Comedies, dramas on stage

A mix of comedies and dramas — both classic and contemporary — is on the calendar this week for Wasatch Front theatergoers.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 drama about a psychotic Southern woman's confrontation with her sister's brutish husband, will play from Wednesday through Oct. 22 on the Babcock Stage of Pioneer Memorial Theatre on the U. of U. campus.

Directed by Sandra Shotwell, the cast includes Heidi Hackney as Blanche DuBois, Rob Shand as Stanley Kowalski and Nao Dobashi as his wife, Stella.

Performances are Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m., with one matinee at 2 p.m. on Oct. 21. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students (581-7100 or www.kingtix.com).

THE FOREIGNER, the late Larry Shue's insightful comedy about an introvert passing himself off as a foreigner while visiting a hunting lodge in the deep South, will run from Wednesday through Oct. 28 in the Pardoe Theatre of Brigham Young University's Harris Fine Arts Center, Provo.

Eric Samuelsen is directing. The cast includes David Smith in the title role and Joseph Reidhead as his eccentric friend, Froggy.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. nightly except Sundays and Mondays, with one matinee at 2 p.m. on Oct. 21. Tickets are $14 for adults and $9 on weeknights and $10 on weekends for those with BYU or student ID. For some performances, all seats are $7 (422-7664 or online at performances.byu.edu).

SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY, Edgar Lee Masters' timeless classic about the ghosts in a Midwestern cemetery discussing their autobiographical epitaphs, will be showcased at this month's gathering of the Babcock Performing Readers on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Little Theatre of the U. of U. Union Building.

Shirlee H. Shields is directing the presentation. Readers include Michael Jesse Bennett, Jan Bennett, Margaret Crowell, Duane Hill, Brad Nygren and Richard C. Russell.

Admission, parking and refreshments are all free. There will also be prizes for the best Halloween costumes.

PRELUDE TO A KISS, Craig Lucas' psychological fantasy, opens the U. department of theater's Studio 115 season, from Tuesday through Oct. 15.

Cort Brinkerhoff is directing an all-student cast in a story of a charming young couple who fall madly in love then find that life takes a surprising twist on their wedding day. The cast includes Jesse Dornan and Stephanie Stoker as Peter and Rita, the married couple.