Now on stage

Friday, September 26, 2008

Reviewed shows are initialed by theater critic Christopher Blank.

"As You Like It." Presented by The Tennessee Shakespeare Company. Shows are 7 p.m. Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sundays, through Oct. 19. Preview shows 7 p.m. Thursday Oct. 2 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3. St. George's Episcopal Church, 2425 S. Germantown Road. Tickets range from $22 to $34. Call 759-0604. Go online for tickets: tnshakespeare.org

"Avenue Q": Broadway musical. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Other performances: 8 p.m. Oct. 3; 2 and 8 p.m. Oct. 4; 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5. Orpheum, 203 S. Main. 525-3000 or 743-ARTS. Online: orpheum-memphis.com

"From the Mississippi Delta": A young girl born into poverty in the segregated South gets swept up by hope because of the civil rights movement. Performances 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, through Oct. 4; 3 p.m. Sundays, through Oct. 5; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2. Tickets range from $10 to $18. Hattiloo Theatre, 656 Marshall. 525-0009. Online: hattilootheatre.org -- This autobiographical play by Endesha Ida Mae Holland is the story of one woman overcoming poverty, abuse and prostitution in the pre-civil rights South and finding hope in education. The three actresses find moments of lightness in a script brimming with tragic scenarios. -- C.B.

"The Mercy Seat": Shows are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; and 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 12. Tickets: $23 ($15 students). Strong adult content. Theatre Memphis (Next Stage). 682-8323. Online: theatrememphis.org

"The Miracle Worker": DeSoto Family Theatre production; based on the true story of Helen Keller. Shows are 7 tonight and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Other shows: 7 p.m. Oct. 3; 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 4; final show 2 p.m. Oct. 5. Tickets: $18. "Pay-what-you-can Night" 7 p.m. Oct. 2. Call (662) 470-2131 or (901) 525-1515. dftonline.org

"'Otherhood": Playwrights' Forum production. Opens tonight at TheatreWorks, 2085 Monroe, Overton Square. Runs through Oct. 12. Call 725-2040.

"1776": Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m Sundays through Oct. 19. Tickets: $15-$30. Circuit Playhouse at 1705 Poplar Ave. Call 726-4656. Online: playhouseonthesquare.org With the presidential election closing in, there's no better time than now for a refresher course on American democracy. Michael Detroit plays an obstreperous John Adams trying to get Congress to vote on the Declaration of Independence in this captivating production of "1776." It takes the clever machinations of Benjamin Franklin (Dave Landis) and the flexibility of a determined Thomas Jefferson (Justin Asher) to find the votes that will bring on the Revolution. -- C.B.