Sonoma County’s live theaters set the stage for fall

Fall is the time of year when theater begins to come back indoors. As the weather cools a bit at night and the outdoor summer play festivals wind down, Sonoma County live theaters open their seasons.

The local fall theater season is already under way, and includes new productions of such old favorites as “The Wizard of Oz” in Santa Rosa, “Treasure Island” in Rohnert Park and “Lend Me a Tenor” in Healdsburg.

In coming weeks, you can also expect some offbeat shows, including “Sin, Sex and the CIA” in Cloverdale and “Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party” at Sonoma State University.

And starting in October, the stage shows get spooky, with “The Rocky Horror Show” in Santa Rosa, “War of the Worlds” in Graton, “Dracula” in Healdsburg and “The Creature,” a new take on “Frankenstein,” in Petaluma.

Here’s a closer look at what’s playing and what’s coming up at Sonoma County’s stage companies:

Through Sept. 20 – “Wizard of Oz,” a singing, dancing stage version of L. Frank Baum’s classic. $15-$37. 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. Sixth St., Santa Rosa. 523-4185, 6thstreetplayhouse.com. Up next: “The Other Place,” a modern mystery, Sept. 11-27, and “The Rocky Horror Show,” the live stage version of the cult classic, Oct. 29-Nov., both in 6th Street’s Studio Theatre.

Sept. 3-27 – “4000 Miles,” the story of a troubled 21-year-old man and his feisty 91-year-old grandmother. $15-$27. Main Stage West, 104 N. Main St., Sebastopol. 823-0177, mainstagewest.com. Up next: “Circle Mirror Transformation,” Annie Baker’s drama about self-discovery at a summer drama class, Oct. 15-18.

Sept. 4-19 – “Good People,” a comedy by David Lindsay-Abaire set in the Boston neighborhood of Southie. $30-$40. Left Edge Theatre in the Carston Cabaret, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. leftedgetheatre.com. Up next: “Seminar,” a comedy by Theresa Rebeck, Nov. 13-28.

Sept. 4-27 – “City of Angels,” with a script by Larry Gelbart of “M*A*S*H” and music by Cy Coleman, follows the funny misadventures of a young novelist in 1940s Hollywood. $25-$35. Cinnabar Theater, 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 763-8920, cinnabartheater.org. Up next: “The Creature,” a new look at Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” Oct. 16-Nov. 1.

Sept. 11-27 – “Lend Me a Tenor,” a popular farce full of mishaps and mistaken identities, set at the Cleveland Opera Company in 1934. $10-$25. Raven Players at the Raven Theater, 115 North St., Healdsburg. 433-6335, raventheater.org. Up next: “The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged),” Oct. 9-24 in Windsor; “Dracula,” Oct. 16-Nov. 1 in Healdsburg.

Sept. 17-Oct. 4 – “Assassins,” a musical about a murderous carnival game, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. $26. Narrow Way Stage Company at Andrews Hall, Sonoma Community Center, 276 E Napa St, Sonoma. sonomaartslive.org, narrowwaystage.wix.com.

Sept. 18-Oct. 4 – “Treasure Island,” stage version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure. $22-$26. Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. 588-3400, rpcity.org. Up next: “The Light in the Piazza,” Oct. 9-25.

Sept 24-Oct. 11 – “Stories for Children,” three original short pieces inspired by Russian absurdist short-story writer Danil Kharms, with live actors puppets and animated landscapes. $5-$25; no one turned away for lack of funds. Imaginists, 461 Sebastopol Ave, Santa Rosa. 707-528-7554, theimaginists.org.

Sept. 25-Oct. 4 – Harold Pinter’s drama “Betrayal.” $17-$20. Roustabout Theater Ensemble at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. wellsfargocenterarts.org, roustabout-theater.org.

Sept. 25-Oct. 4 – “Almost, Maine,” playwright John Carani’s unconventional romance. Santa Rosa Junior College Theatre Arts, Newman Auditorium, SRJC campus, 1501 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. Ticket information: 707-527-4307, theatrearts.santarosa.edu. Next up: “Mary Poppins,” Nov. 20-Dec. 6 in the college’s Burbank Auditorium.

Oct. 2-18 – “Leading Lades,” a farce about two penniless English Shakespearean actors posing as a rich woman’s long-lost nieces. $26. North Bay Stage Company in the East Auditorium, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. 546-3600, wellsfargocenterarts.org.

Oct. 9-17 – “Sin, Sex and the CIA,” an inept government agent, an evangelist and others are stranded together by a storm. $12-$18. Cloverdale Performing Arts Center, 209 N. Cloverdale Blvd., Cloverdale. 894-2214, cloverdaleperformingarts.com.

Oct. 15-24 – “Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party.” When Illinois schoolteacher Harmony Green tells her fourth-grade class that beloved homegrown hero Abraham Lincoln was gay, controversy erupts and comedy follows. $10-$17. Person Theatre, Sonoma State University campus, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park. sonoma.edu.

Oct. 30-Nov. 15 – “War of the Worlds: The 1938 Radio Play,” recreating Orson Welles’ infamous radio performance of the H.G. Wells classic. $15-$18. Graton Community Club, 8996 Graton Road, Graton. pegasustheater.com.

You can reach staff writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @danarts.