Brian Stanczak-Tuscany

The National Tour of Waitress, running now through March 20th at the Detroit Music Hall, is something spectacular. Waitress tells the story of Jenna - a Waitress and expert pie maker in a small southern town. She dreams of a way out of this small town and away from her broken marriage and abusive husband. Through the thought of winning a local pie baking contest and forming a brand-new life, Jenna longs to make her dreams a reality. In order to do so, Jenna must summon the strength and courage to rebuild her own life. With original music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, this show is sure to leave you singing in your seat.

Working: A Musical, running now through March 8th at Meadow Brook Theatre, is a thought-provoking exploration of the modern American workforce. Based on Studs Terkel's best-selling book of interviews with American workers, Working paints a vivid portrait of the men and women that the world so often takes for granted: the schoolteacher, the phone operator, the waitress, the millworker, the mason, and the housewife - just to name a few. Nominated for six Tony Awards, this classic has been updated for a modern age.

he 39 Steps, playing now through March 8th at Tipping Point Theatre in Northville, is a hilariously challenging fast-paced comedy! Richard, an average English man, meets a mysterious woman that whispers secrets to him on her deathbed. Fleeing the country becomes his only hope for survival and solving the mystery of the 39 Steps. A parody of the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock of the same name, The 39 Steps mixes the thriller genre with humor in the style of Monty Python.

Roadsigns, running now through March 14th at The Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, is a World Premiere play written by Michigan native Jeff Daniels. The play follows Lanny, a young and ambitious poet, as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and fulfillment. Throughout the story, many different characters are introduced, each of them hoping to follow a dream that'll change each of their lives.

Avon Players' production of Deathrap by Ira Levin, running now through February 1st at Avon Players in Rochester Hills, is a suspenseful thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat! Living a seemingly comfortable life in his charming Connecticut home, playwright Sydney Bruhl is struggling to overcome a string of failures that have left him hurting for money.  However, he quickly realizes his luck may be turning around when he receives a script in the mail from Clifford Anderson, a former student.  Greed instantly overcomes Sydney upon reviewing the script and realizing that it will be a sure-fired hit. Sydney offers to collaborate with the young writer, but the plan he has devised with his wife Myra is far more devilish.  The audience is taken on a rollercoaster of suspense and anxiety as the events of this play unfold. This isn't your usual night out at the theatre.

Sherlock Holmes And The Adventure of The Fallen Souffle, running now through December 21st at The Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, is a brand new adaptation on the classic Sherlock Holmes stories that we know and love. A world premiere play written by David MacGregor, this show takes audiences through the interesting life of Sherlock Holmes and his acquaintances. The play is set the day before Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and her son, the playboy Prince of Wales, arrives at 221B Baker Street pursued by anarchist assassins. Coincidentally, the greatest chef in the world, Auguste Escoffier, also arrives at the same house, not knowing his career is about to be shattered by blackmail and scandal. This action-filled tale will provide Dr. Watson with the material for Sherlock Holmes' most bizarre and tastiest case.

You Can't Take It With you, running now through September 29th at Players Guild of Dearborn, is a heartfelt classic comedy. Originally written by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, this show follows the life of the zany Sycamore family. The Sycamores are a madcap group of eccentrics, marching to the beat of their own drum, with pride and joy. When practical young Alice Sycamore becomes engaged to her company's Vice President Tony Kirby, the Sycamore family must straighten up to meet the new in-laws. Disaster ensues when the Kirby's arrive at the wrong time and, despite the best laid plans, see Alice's family in all of its crazy glory.

Nothing says Pure Michigan quite like an outdoor summer theatre festival in August. Othello, presented by Shakespeare Royal Oak and Water Works Theatre Company, runs through August 4th at Star Jaycee Park in Royal Oak. Othello lives for love, passion and pride, but is manipulated by jealousy and revenge. This Shakespeare classic sheds light on the level of trust involved in friendships, as well as how far some will go to claim power. Othello takes us deep into the mind of a powerful man boldly facing the deepest fear of his life.

The world premiere of Welcome to Paradise, running through August 31st at the Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, is a fresh piece of theatre that will engage audience members throughout the entire performance. Welcome to Paradise, set in the Caribbean, centers around two people who, despite their age difference, find love and acceptance in each other. With a generation gap (or more) between them, they discover they have more in common with each other than they thought. Welcome to Paradise explores the true meanings of relationships, and how two people who meet as strangers can evolve into something much more.

Anastasia, playing now through June 23rd at the Fisher Theatre, is a whimsical tale that will delight audiences. This new musical transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family. Featuring a score by Stephen Flaherty, Anastasia is sure to leave audiences with a song in their heart and a smile on their face.

The Midwest premiere of Williston by Adam Seidel, playing now through June 30th at Detroit Repertory Theatre, is a fresh piece of theatre that successfully shines a light on the power of greed and money in modern day America. Three leasing reps travel to Williston, North Dakota to get mineral rights to the last big piece of undeveloped land. Leasing reps negotiate with land owners on behalf of oil companies about obtaining a lease to develop the land and typically operate on commissions which are a percentage of the leasing price.

