Shakespeare

once wrote: "All the world's a stage." That may

or may not be true, but this week it seems that at least

all of the state is a stage.

Theatrical

presentations will run amok this week with large scale

productions like "The Civil War" at the Fox

Theatre in Atlanta and smaller productions like

"Little Shop of Horrors" at Sandy Creek High

School.

"The

Civil War" is a musical that was first staged at the

Alley Theatre in New York City in 1997. In the spring of

1999 the musical opened on Broadway to an enthusiastic

popular response. The show was nominated for three Tony

Awards and was the source of two recordings, "The

Civil War - The Complete Work" and "The Civil

War - The Nashville Sessions."

Though

newly conceived by the authors for the national touring

production, "The Civil War" is inspired by the

passion and turmoil of the men and women who defined a

nation. The musical stars Bebe Winans and Larry Gatlin.

Winans is

best known as the male half of the Grammy Award-winning

duo, Bebe and Cece Winans. He has recently been signed as

a solo artist by Motown Records, with a debut slated for

June.

Gatlin is

also a Grammy Award-winner and has starred on Broadway in

The Will Rogers Follies.

"The

Civil War" will play Tuesday through Saturday at 8

p.m. and Sunday at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday

matinees at 2. Individual tickets range in price from $18

to $40.

Sandy Creek

High School will be throwing off a Broadway vibe this

weekend with "Little Shop of Horrors." The

musical is based on Roger Corman's 1960 cult film about a

young nebbish named Seymour and the man-eating plant that

can make him a success. The musical has been performed

all over the world with stints off and on Broadway as

well as on the Silver Screen.

The Sandy

Creek production features Brent Hostetler and Jonathan

Broom as Mr. Mushnik, the grumpy store owner, Jamie

Rosser and Kim Brusch as Audrey the ditzy salesgirl, and

Terence Hood and Andrew Clough as the inept Seymour

Krelborn. The cast is rounded out by students playing

everything from flower shop patrons to skid row residents

as well as the ill-fated patents of Dr. Orrin Scrivello,

played by Giovanti Bonner.

Another

important element is Audrey II, the plant that grows to

enormous proportions and tries to take over the world.

The theater department rented the puppets, which are

based on the original designs by Martin P. Robinson, from

Musical Theatre International in New York City. The

puppets are manned by Susan Clough and Celeste Cofer and

voiced by Micah Meredith.

Theatrical

director Kathy Andersen and musical director Millie Turek

have collaborated on many productions over the past 20

years and are looking forward to presenting this

energetic production, filled with an outstanding blend of

fine acting, great musical talent and an upbeat score.

"Little

Shop of Horrors" will be presented March 23-25 at

7:30 p.m. in the Commons area of the high school. Tickets

are $5 if purchased in advance from a member of the cast

and $6 if purchased at the door. For information, phone

Kathy Andersen at 770-969-2840, ext. 259.

Staying

inside the musical vein is "Violet," a new

musical by Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley, making its

Southeastern premiere this weekend at Actor's Express.

"Violet" is based on the Doris Betts story,

"The Ugliest Pilgrim."

The story

focuses on a woman's journey to find a televangelist

who'll pray away her prominent facial scar. Along the

way, Violet meets many interesting folks and journeys

through the moments that led her to this point in her

life.

"Violet"

will be directed by Bill Fennelly, one of America's

hottest young directing talents. "I liked the

honesty of the love story at the heart of the play,"

explained Fennelly. It reminds me of `The Enchanted

Cottage' in that two people become beautiful because they

see the beauty in each other."

Performances

are scheduled for 8 p.m Thursday through Saturday and at

7 p.m Sundays, from March 22 to May 13. Ticket prices for

Thursday, Friday and Sunday shows are $20, while Saturday

evening shows are $25. Tickets for the Opening Night Gala

Sunday, March 26 are $65 and include a catered pre-show

dinner and post show dessert reception with the cast.

Phone 404-607-SHOW for information and reservations.

And let us

not forget that there are several children's shows still

running in the area. Offshoot Productions will present

"Beanie and the Bamboozling Book Machine" in

the band room of the Old Fayette County High School this

weekend. The show will

be at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets are $5 and available at Fayette Book Shop and

Omega Book Center in Peachtree City.

Fayette

Community Theatre Inc. will present "Winnie the Pooh

at the Zoo" at Peachtree City Elementary this

weekend. Friday's performance will be at 7 p.m.,

Saturday's show is at 11 a.m. and Sunday's is at 3 p.m.

Admission is $5 and includes a party with the characters

after the show. Tickets are available at the Peachtree

City and Fayetteville libraries or by calling

770-631-1542.

Go out and

enjoy some theater this weekend. After all, the play is

the thing.

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