First Posted: 4/22/2015

THIS WEEK: April 29 to May 5, 2015

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, the sweetly comic story of two friends from Brooklyn in search of good times, set to the music of 18 Neil Sedaka hits. Pines Dinner Theater, 448 N. 17th St., Allentown. Through May 10 with performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays. Dinner served 90 minutes before showtime. $48.50; $25 without dinner. Reservations: 610-433-2333.

Vania & Sonia & Masha & Spike, Christopher Durang’s Tony Award-winning Chekhov mash-up set in Bucks County where two middle-aged siblings are visited by their glamorous sister and her new boy toy. Performed by the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble at the Alvina Krause Theatre, 226 Center St., Bloomsburg. April 30 to May 17 with performances 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $26; $22 seniors; $13 students. For mature audiences. 570-784-8181.

Proprioception, an original play presented by the University of Scranton Players and Marywood University’s School of Architecture. Former Scranton School for the Deaf, 1800 N. Washington Ave., Scranton. 8 p.m. April 30 to May 2. Free. 570-941-4218.

Rent, the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical about a group of struggling artists on New York’s Lower East Side. Presented by Liva Arts Company at Elm Park United Methodist Church, 712 Linden St., Scranton. 8 p.m. April 30 and May 1; 2 and 8 p.m. May 2. 570-941-7401.

Dance Concert, the annual show by dance minor students and visiting guest artists. Sette LaVerghetta Center for Performing Arts, Marywood University, 2300 Adams Ave., Scranton. 7:30 p.m. May 1; 2 p.m. May 2. Free. 570-348-6268.

Anything Goes, the Tony Award-winning Cole Porter musical comedy. Performed by a national touring company at the Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N. Washington Ave. 8 p.m. May 1; 2 and 8 p.m. May 2; 1 p.m. May 3. 570-342-7784 or broadwayscranton.com.

Miss Saigon, the musical based on Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly” about the doomed romance of an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover. Theatre at the Grove, 5177 Nuangola Road, Nuangola. May 1 to 17 with performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $20. 570-868-8212.

FUTURE

The National Players, performances by the national touring company. Technology Center, Luzerne County Community College, 1333 S. Prospect St., Nanticoke. May 8 with Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” at 11 a.m. and “To Kill a Mockingbird” at 6 p.m. Free. 570-740-0732.

Lost in Yonkers, Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy-drama about two brothers who come to live with their tough-love grandmother and dreamer of an aunt. Presented by the Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts at the J.J. Ferrara Center, 212 W. Broad St., Hazleton. May 8 to 17 with performances 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $32 with dinner; $16 show only. 570-454-5451.

Godspell, the Biblical musical by Stephen Schwartz, performed by Phoenix Theatrics at the Phoenix Performing Arts Centre, 409 Main St., Duryea. 7 p.m. May 8, 15-16; 2 and 7 p.m. May 9; 2 p.m. May 17. $12. 570-457-3589.

Noises Off, the hilarious farce about a disorganized theater company attempting to put on a production that is snowballing out of control. Little Theatre, 537 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre. May 9 to 17 with performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $17. 570-823-1875.

Late Nite Catechism, the comedy Catechism class presided over by the irrepressible “Sister” who turns the audience into a group of students. Presented by Broadway Scranton at the Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N. Washington Ave. 8 p.m. May 15; 2 and 8 p.m. May 16; 1 p.m. May 17. 570-344-1111.

Hello Dolly! The award-winning Broadway smash musical about matchmaker Dolly Levi who takes over New York in her typically extravagant manner. Theatre at the Grove, 5177 Nuangola Road, Nuangola. June 5 to 21 with performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $20. 570-868-8212.

Tommy, the Who’s popular rock opera about the deaf, dumb and blind Pinball Wizard. Presented by the Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts at the J.J. Ferrara Center, 212 W. Broad St., Hazleton. June 12 to 24 with performances 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $32 with dinner; $16 show only. 570-454-5451.

Shakespeare in the Park, an outdoor performance of Shakespeare’s tragedy “Hamlet,” presented by the Gamut Theatre Group. Riverside Park, Tunkhannock. 7 p.m. June 27. Free. Bring a blanket or chair. 570-996-1500.

Mr. Roberts, the classic serio-comedy about life in the South Pacific aboard a navy vessel during World War II. Presented by the Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts at the J.J. Ferrara Center, 212 W. Broad St., Hazleton. July 3 to 12 with performances 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $32 with dinner; $16 show only. 570-454-5451.

Shrek: The Musical, the Broadway production about the big green ogre who attempts to rescue a group of fairy-tale characters who’ve been banished from their homes. Theatre at the Grove, 5177 Nuangola Road, Nuangola. July 10 to 26 with performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sunday; 1 p.m. July 18 and 26. $20. 570-868-8212.

Mary Poppins, the regional premiere based on the Disney musical about the magical nanny who takes care of the Banks family household in Edwardian London. Presented by the Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts at the J.J. Ferrara Center, 212 W. Broad St., Hazleton. Aug. 7 to 16 with performances 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $32 with dinner; $16 show only. 570-454-5451.

Thoroughly Modern Millie, the Broadway musical set in the 1920s about a girl determined to find a rich husband. Theatre at the Grove, 5177 Nuangola Road, Nuangola. Aug. 21 to Sept. 6 with performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $20. 570-868-8212.

A Little Night Music, the Broadway musical about love, sex and folly set during a weekend on a country estate. Presented by the Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts at the J.J. Ferrara Center, 212 W. Broad St., Hazleton. Sept. 11 to 20 with performances 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $32 with dinner; $16 show only. 570-454-5451.

West Side Story, the Broadway musical which sets a Romeo-and-Juliet story among street gangs of New York City. Little Theatre, 537 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre. Sept. 12 to 20 with performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. 570-823-1875.

Tuesdays with Morrie, columnist Mitch Albom’s memoir about his time spent with sociology professor Morrie Schwartz. Theatre at the Grove, 5177 Nuangola Road, Nuangola. Sept. 18 to 27 with performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $20. 570-868-8212.

The Addams Family, a musical based on the characters of the macabre television series. Theatre at the Grove, 5177 Nuangola Road, Nuangola. Oct. 16 to Nov. 1 with performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Also: a special show at midnight on Oct. 31. $20. 570-868-8212.

The Laramie Project, Moises Kaufman’s chronicle of the apparent hate-crime death of gay college student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. Little Theatre, 537 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre. Nov. 7 to 15 with performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. 570-823-1875.

Plaid Tidings, a holiday version of “Forever Plaid,” in which members of a singing quartet are killed on the way to their first professional gig but are allowed to return to Earth to do the show. Theatre at the Grove, 5177 Nuangola Road, Nuangola. Nov. 27 to Dec. 13 with performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Special matinees 3 p.m. on Dec. 5 and 12. $20. 570-868-8212.

Scrooge, the musical adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. Presented by the Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts at the J.J. Ferrara Center, 212 W. Broad St., Hazleton. Dec. 3 to 13 with performances 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $32 with dinner; $16 show only. 570-454-5451.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Theater Bus Trip to see the musical “The King and I” in New York City followed by a family-style dinner at Carmine’s. Leaves 8 a.m. June 3 from the Dietrich Theater, 60 E. Tioga St., Tunkhannock and returns at 11 p.m. $265 includes an orchestra seat, transportation and dinner. Reservations: 570-996-1500.