Revivals headline local stage plays

In addition to a professional production of "Hedda Gabler" by the Emily Company (see separate story in this section), other openings this week for the region's theatergoers include revivals of "Always . . . Patsy Cline" and "Forever Plaid," and a new production of Tom Griffin's poignant drama, "The Boys Next Door."

• "ALWAYS . . . PATSY CLINE," which was a big hit last summer for the Park City-based Egyptian Theatre Company, is being revived for 28 performances, Feb. 16-March 24, with Coco Sansoni and Andree Petersen returning in the roles of country legend Patsy Cline and her No. 1 fan, Louise Seger.

  The musical revue follows the late singer's career with more than two dozen of her songs.

  Performances will be Tuesdays-Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 for cabaret seating and $20 for regular seating, $12 for senior citizens (55 and over) and students and $10 for children, 12 and under. For reservations, call 435-649-9371 or 888-243-5779 or visit ETC's Web site at ( www.egyptiantheatrecompany.org).

• THE VILLA PLAYHOUSE THEATRE in Springville is producing "The Boys Next Door," a funny, yet touching, look at the lives of four mentally handicapped men who live in a group residence, where they're supervised by their earnest, but increasingly burned-out, social worker.

  The comedy/drama, which Utahns first saw in 1989 when the Broadway Stage (now the Off Broadway Theatre) opened, was also the basis for a recent Hallmark Hall of Fame production starring Nathan Lane.

  The new Villa Playhouse production, directed by Kathleen Nutt, features Nathan Mathews as Jack, the social worker; Andy Hunsaker as Norman, a young man obsessed by keys and doughnuts; Bob Colomb and Bart Nutt, alternating in the role of Lucien, who has the mind of a kindergartner; Devin Asay as Arnold, the chatterbox of the group; and Brian McFadyen as Barry, a brilliant, hyperactive schizophrenic who fantasizes that he is a golf pro.

  "The Boys Next Door" addresses the thorny issue of mainstreaming the mentally challenged in neighborhood halfway houses.

  Performances are Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 16-March 26. Tickets are $8 for general admission, $7 for students and senior citizens, and $6 children. There is also a $35 family pass. The Villa is at 254 S. Main. For reservations or further information, call 489-3088.

• "FOREVER PLAID," will play Feb. 16-April 21 at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse, 99 E. 4700 South, Ogden.