11 am + 2 pm + 5 pm | $15-$35
THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938: THE WAR OF THE WORLDS | This annual offering from the Post-Meridian Radio Players has a Foley sound team and actors reading into microphones to re-create that old-time radio experience. On the bill: The Frank Cyrano Byfar Hour and Orson Welles’s The War of the Worlds “adapted to follow events in Boston during the ‘Martian invasion.’ ” | Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville | 617.625.4088 | October 29-31 | Curtain 8 pm Thurs-Fri | 2 + 8 pm Sat | $15 advance/$20 doors
A CONVERSATION WITH HAROLD PRINCE | With a résumé that includes The Pajama Game, West Side Story, Company, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, Follies, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Evita, and The Phantom of the Opera, not to mention 21 Tonys, Mr. Prince should have a lot to say about his life in the theater as a director and a producer. This evening won’t be all talk, either: Tony Judy Gold and the Tony-nominated Tom Wopat will be on hand to sing some of the hits from his productions. | Northeastern University, Blackman Auditorium, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston | 617.373.4700 | October 30 | Curtain 8 pm | $30; $20 students, seniors
INCORRUPTIBLE | Emerson Stage offers American violist and playwright Michael Hollinger’s dark look at the Dark Ages — this 1996 work is set in a monastery in “Priseaux, France,” where saints’ body parts are the currency du jour. Benny Sato Ambush directs. | Semel Theater, 10 Boylston Place, Boston |www.emerson.edu/emersonstage| October 22-25 | Curtain 8 pm Thurs-Fri | 2 + 8 pm Sat | 2 pm Sun | $14
KID SIMPLE: A RADIO PLAY IN THE FLESH | Holland Productions and the Piano Factory Theatre present this “quirky fable of innocence and experience.” in which “Moll wins the science fair with a machine for hearing sounds that can’t be heard. But when a shapeshifting Mercenary steals the invention (and her heart), she must embark on a quest to save noise as we know it — accompanied by the last boy-virgin in the 11th grade.” Holland’s Krista D’Agostino directs. | Piano Factory Theatre, 791 Tremont St, Boston |www.theatermania.com| October 30–November 14 | Curtain 8 pm Thurs-Sat | 3 pm Sun | $15; $12 students, seniors
LADY | Zeitgeist Stage brings us Craig Wright’s drama about three friends on a hunting trip: Graham, a “hawkish, conservative Democrat” who’s pro-Bush, pro-Cheney, and pro–Iraq War; Kenny, whose money helped send Graham to Washington; and Dyson, who managed Graham’s campaign. Then there’s the title (we think) character, a hunting dog. We’re told that either Graham or Lady won’t survive the day; we know who we’re rooting for. David J. Miller directs. | Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Black Box Theatre, 539 Tremont St, Boston | 617.933.8600 | October 30–November 21 | Curtain 7:30 pm Wed-Thurs | 8 pm Fri | 4 + 8 pm Sat | 4 pm Sun | $30; $20 students, seniors
