The stage at Magnetic 375 blooms with shows this month—from a retelling of a children’s fairy tale to a “sort of” adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull.
Political satire is the talk of the town on Saturday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m. when iHeart Radio network’s The Jeff Messer Show goes late night with Maintaining an Election, featuring the latest headlines and news, interviews, live music and comedy. “Unlike the FCC-adherent radio show,” Messer says, “Maintaining an Election will have a slightly edgier flavor.” Subsequent performances are the first Saturday of each month at 10:30 p.m. Tickets, available only at the door, are $8.
On April 6–9, Asheville Creative Arts (ACA), Asheville’s professional children’s theater, presents The Little Red Riding Hood Show, a postmodern take written by Russell Davis and co-directed by ACA cofounder Abby Felder and resident company member Katie Jones. Shows will be held Thursday and Friday, April 6–7, at 7 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, April 8–9, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets are $12 for students and $23 for adults and may be reserved at ashevillecreativearts.org.
This is the fifth season for ACA, whose mission includes producing, presenting and creating “professional and innovative theatre for the very young to the young at heart.” This production, Felder says, has “Little Red and her mother navigate modern day wolves using live video and immersive soundscape to make audiences laugh, make them think and make them spell.”
Beginning Friday, April 7, at 10:30 p.m., a live audience will witness the onstage recording of a late night show of original comedy, The SuperHappy Radio Hour. “Featuring Asheville’s best and brightest comic actors, the show promises to be the delightful tonic to offset these uneasy times,” says Adam Arthur, creator and host of The SuperHappy Trivia Challenge. Subsequent performances will be the first Friday of each month at 10:30 p.m.
An award-winning new play, Stupid F*****g Bird, by Aaron Posner opens Saturday, April 15, with low-priced previews on Thursday and Friday, April 13–14. Performances continue Thursdays– Saturdays, April 20–May 6 at 7:30 p.m.
The Magnetic Theatre and Mountain Art Theatre (MAT) will present this songfilled production adapted from Chekhov’s The Seagull. Artistic director Steven Samuels joins six other Asheville actors in the production. Director Henry Williamson III, co-artistic director of MAT, describes it as a “furiously paced, often hilarious, wildly irreverent reimagining of one of world theatre’s most beloved comedies.” Preview ticket prices are $16 online and $19 at the door. Regular performances are $21 online and $24 at the door, with $10 student rush tickets available. Reserve tickets at themagnetictheatre.org.
The SuperHappy Trivia Challenge, on Wednesday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m., is billed as Asheville’s only live comedy game show, featuring teams of local comic actors presented with various challenges. “Add to that the delightfully weird music of our exceptionally oddball oneman band, Anthony Willingham, and you have yourselves one of the most raucous and hysterical evenings Asheville has to offer,” Arthur says. Subsequent shows will be held the third Wednesday of each month. Tickets are $16 online or at the door.
Magnetic 375 is located at 375 Depot Street in the River Arts District. For more information, visit themagnetictheatre.org or call 828.239.9250.
