Ann Arbor Civic Theatre opens the new year's stage season with 1954's boffo, too-rarely-performed "The Pajama Game," running Jan. 3-6 at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. Written in an era when unions were all the rage, Richard Adler and Jerry Ross's peppy musical is set amidst employee unrest at a pajama factory. Alas, how will romantic leads Babe Williams (Melissa Henderson) and Sid Sorokin (Kevin Binkley) keep their love alive when they find themselves on opposites sides in a bitter workers' strike?

Musical theater maven Ronald P. Baumanis directs Civic's revival of this multiple-Tony-Award winner. The cast features Emily Phenix, Anthony J. Provenzola, Anne Bauman, Dave Feiertag and many others. Song standards include "Hey There," "Hernando's Hideaway," "This is My Once-a-Year Day," "Steam Heat," and "I'll Never be Jealous Again," choreographed by Baumanis and conducted by musical director Jaunelle Celarie.

Curtain for "Pajama Game" is 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $9 all seats Thursday, $18 general and $16 students/seniors Friday through Sunday. Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre is located in the U-M League, 911 N. University Ave. For reservations and information call (734) 971-2228 or visit www.A2CT.org.

EMU drama professor Lee Stille directs this student production, which has been dubbed a show "for mature audiences only." The mayhem commences Tuesday Jan. 15 at Sponberg, opening an unusual six-consecutive night run through Sunday Jan. 20. Curtain is 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2:30 p.m Sunday. Tickets are $8 Thursday, $13 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday ($11 EMU students), $11 Sunday ($9 EMU students). Note: All tickets purchased more than 30 minutes prior to curtain will be discounted $2. (This does not apply to Thursday tickets). For reservations and information call (734) 487-1221.

Sunday, December 23, 2001