Ellington

"Hairspray"

It's 1962, and Tracy Turnblad is the girl to know. She's a big girl with big hair, a soft heart and a passion for dancing. She's not a closet dancer, though. Her dream is to dance on the Corny Collins Show. She gets her chance, and after her big break, she becomes an instant celebrity in her hometown. But Tracy's not content with resting on her superstar status. She decides to use that influence to campaign for Corny Collins' dance floor to be integrated.

Originally airing on the big screen in 1988, "Hairspray" went Broadway in 1992, and has won Tony upon Tony proving that it is, indeed, Broadway's "Big Fat Musical Comedy Hit."

Thanks to W. Kessler Ltd., you won't have to travel all the way to the Big Apple to see this fabulous musical. It's coming here, to the metro Nov. 6 and 7, at 7:30 p.m. each night at Thalia Mara Hall. Tickets range in price from $15 to $56.50, and group rates are available. The show runs for approximately two and a half hours.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream"

More than 400 years ago, William Shakespeare wrote one of his most noted comedic stage plays "A Midsummer Night's Dream." This play has key elements that make a production funny. Young couples in love, a wedding, a forest and fairies. To top that off, there's always been a little controversy surrounding it. "Is it good family entertainment, or isn't it?' For some 200 years, the play was never staged as it was originally written, but that doesn't mean anything … necessarily.

Performed by Madison Junior Community Theater Nov. 3 and 4 at 7 p.m. and 5 at 2 p.m. at Rosa Scott Elementary School in Madison, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is directed by Ellen Burke. Tickets are $5. If you miss it this weekend, or loved it so much you want to see it again, Black Rose Theatre in Brandon puts on their Shakespeare production Nov. 9-12 and 16-19, 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. $12, general admission; $10, students/seniors.

If you have time, before going to see the play, there's a Web site dedicated to understanding it. According to Ed, the MD, while watching the performance, "Don't focus on the story in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' The tale is simplicity itself. It's about ideas and emotion rather than plot. … (H)ow much is really a dream?" (pathguy.com/mnd)

"Ceremonies in Dark Old Men"

This play, written by Lonnie Elders II, is a story about the disintegration of the black family and the family's efforts to climb up the socio-economic ladder, with a ghetto in Harlem as the backdrop. Adele, the female head-of-household since her mother's death often bumps heads with her father and two brothers who have an aversion to typical, consistent jobs and paychecks. Thanks to the JSU Maddrama Performance Troupe, the story comes to life here in the metro.

The New York Post said the play is "poised between comedy and tragedy" with a common cause for its undercurrents of rebellion. Starting Wednesday, Nov. 1, and running through Nov. 5 at the McCoy Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinee, 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students.

"The King and I"

"The King and I," the infamous musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, is an account of love, based loosely on a true story. Anna Leonowens moves to Bangkok to teach the King's children English. While his children learn English, the King is conflicted. As he tries to balance his desire to learn and adopt western ways with his traditions, the royal highnesses' relationship with the governess deepens.

Mississippi College presents "The King and I" Nov. 2-4 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 5 at 2:30 p.m. in the college's auditorium. Admission is $15 and $10 for students.

Other Theater Productions this month include:

Actor's Playhouse: "Cheaper By The Dozen" Nov. 10-11 and 17-18 nightly at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12 and 19, 2 p.m. General admission, $15; $10 students/seniors. Center Players: "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" Nov. 9-12 and 17-19. Raymond's Circle Off the Square Theater: "I Do! I Do!" Nov. 11, 18 and 19 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, the 12th at 3 p.m..