The Warren Miller Performing Arts Center offers Southwest Montana audiences plenty of opportunities to experience live stage entertainment in Big Sky this fall season.
Next up, take in stage performance event Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding on Friday and Saturday, November 8th and 9th. Performances begin at 7pm both nights, with an additional 1pm Saturday matinee.
The performances will be Big Sky Community Theater’s first foray into “dinner theater,” an interactive evening with the audience participating as wedding guests. With the support of the Big Sky School District Lunch Ladies, the crew is delighted to bring a production that has been performed in more than 100 cities worldwide since its opening in 1988.
New Yorkers Nancy Cassaro and Mark Nassar invented the characters of Tony and Tina while studying drama at Hofstra University in the 1980s. As the idea grew, Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding landed to a scrappy downtown Manhattan location in 1985. Becoming a commercial success, it moved off-Broadway, produced by another Hofstra alumnus, Joe Corcoran. It ran for over 20 years to rave reviews, and eventually turned into a worldwide phenomenon, presented at over 150 cities worldwide.
Another stage show, Monster + Farmer – A Frankenstein Tale, follows on Thursday, November 14th. The performance begins at 7pm.
The play offers a modern twist on the classic Frankenstein tale, set on a Montana ranch near the Mission Mountains. The story follows Riley, a teenage science prodigy who embarks on an adventurous project to create a creature inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and documents her progress on her YouTube channel. As the situation spirals out of control, Riley and her brother Aidan work to manage the ensuing chaos. Monster + Farmer compellingly addresses themes of family dynamics, the anxiety caused by social media, and the crucial importance of seeking support.
Monster + Farmer is about creation and connection in an increasingly digital world. The play delves into themes of family dynamics, the anxiety of social media, and the importance of seeking help, all while showcasing an innovative, determined female lead excelling in science and technology.
Ringing in the holiday season on Saturday and Sunday, November 30th and December 1st, enjoy two stagings of Estella Scrooge. Each show begins at 6:30pm.
Estella Scrooge is a Dickensian musical extravaganza in two acts. A modern retelling of A Christmas Carol with additional characters and plot lines from Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, Bleak House and other great Dickens’ novels.
Estella Scrooge is a Wall Street tycoon with a penchant for foreclosing. A hotelier in her hometown of Pickwick, Ohio, has defaulted on his mortgage and as a Christmas gift to herself, Estella decides to deliver the sad news in person. Arriving at the Harthouse Hotel on Christmas Eve, Estella discovers that the mortgage holder is none other than her childhood sweetheart, Pip Nickleby. Always the humanitarian, Pip has generously transformed the property into a refuge for the distraught, disabled and displaced. A freak snowstorm forces Estella, much to her dismay, to take refuge at Harthouse. That night, as it happened to her ancestor Ebenezer long ago, she too is haunted by three visitations. And oh what uninvited overnight houseguests they are!
For further information or to purchase tickets for these performances and other upcoming events, visit www.warrenmillerpac.org. •
