Pippin Takes Flight, Janet Dacal Explores The Last Five Years & More Cross-Country News

The holiday season is in full swing, and there's no better way to celebrate good cheer than with a week of great theater! This week’s Countrywide Guide spotlights Broadway fave Janet Dacal falling in and out of love in The Last Five Years, Pippin beginning its journey in Boston, a production of the A Christmas Carol that would make even Ebenezer Scrooge smile and more! 


CORAL GABLES, FL
Janet Dacal Becomes a Shiksa Goddess in The Last Five Years
The Actors' Playhouse welcomes back Broadway's Janet Dacal (In the Heights) and Christopher A. Kent as they star in Tony winner Jason Robert Brown's touching two-person musical The Last Five Years. The show explores the relationship between a rising novelist and a struggling actress, and captures the most heartbreaking and universally felt moments of a youthful romance. Directed by David Arisco, the production runs December 5 through December 30 at the Miracle Theatre.   


CAMBRIDGE, MA
Pippin Finds Its 'Corner of the Sky' in New England
Former Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark cast member Matthew James Thomas takes on the title role of Diane Paulus' re-conceived revival of Pippin, which begins performances at the American Repertory Theater. Joined by Tony winner Andrea Martin and Tony nominees Patina Miller, Terrence Mann and Charlotte d'Amboise, this circus-like take on the Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson musical will work its magic December 5 through January 20 at the Loeb Drama Center. 


FAIRFAX, VA
Alex Brightman Dreams and Schemes in How I Paid For College
Wicked and Glory Days alum Alex Brightman stars in the Hub Theatre's world premiere of Marc Acito's How I Paid For College. This monologue with songs, based on Acito's 2005 novel, centers on a talented but irresponsible teen actor who schemes to steal tuition money when his wealthy father refuses to pay for acting school. Find out how far Brightman is willing to go to make a dream come true at the John Swayze Theatre December 7 through December 30.


NEW HOPE, PA
Last Chance to See Misery, Back From the Dead in Bucks County
You've got one final weekend to check out the world premiere stage adaptation of Stephen King’s psychological thriller Misery! Directed by Will Frears, the show's developmental engagement at Bucks County Playhouse is set to close on December 8. Misery centers on novelist Paul Sheldon (Daniel Gerroll) and his number one fan, Annie Wilkes (Johanna Day), who rescues the author from a car accident and holds him prisoner while forcing him to write a book bringing the character Misery back to life. Watch out for that knife!


SEATTLE, WA
Classic Take on Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a Gem in Emerald City
The holidays are all about traditions, and the 37th edition of A Contemporary Theatre's A Christmas Carol transports audiences back to 19th century London! Dickens' classic story is presented in-the-round with trap doors, hydraulic lifts, fog machines, automated luminaries, vanishing acts, pyrotechnics, video projections, snow, glitter, flying scenery and more. Dickens would no doubt approve! The show runs through December 30 at ACT's Allen Arena.