#InTheLoop | Musicals, Mysteries, Romances, Homages + Monologues. Queens Community Theater Is Alive + Kicking!
There’s something special about community theater. It combines passion, volunteerism, neighborhood pride, humility, and respect for the audience. Of course, Queens is a hot spot of local theater, and winter is a hot time for shows.
Musicals, mysteries, romances, homages, and monologues are about to hit local stages. Here’s a chronological primer. (It doesn’t include a few sold out shows at Jamaica Performing Arts Center.)
Jan. 28, The One: A Valentine’s Day Musical Revue (In January), Jan. 29. Royal Star Theatre offers this celebration of romance that features love songs from musicals across the ages. Shows are at Immaculate Conception Church Parish Hall in Jamaica Estates on Jan. 28 at 8 pm and on Jan. 29 at 3 pm. General admission is $20, but the price drops to $17 for seniors over age 65 and children under age 12.
Near the borough’s western edge in Long Island City, the New York Irish Center will host a staged reading of Maura Mulligan’s new work Brigid on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 7 pm. With songs from the Grammy-winning vocalist Susan McKeown, this play imagines St. Brigid as she returns to earth to promote the inclusion of women in the Catholic Church hierarchy.
As Feb. 1 is St. Brigid’s Feast Day, the evening will include a post-reading panel, “Reflections on Modern-Day Brigid Connections,” hosted by Cuala Foundation, and a reception. General admission is $20.
One neighborhood east in Sunnyside, Thalía Spanish Theatre will present Señor Bolero from Thursday, Feb. 2, to Sunday, Feb. 26. This comedic musical centers on bolero, a slow, danceable Spanish language genre that arose in Cuba at the end of the 19th century. A famous 1960s crooner takes a twisty, turny road to love after being hired to perform a concert.
Shows are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 pm and Sundays at 4 pm. Tickets cost $45 with discounts for students and seniors.
Heading a bit further east and south to Middle Village, Maggie’s Little Theater offers The Mousetrap from Saturday, Feb. 11, to Sunday, Feb. 19. This 1952 Agatha Christie murder mystery is based on a short story that’s based on a radio play. (Take that, Shakespeare and your love of a play-within-a-play!) After arriving at a guesthouse in the British countryside, several strangers learn that one of them is wanted for a London murder. Slowly, the characters reveal their sordid pasts as tension grows before exploding in an unsuspected ending.
Shows are at 2:30 pm on the two Sundays and at 8 pm on the Friday and two Saturdays. Ticket prices are $20 for adults, but $18 for seniors and children under age 12.
Following the eastward trend to Kew Gardens, the Center at Maple Grove Cemetery produces its first show of the 2023, Dear Fran by Mary Frances Grace, on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 2 pm, followed by a reception in a gallery where art by P.S. 99 students is on display.
Based on letters from Grace’s father to her mother while he was stationed in Korea in the early 1950s and some fictional letters from fictional individuals, this music-heavy work honors veterans and their families. It’s specifically dedicated to three fallen Korean War heroes at eternal rest in Maple Grove: Marine PFC Gilbert Goepel; Army PFC George Klaussner; and Air Force PFC James Jacobs.
Then so far east that the Nassau County border is nearby, the Douglaston Community Theatre will put on Love, Loss and What I Wore from Friday, Feb. 17, to Sunday, Feb. 26.
Written by sisters Nora and Delia Ephron and based on an eponymous book by Ilene Beckerman, this play is a series of monologues by five women. They discuss clothes, shoes, accessories, and the ups and downs of their lives. Topics include divorce, cancer, losing a child, rape, crime, and Madonna (naturally).
Shows are at 8 pm on Feb. 17, Feb. 18, Feb. 24, and Feb. 25 and 2 pm on Feb. 18 and Feb. 26. Tickets run from $22 for adults to $20 for seniors and students.
Information on the Venues
Immaculate Conception Church (86-45 Edgerton Blvd.) has plenty of parking. It’s a long walk from the nearest subway station: the 179th Street on the F line.
The New York Irish Center (10-40 Jackson Ave.) has been a gathering place and cultural hub for the Diaspora and those interested in Ireland since opening in 2005. It’s near the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue stop on the 7 train.
Founded in 1977 by Cuban actress/director Silvia Brito, Thalía Spanish Theatre (41-17 Greenpoint Ave.) is the borough’s only bilingual Latino venue. The performance space, which has about 75 seats, is near the 40th Street stop on the 7 train.
Based in St. Margaret Parish Hall (66-05 79th Pl.), Maggie’s Little Theater averaged two plays a year before Covid. Now it’s back.
Maple Grove Cemetery (Kew Gardens Road and 129th Street) has a friends group that is constantly organizing concerts, art, and other events on the grounds and in the center, a state-of-the-art facility that includes a sunlit lobby, stained glass, a waterfall, and a large activity/dining room.
Douglaston Community Theatre is based at Zion Episcopal Church Parish Hall at 243-20 Church St., one block north of Northern Boulevard. Founded in 1950, the borough’s oldest active community theater strives to produce three works a year. Parking is easy. Public transportation is difficult.
Images: Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery
