A ZANY CLASSROOM ADVENTURE The New Acting Company presents a theatrical version of Louis Sachar’s book, “Sideways Stories from Wayside School,” filled with tornado drills, talking pigtails and wicked teachers who turn students into apples. Stars lots of PS 234 and PS 150 students and ex-students. April 20 – May 21; Fri. at 7pm, Sat. at 2 & 7pm and Sun. at 2pm. PHILIP COLTOFF CENTER, Main Stage, 219 Sullivan St., bet W. 3rd and Bleecker. 212-868-4444. Ages 6+. $15 in advance; $18 at the door. Pictured above are Maxine Dannatt, left, Juliette Crellin, Teo Rapp-Olsson, Michelle Matlock, Emma Biegacki, Juliette Kessler and Adrian Blandori. Photo by Jeff Cate.
A DELIRIOUS MUSICAL COMEDY In “The Ballad of Junk and Malfunction,” a pair of world-weary New York singers chase their imagined glory days, trekking across a chaotic alternate reality to carve their comeback into the face of American history. Fri. & Sat., May 5 & 6 at 8pm. Fri. & Sat., May 12-13, 19-20, & 26-27 at 10:15pm. Doors open at 10pm. DIXON PLACE THEATER, 258 Bowery. $12, $10 students and seniors. 212-219-0736. www.dixonplace.org. Photo by Jerome Jakubiec.
THE FATHER OF JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY Sundown, a theatrical reflection on the life and work of Hikoma Ueno (1838-1904) features original Japanese costumes, old photographs and folk songs superimposed with breathtaking images, dance and puppets. April 28 – May 14, Thurs. – Sat. at 8pm, Sun. at 2:30 & 8pm. LA MAMA E.T.C., First Floor Theater, 74A E. 4th St. $15. 212-475-7710. www.lamama.org. Pictured above is Nick Bosco as Hikoma Ueno. Photo by Makoto Takeuchi.
REMAKE OF CLASSIC 1879 PLAY "Mustard," an adaptation of Ibsen’s "A Doll’s House," combines live music, song, video, found texts, movement and storytelling into a fluid performance. Nora Helmer commits forgery to get money for her sick husband. The resulting resentment forces her to leave home and discover life for herself. April 28 – May 7, Fri. and Sat. at 10pm; Sun. at 5:30pm. La MaMa E.T.C., The Club, 74A E. 4th St. 212-475-7710. $15. https://www.lamama.org. Pictured above is The Philly as Nora. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
A WILD EVENING OF IMPROV The seven members of the comedy troupe Ugly Stick met through a training program at Upright Citizen’s Brigade. They now perform “amazing improv” twice per month with their friends Rogue Elephant. For more information, visit www.uglystickimprov.com. Fri., April 7 & 21 at 10:30pm. Under St. Marks Theater, 94 St. Marks Place, bet 1st St & Ave A. $6, includes a shot of Southern Comfort
POLITICALLY-CHARGED CLASSIC PLAY New translation of Bertolt Brecht’s “The Private Life of the Master Race.” The play charts the submission of ordinary German citizens to the Nazi party line. In previews, opens April 5, continues thru April 22; Wed – Sat at 7:30pm. Walkerspace, 46 Walker St. $15. 212-868-4444. Pictured above are Peter Levin as Husband and Tracy Hostmyer as Jewish Wife. Photo by David Gochfeld.
MORTALITY AND MORALITY AT SEA “Trial by Water” is the story of two Vietnamese teenage brothers who are forced to escape their homeland in the middle of the night. When their boat breaks down, their journey turns into a nightmare. Faced with unthinkable acts of survival, each brother confronts his own issues of mortality and morality. The Culture Project, 45 Bleecker St. Thru April 9; Tues-Sat at 8pm, Sat and Sun at 3pm. $38. 212-352-3101. Pictured above are Genevieve DeVeyra, left, and Dinh Doan. Photo by David Gochfeld.
PUPPETRY PERFORMANCE The large-scale puppet epic, Trilogy, by Theodora Skipitares, looks at the Trojan War including pre-war and post-war periods in three parts, “Helen, Queen of Sparta,” “Odyssey: The Homecoming” and “Iphigenia.” La MaMa, 74A East 4th St. Thru April 2, Thurs.-Sun. at 7:30pm & Sun. at 3:00pm. $18 for evening performances; $15 for matinees. 212-475-7710. Pictured above are Sonja Perryman and the puppetry of Theodora Skipitares. Photo by Richard Termine.
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND A puppet-folk-rock interpretation of the classic tale complete with playful language, colorful characters, bizarre scenarios and eclectic music. March 29 – April 22 at 8:30pm. Matinee performances are scheduled for Sat., April 8, Sun., April 9 & Sat., April 22 at 4:00pm. HERE Arts Center, 145 Sixth Ave., one block below Spring St. 212-868-4444. $20. Above photo by Anne Arden McDonald.
