Hugh Dancy

British stage and movie star Hugh Dancy is back on the New York stage starring in the American premiere of Alexi Kaye Campbell’s The Pride at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, directed by Joe Mantello. The play premiered in London at the Royal Court in 2008. Dancy made his Broadway debut a couple of seasons ago in a revival of the World War I play, Journey’s End.

Torn Space Theater will present the Western New York premiere of British playwright Mark Ravenhill’s Some Explicit Polaroids. Directed by David Oliver, the production opens on February 25 and will star Phil Knoerzer, Kristen Tripp-Kelly, Richard Lambert, Kelly Meg Brennan, Kurt Guba, and Nathan Winkelstein. One of Britain’s most controversial contemporary playwrights, Ravenhill jumped to prominence with his 1996 play Shopping and Fucking.

On February 16 (Fat Tuesday) at Rust Belt Books (202 Allen St.) from 6pm to 10pm, the American Repertory Theater of WNY will present a series of readings beginning with Christopher Durang’s For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls, directed by Chris Standart, featuring John Kaczorowski, Tara Kaczorowski, Jeffrey Coyle, and Jenn Stafford. Tom Dooney will also direct a reading of Longfellow’s classic poetic tale of Acadie, Evangeline, featuring Joy Scime, Brigid Hannon, and Diane Serra. Local writer Craig Turner’s new short story will be read by Mary Loftus, Dennis O’Keefe and Gary Darling.

Joyce Carolyn and the Colored Musicians Club will perform at the Lancaster Opera House on February 12. Carolyn will sing songs from the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s.

Seventh-grader Ben Schafer will make his professional debut as Jason in Musicalfare’s upcoming revival of Falsettos (March 3-April 3). A veteran of the famed Aurora Players, Schafer is also a cellist with the Greater Buffalo Youth String Orchestra.

Coming up next at the Kavinoky (March 5-April 3), Bob Clyman’s drama Secret Order dealing with the moral and ethical dilemmas in the world of medical research. Directed by Doug Zschiegner, the production will star Saul Elkin, Peter Palmisano, Ian Lithgow, and Adrienne Lewis. The theater will conclude its 30th anniversary season with the revival of Lettice and Lovage, which they first produced in the 1991-92 season, starring Anne Gayley, Roz Cramer, Joe Natale, and Eileen Dugan. Cramer and Gayley will return for the revival which will be directed by Kathleen Gaffney. John Buscaglia and Debbie Pappas will also star.

Brad Fraser, pictured top left, with director and cast of True Love Lies

Speaking of the 1991-92 season, back then Stephen Henderson won an Artie Award for Leading Actor in a play for his performance in August Wilson’s Fences produced at Studio Arena. Now Henderson is heading back to Broadway to appear in the revival of Fences, which stars Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. The production opens on April 26. Fences first opened on Broadway in 1987 starring James Earl Jones.

And this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Artie Awards. The ceremony will take place on Monday, June 7, at the Town Ballroom. Vincent O’Neill will receive a Career Achievement Award.

Canadian playwright Brad Fraser checked out the BUA production of his play True Love Lies on the last weekend of the run her in Buffalo. The performance was also attended by stars of past BUA productions of Fraser plays (Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love and Poor Super Man).