There is nothing quite like watching live theatre performed outside in a Greek theater on a beautiful summer night in Michigan. Mamma Mia!, running now through June 15th at St. Dunstan's Theatre in Bloomfield Hills, will have you singing and dancing in your seat. Mamma Mia! is the sunny and funny tale of young Sophie's search for her birth father. The story unfolds on a Greek island paradise on the eve of her wedding. Sophie's quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years earlier. Incorporating the songs made famous by Swedish supergroup ABBA, Mamma Mia! is a fun and uplifting story that will be sure to keep you entertained.

Stephen Sondheim's Company, playing now through June 1st at Avon Players in Rochester Hills, is a thought-provoking exploration of love and life in 1970's New York City. Bobby has a full social calendar but avoids romantic commitments. On the night of his thirty-fifth birthday, he reassesses his life by reviewing his relationships with his married friends and girlfriends. While all his friends are happy with their spouses, marriage has never been Bobby's speed. Through a series of vignettes showcasing his friend's day to day lives as couples, Bobby is taken on a journey of self-discovery. Smart and funny, Company takes the audience on a journey of one man's lonely life while he figures out the true meaning behind 'Being Alive'.

It Shoulda Been You, running now through May 26th at the Players Guild of Dearborn, is a hilarious musical that will leave the audience smiling from ear to ear. The synopsis of It Shoulda Been You involves a wedding between a Jewish bride and a Catholic groom. With the bride's mother being a controlling force of nature, things start to go haywire. This "perfect day" goes even more astray when the brides' ex-boyfriend crashes the party and tries to win the bride back on her special day. It's up to the sister of the bride to turn a tangled mess into happily ever after in this musical comedy for anyone who ever had parents.

The National Tour of Waitress, running now through May 19th at the Fisher Theatre, is a spectacular production all-around. Waitress tells the story of Jenna - a waitress and expert pie maker in a small southern town. She dreams of a way out of this small town and away from her broken marriage and abusive husband. Through the thought of winning a local pie baking contest and forming a brand-new life, Jenna longs to make her dreams a reality. In order to do so, Jenna must summon the strength and courage to rebuild her own life. With original music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, this show is sure to leave you singing in your seat.

All My Sons, playing through June 1st at The Purple Rose Theatre Company, is a dramatic and intense adaptation of the Tony-Award winning play. The play follows the story of Joe Keller, a working man who desperately wants to secure the business he spent so many years constructing. He is ready to hand it down to his son, Chris. Joe's wife Kate is still waiting for their eldest son Larry to return from war, determined that he is alive and will marry the former neighbor girl from next door, Ann, who happens to be the daughter of Joe's former business partner. To complicate this family drama, Chris and Ann are in love and want to get married. All My Sons shows a post-war American family in a spiral of lies, greed, love, and loss.

Wayne State University's production of Mamma Mia!, running now through April 14th, will leave you singing and dancing in your seat. Using the songs of Swedish supergroup ABBA, Mamma Mia! follows the life of Sophie Sheridan in the days before her wedding in Greece. She wants her father to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. The only problem is she has no idea who her father is. Sophie looks through her mother's old diaries and discovers that her father must be one of three possible men. She invites them all to her big day in an attempt to discover who her real father is. Trouble ensues as these three men all meet for the first time, all thinking they are Sophie's father. Sophie's mother Donna has to live with the daunting reality of her past coming back to haunt her on her daughter's big day. Wayne State's production of this jukebox musical is exhilarating, upbeat, and energetic.

Popcorn Falls, playing now through May 5th at Tipping Point Theatre in Northville, is a fast-paced comedy that will keep the audience on their toes throughout the entire performance. The town of Popcorn Falls is in trouble as their signature waterfall has dried up and they are losing more money each day. The play's antagonist, Mr. Doyle, is threatening to turn this small town into a water treatment facility. There is one way to save the town: put on a successful play in one week. Hilarity ensues as the mayor of the town and the town's executive custodian, along with a cast of misfit townsfolk, attempt to pull off this play in an impossible time frame.

Glengarry Glen Ross at Monster Box Theatre, running now until March 31st, does a great job of staging the classic 1992 film of the same name. In this Tony Award winning drama written by David Mamet, four desperate real estate salesmen are prepared to stop at nothing in order to win a cut-throat sales competition where prizes range from a Cadillac to being fired. Greed overcomes these men when realize the seriousness of the contest and what is on the line, causing them to turn to unethical activities so they can come out ahead. When one of the disgruntled men involves some of the others in an elaborate plot to rob the office, everyone becomes a suspect in the eyes of the law. The audience is able to get a glimpse into the shallow lives of the lives of these men, as they fight with each other to rise to the top in this high-pressure sales environment.

Death of A Salesman, running through March 11th at the Ringwald Theatre in Ferndale, is a powerful spin on an American classic. Written by Arthur Miller, Salesman won the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as the 1949 Tony Award for Best Play. The story follows the character of Willy Loman, a failing salesman, who can't seem to win happiness and success. In this powerful spin on a classic, audiences will be transported into Loman's lonesome world, and will witness how the quest for one man's dream tears an entire family apart.