Chuck's Choices for the weekend of May 24, 2019

A new play festival joins a hit musical at the Fox on the list this week.

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New This Week:

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Earworm
Photo by Brittanie Gunn

Tesseract Theatre Company presents Dates by Elizabeth Breed Penny, Earworm by Shaulee Cook, and Hoist by Erin Lane in rotating repertory through May 26 as part of the 2019 Festival of New Plays. Performances take place at The .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Midtown. For more information: tesseracttheatre.com.

My take: Jacob Juntunen has seen all three of the plays in the festival for us at KDHX and has been favorably impressed by all of them. He described Dates as "a significant production in the #metoo moment filled with impressive acting, humor, and intensity. " He writes that Hoist is a "powerfully addresses the rampant problem of sexual abuse in the military...a beautiful piece about deeply hurt characters." Earworm, on the other hand, "is a crowd-pleaser for sure, especially for anybody who's life has been changed by music." New works are always of interest, and Tesseract is to be commended for putting this on.

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Held Over:

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Come From Away

The Fabulous Fox Theatre presents the musical Come From Away opening on Tuesday, May 14, at 7:30 pm and running through May 26. "The New York Times Critics' Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships." The Fabulous Fox Theatre in on N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

My take: Some musicals are hits despite their books. Come From Away is a hit largely because of its tightly constructed and emotionally powerful book. With book, music, and lyrics by the team of Irene Sankoff and David Hein--whose charming My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding got such a wonderful production at New Jewish Theatre four years ago--Come From Away never fails to entertain, delight, and move.