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You’re in for a treat with spring theater shows in town

Get ready an entertaining, thoughtful (and slightly icky) time

By Scott Hewitt, Columbian staff writer
Published: April 21, 2017, 6:05am
6 Photos
Darcie Elliot Photography
Laugh out loud with the unpredictable Browning family -- played by, clockwise from top right, Melissa Schurman, David Roberts, Tom Golik and Becky York in &quot;Leaving Iowa: The Comedy About Family Vacations,&quot; at Woodland&#039;s Love Street Playhouse. (Courtesy of La Center High School)
Darcie Elliot Photography Laugh out loud with the unpredictable Browning family -- played by, clockwise from top right, Melissa Schurman, David Roberts, Tom Golik and Becky York in "Leaving Iowa: The Comedy About Family Vacations," at Woodland's Love Street Playhouse. (Courtesy of La Center High School) Photo Gallery

It’s the musical with the ickiest name ever: “Urinetown.” That’s a pun, of course: You’re in town. Get it?

Still icky. That’s the point. “Urinetown” is about as sharp and wicked as satire gets. Set in a future that’s not nearly as distant and improbable as you’d like to think, the play involves the fight for a basic human right: the right to pee freely.

People have lost that right in “Urinetown,” where a 20-year drought, oppressive laws and an evil corporation have made it, as one song says, “A Privilege to Pee.” Let flow without coughing up some dough, and you’re shipped off to a penal colony.

This is the stuff of revolution, of course, as the huddled and extremely bladderful masses launch a rebellion, take hostages, suffer losses and discover the serious meaning behind the title pun.

That icky town? You’re already there.

All of which may seem like awfully strong stuff for high school actors, not to mention their wary parents and doting grandparents. If a critique of everything Americans hold dear — capitalism, corporations, mob justice, “infinite” natural resources — sounds a little too icky for you, don’t get pissed. A wide variety of great performances, the vast majority of them by students, will shine on Clark County stages in upcoming weeks. This is your big chance to check out our new crop of young thespians as they take on everything from Cole Porter to William Shakespeare and cutting-edge drama to classic musical comedy.

There’s even an original twist on a current movie musical: A nonmusical version of “Beauty and the Beast,” written and directed by Hudson’s Bay High School junior Caitlyn Hansen.

SPRING THEATER PRODUCTIONS

Heritage High School

 What: “Much Ado About Nothing,” by William Shakespeare.

 When: 7 p.m. April 20-22.

 Where: 7825 N.E. 130th Ave., Vancouver.

 Tickets: $10, $5 for children under 12. 

Cedar Tree Classical Christian School

 What: “Anne of Green Gables,” by L.M. Montgomery, adapted by Sylvia Ashby.

 When: 6:30 p.m. April 21-22; 2 p.m. April 22.

 Where: Manor Grange, 17901 N.E. 72nd Ave., Battle Ground.

 Tickets: $8.

Battle Ground High School

 What: “The Addams Family” by Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice.

 When: 7 p.m. April 27-29, May 3-5.

 Where: 300 Main St., Battle Ground.

 Tickets: $10; $7 for students and seniors.

Firm Foundation Christian School

 What: Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” by Lindsay Price.

 When: 7 p.m. April 28-29.

• Where: 1919 S.W. 25th Ave., Battle Ground.

 Tickets: $7; $5 for students.

Ridgefield High School

 What: “Urinetown” by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis.

 When: 7 p.m. May 4-6, 11-13; 2 p.m. May 6, 13.

 Where: 2630 S. Hillhurst Road, Ridgefield.

 Tickets: $10; $7 for students and seniors. 

Love Street Playhouse

 What: “Leaving Iowa” by Tim Clue and Spike Manton.

 When: 7:30 p.m. May 5-6, 12-13, 18-20; 2 p.m. May 7, 14, 21.

 Where: 126 Loves Ave., Woodland.

 Tickets: $17-$20

Hudsons Bay High School

 What: An original, nonmusical version of “Beauty and the Beast,” written and directed by theater student Caitlyn Hansen.

 When: 7 p.m. May 5-6, 12-13.

 Where: 1601 E. McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver.

 Tickets: $5; free for students and seniors.

Clark College

 What: “Stop Kiss” by Diana Son.

 When: 7:30 p.m. May 12, 13, 18-20.

• Where: Frost Arts Center, Decker Theater, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver.

 Tickets: $13; $11 for seniors; $9 for students and alumni.

La Center High School

 What: “The Matchmaker” by Thornton Wilder.

 When: 7 p.m. May 18-20.

 Where: 725 Highland Road, La Center.

 Tickets: $5.

Mountain View High School

 What: “Anything Goes,” by Cole Porter.

 When: 7 p.m. May 18-20, 25-27; 1 p.m. May 20.

 Where: 1500 S.E. Blairmont Drive, Vancouver.

 Tickets: $10; $8 for students, seniors, children under 12.

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