THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE
Opening: The theater's warning is actually a tease: "This production includes a scene with partial female nudity." Well, then. "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," indeed. Jay Presson Allen's play, which she adapted from Muriel Spark's novel and also made into a 1969 film starring Maggie Smith, is a study in the power of a charismatic teacher. It is set in a girls school in Scotland in the 1930s, when fascism seemed to be on the march in Europe. Miss Brodie, who admires Fascists, has a special hold on a clutch of students who become her groupies and who, in turn, become more cultured and seem to otherwise benefit from her deviations from the standard curriculum. The play is a favorite among amateur producers, including Theatre in the Round, the oldest community company in the Twin Cities. Dann Peterson stages this production in which Anna Olson plays the charismatic title character. (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Feb. 1; Theatre in the Round, 245 Cedar Av., Mpls. $22; 612-333-3010 or theatreintheround.org.) Rohan Preston
Blithe Spirit
Opening: Director Robert Neu returns to Lyric Arts Main Street Stage, in downtown Anoka, for Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit." The sparkling comedy tells of a novelist who hosts a seance to research a new book and inadvertently conjures his late wife, much to the annoyance of his present wife. This production takes a unique turn with the casting of Grif Sadow in the female role of Madame Arcati, the medium. (7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., 7 p.m. Thu. Ends Jan. 25; Lyric Arts Main Stage, 420 E. Main St., Anoka; $16-$26, 763-422-1838, www.lyricarts.org) William Randall Beard
