March 1-10 at The Stone Circle Theatre in Ridgewood, Queens, NY
Directed by Cathy Chimenti
Produced by Thom Harmon
Broadway is so expensive and far away! Plus, Queens is hosting some great plays these days.
City Gate Productions kicks off Twelve Angry Men at American Martyrs Catholic Church’s Sullivan Center at 79-43 Bell Blvd. in Bayside on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 8 pm. Then, the production jumps over to the Stone Circle Theatre at Ridgewood Presbyterian Church at 59-14 70th Ave. for six shows between March 1 and March 10.
Adapted by Sherman L. Sergel and based on Reginald Rose’s Emmy-winning television movie, this drama centers on a 19-year-old male who has just stood trial for the fatal stabbing of his father. It looks like an open-and-shut case, until a juror begins opening the others’ eyes to the facts.
General admission is $25, but seniors and students can attend for $20.
City Gate Productions was founded in December 2021 by married couple Virginia and Thom Harmon, who’s also producing Twelve Angry Men. (Past productions include The Christians, Lobby Hero, and Rabbit Hole.)
Parkside Players, a community group that’s been associated with Grace Lutheran Church in Forest Hills since 1981, continues presenting Shakespeare in Hollywood on Feb. 24 at 8 pm. (The rest of the schedule is Feb. 25 at 2 pm; March 1 at 8 pm; March 2 at 8 pm; and March 3 at 2 pm.)
Set in 1934, this Ken Ludwig comedy is about Oberon and Puck, two of Shakespeare’s most famous fairies. They magically materialize on the Warner Bros. set of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Hollywood.
General admission is $22, but students and seniors can attend for $20. Grace Lutheran Church is on the corner of Union Turnpike and 71st Road.
Borough thespians get a short break, and then Titan Theatre Company opens The Revolutionists at Queens Theatre on March 15 at 7:30 pm.
Written by Lauren Gunderson, this “brutal comedy” depicts four women during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror (1793-1794). Playwright Olympe De Gouge, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle murder, lose their heads, and try to beat back extremist insanity.
Tickets cost $27, and Queens Theatre is at 14 United Nations Ave. S. in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The 7:30 pm shows are on March 15, 16, 21, 22, and 23. The 3 pm shows are on March 17 and 24.
Bonus
Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning’s next Meet the Playwright event is on Feb. 29 at 8 pm. This program organizes semi-staged readings of new works by BIIPOC playwrights with Q&As.
Playwright Victor Vauban’s Siblings is the feature this time. Set in Harlem in the 1990s, Alberta is lost and depressed after a bitter divorce from her husband, an African militant she met in college. While dealing with an unruly teenage son, she gets immersed in alcoholism and pills to escape to her glory days as a young opera singer.
Attendance is free, and JCAL is at 161-04 Jamaica Ave.
Top image: City Gate Productions; bottom image: Parkside Players