N.Va. Theater Groups Playing It Safe This Season

The Tysons Corner area of Fairfax is home to two professional companies going into their sophomore seasons. 1st Stage built a theater on Spring Hill Road in McLean, and its first season there had critical and commercial success. It's still touch-and-go for the company, however, as it attempts to carve out an identity in the crowded theater community. 1st Stage has an eclectic collection of plays on tap, beginning Sept. 12 with an adaptation of Marivaux's 17th-century classic "The Game of Love and Chance," updated to the 1930s.

As an experiment in defraying expenses, 1st Stage rented out its home to the newly launched Hub Theatre, which describes itself as dedicated to "work that highlights our common humanity." The group staged a moving production of the expressive drama "The Pavilion" in the spring but canceled a summer production, citing "circumstances beyond our control." Additional productions in Fairfax have not been announced.

Prince William Little Theatre, which has been around for two dozen seasons, has a new slogan: "dramatically different." It has scaled back its calendar from five shows last season to three and seems to be looking for a home at which to stage them. Performance dates and locations are to be determined for an ambitious slate that begins with Tom Stoppard's fascinating "Arcadia" this fall, Steve Martin's comedy "The Underpants" in winter and a campy musical called "Zombie Prom" in spring.

Prince William area theatergoers can see shows year-round at Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre in Woodbridge. The long-established theater with buffet-style eating is in the middle of its run of "Little Shop of Horrors," a musical parody of 1950s horror movies. Other Prince William theater companies are playing it safe this season, especially once-ambitious Vpstart Crow Productions in Manassas, which has a new artistic director. Vpstart Crow has slated "Macbeth," "A Christmas Carol," "Charlie's Aunt," "Twelfth Night" and "The Princess and the Pea."

In Woodbridge, the Castaways Repertory Theatre has set Oct. 2 as the opening for the Victorian thriller "Angel Street," the play on which the movie "Gaslight" is based. Castaways also has the lackluster comedy "Run for Your Life" and the traditional musical "My Fair Lady" on its calendar. 2nd Flight Productions of Manassas is no longer in the county, having merged last year with another group and decamped for Sterling.

Elden Street Players of Herndon, the area's leading semi-professional group, usually fills most seats at its Industrial Strength Theatre, which it purchased two seasons ago and is upgrading. The group has cobbled together a season of mostly safe and familiar shows. But that, too, poses risks.

For instance, Elden Street opens its season Oct. 23 with "The Musical of Musicals (The Musical)," a popular spoof of the styles of favorite Broadway composers. The show usually draws good audiences, but it is currently enjoying a second run at MetroStage in nearby Alexandria.

In January, Elden Street will perform "The Violet Hour," a clever and intriguing puzzle of a play. And it was intriguing and clever this past season when 1st Stage produced it. Elden Street is also offering a full schedule of shows for children, in addition to its main stage fare.

New works from local playwrights dominate Charter Theatre's season in Arlington. The small professional company is staging Keith Bridges's "Lie With Me," opening Oct. 12, and Rene Calarco's "Good Counsel" in the spring. Charter has scheduled Brooklyn playwright Malcolm Pelles's "Two for Ten" in February.

Providence Players of Fairfax are gambling on a new play from one of their own. Longtime company member Bill Vander Clute has written a comedy called "Big Tree Falls," and the group will end its three-play season with it in June, following presentations of audience favorites "Harvey," opening Oct. 25, and "The Laramie Project" in April.

With a strong subscriber base and a reputation for high-quality productions, the most firmly established of all the region's community-based, semi-professional theater companies is Little Theatre of Alexandria, which performs out of its own old-fashioned but graceful building near Old Town. Like so many others, LTA is playing it safe this season. Its typically full calendar continues Sept. 12 with the opening of the frequently performed comedy "The Foreigner" and continues through a series of standard comedies and musicals.

Three family-friendly community-based companies in Arlington and Fairfax, which usually attract large audiences, are continuing their traditional blend of plays and musicals this season.