'Jungle Book' among shows opening

A children's classic kicks off this week's theater calendar.

• "THE JUNGLE BOOK," adapted by director Collin Kreuzer from Rudyard Kipling's classic adventure tale, kicks off the TOA Theatre Company season at The Mark Studio. It opens Thursday and continues through June 20.

The cast includes Samuel Grillo as Mowgli, the man-cub; Wayne Brennan as Kaa, the snake; Ryan Lucas as Baloo, the wise old bear; Sila Agavale as Akala, the wolf; Robyn Adamson as Bagheera, the panther; Kijana Adamson as the lead monkey; and Kreuzer as Shere Khan, the tiger.

The production is a collaborative project involving TOA, The Mark Studio and the Academy of Performing Arts, 3188 S. 400 East.

Performances will be Mondays and Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. (except Memorial Day weekend). Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children, students and senior citizens (898-2728).

• "PAPA MARRIED A MORMON," John D. Fitzgerald's classic story about his Irish Catholic father's marriage to his LDS mother, has been newly adapted and directed by Rodger Sorensen. It's scheduled to be presented in a readers-theater format from Wednesday through June 12 in Brigham Young University's Pardoe Theatre.

The novel — and the play — relate the true story of Fitzgerald's parents and how they survived a 19th century Utah community's split along religious and moral lines. Tom, an Irish Catholic newspaperman, marries Tena, the daughter of a Mormon bishop. Together, they raise their children by focusing on tolerance and brotherly love for all people. In a departure from previous versions of the play, all 14 actors narrate, with each performer also playing between two and eight different roles.

Performances at 7:30 in the Pardoe Theatre, with discounted previews on Wednesday and Thursday, after which it continues Tuesdays-Saturdays. There will be one matinee on June 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets for the previews and matinee are $5, regular admission is $12, $9 for BYU students, faculty or staff (call 378-4322).

• "THE ARK," Michael McLean and Kevin Kelly's musical, playing from Monday through Aug. 28, is part of St. George Musical Theatre's first-ever summer series. After moving out of the old St. George Opera House and into a vacant school building, the troupe now has an air-conditioned venue for summer productions.

The new series is being billed as "a summer of biblical proportions," with "The Ark" playing in repertory with "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and the late Mark Ogden's "Whatsoever: The Story of Abraham." (The latter two productions open June 24 and July 30, respectively.)