GARLAND’S FINAL PERFORMANCE The new play, “The Property Known as Garland,” is a fictional account of the legendary singer Judy Garland’s final concert appearance in Copenhagen in 1969. The play explores Garland’s struggle, triumphs, humor and incredible wit. Adrienne Barbeau stars as Garland in her first stage appearance in three decades. Mon. and Thurs. at 8pm, Fri. at 7 & 10pm, Sat. at 4 & 8pm and Sun. at 3pm. Continues thru June 4. Actor’s Playhouse, 100 7th Ave. St. 212-239-6200. $35-$65.
A NIGHT OF COMEDY SUPERSTARS Join John F. O’Donnell and Jiwon Li as they present Honeyspot, a new blend of comedy featuring hosts who insult each other until one of them cries and three of the best comics in the country. Laugh out loud to the standup of Pete Dominick (Daily Show, The Apprentice), Becky Donohue (Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, Tough Crowd) and Craig Baldo (Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, The Onion). Thurs., March 9 at 10pm, doors open at 9:30pm. Bar on A, 170 Ave. A, at the corner of 11th St. 212- 353-8231. $5 plus 1 drink minimum.
THEATER FESTIVAL TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS Title of Show is a hilarious tale of two struggling writers who race to write and submit a show to a theater festival with the deadline just weeks away. It is a completely original backstage glimpse into what it takes to get a new musical from conception to opening night. Mon., Wed., Thurs. and Fri. at 8pm. Also Sat. at 5 & 9pm and Sun. at 3pm. Vineyard Theatre, 108 E. 15th St. Continues thru March 26. 212-353-0303. $55.
ITALIAN DARK COMEDY The Last Night of Salome evokes the mythic fifties, the period of la dolce vita, Fellini and Callas, the star system in Italy and magical nights at the theater before the advent of television. The play is a duet for two women, a famous actress and a middle-aged barkeeper, who meet on a stormy evening in a seedy bar in Rome where they bond over booze and shared secrets. In Italian with English supertitles. March 2 – 19. La Mama E.T.C., First Floor Theater, 74A E. Fourth St. 212-475-7710. $15.
CIVIL WAR SATIRE Shiloh Rules is set on the eve of the reenactment of the Battle of Shiloh, one of the bloodiest encounters in the Civil War. Rival Civil War buffs begin the battle prematurely setting off a firestorm. Six women caught in the drama fight each other, help each other and learn that there is more to remembering the Civil War than costumes and bandages. March 18 – April 9. Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond St., bet Lafayette & Bowery. $18, 212-868-4444. Appropriate for ages 13 and up. FINDING MEANING IN DAILY LIFE Mother Nature clashes with human nature as characters fall in and out of love with each other, with strangers and with their work on a normal day in a small town at the foot of a very pregnant Mt. St. Helens. The work combines interactive video, dance and live music with an art installation-like set. March 3 – 25, Wed. – Sun. at 8:30pm. HERE Arts Center, 145 6th Ave., bet Spring & Broome Sts. $18. 212-645-0202.
CONFRONTING THE KLAN “Conversations with a Kleagle” was inspired by the life of civil rights leader, Walter White. At the height of a lynching epidemic in the late 1920s, a black writer, passing for white, travels to the deep South to interview a kleagle, a recruiter for the Ku Klux Klan. When his true racial identity is discovered by the Klan, he escapes only to find that his rescuer’s family paid a dear price. Thirteenth Street Repertory Company, 50 W. 13th St. Feb. 16 – April 7, Wed. at 8:30pm, Thurs. & Fri. at 7pm. 212-352-3101. $15 adults; $12 students and seniors.
HIP HOP ADAPTATION OF A CLASSIC Aeschylus’s story “Seven Against Thebes” follows the struggles of the two sons of King Oedipus as they fight for the throne of Thebes. Writer and composer Will Power has taken this classical story of pre-destination versus choice and updated it with an urban idiom to explore modern themes including poverty, race and the abuse of power in “The Seven.” New York Theater Workshop, 79 E. 4th St. Tues. at 7pm, Wed.-Fri. at 8pm, Sat. at 3pm & 8pm and Sunday at 2pm & 7pm. 212-239-6200. $15-$60. Photo by Sean Keepers.
AN INSPIRING TRUE STORY Steven Fales could have been the poster child for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, except for one thing. In Confessions of a Mormon Boy, an autobiographical one-man play, he tells the story of his failed attempt to overcome his “same-sex attraction” through “reparative therapy.” Jan. 27 – March 31, Mon. at 7pm, Wed. – Fri. at 8pm, Sat. at 2 & 8pm, Sun. at 3 & 7pm. Soho Playhouse, 15 Vandam St. 212-691-1555. $50 – $55.
Anton, A new play that uses actual events and scientific research in child development to tell the story of Anton Chekhov and the family tensions that inspired his work. Covering the last four years of Chekhov’s life as he moves from ecstatic lover to frustrated husband to disappointed
