April showers bring May flowers… but sometimes March heat waves bring… April cold snaps… oh who can keep track of this weather anymore? At least there’s one thing we can count on here in Washtenaw County - an abundance of great theater.

This week’s listings bring the 2010 Tony-award winner “Red” to local stages with the much-anticipated Performance Network production. Meanwhile, down the road in Chelsea, “White Buffalo” continues its acclaimed run. After the outstanding production of “Grey Gardens” at Ann Arbor Civic recently, one could say that plays with colors in the title are a safe bet.

So, as the colors of spring delight us outside, the colors of art delight us at local theaters. With the stunning variety of offerings, you could almost call it an “Enchanted April.”

Theater offerings for the week

Show: “Guys and Dolls” Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, through April 21
Company: Eastern Michigan University Theatre
Type of Company: Higher Education
Venue/location: Sponberg Theatre, EMU Campus, Ypsilanti
Recommended ages: 13+
Description: Crap game organizer Nathan Detroit, his long-time fiancée Adelaide, gambler Sky Masterson and straight-laced Sarah Brown are the heart and soul of this Tony-Award winning sensation. Set in a New York in the late 1940's, the show opens with Nathan trying to find a location for his crap game while being pushed toward the alter by Adelaide. On a bet, Sky takes his chances with missionary Sarah Brown. After a night in Havana, a crap game in a sewer and testimonies at the mission, guys and dolls all come together for a big finish in Times Square.
More information
Fun fact: “Guys and Dolls” was selected as the winner of the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. However, because of writer Abe Burrows' troubles with the House Un-American Activities Committee, the Trustees of Columbia University vetoed the selection, and no Pulitzer for Drama was awarded that year.
For tickets and information: 734-487-2282, www.emich.edu/emutheatre

Show: “The Last Five Years” by Jason Robert Brown, through April 22
Company: Basement Arts
Type of Company: Higher Education
Venue/location: Studio 1 of the Walgreen Drama Center, 1226 Murfin Dr., Ann Arbor
Recommended ages: 16+
Description: The story explores a five-year relationship between Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, and Cathy Hyatt, a struggling actress. The show uses a form of storytelling in which Cathy’s story is told in reverse chronological order (beginning the show at the end of the marriage), and Jamie’s is told in chronological order (starting just after the couple have first met). The characters do not directly interact except for a wedding song in the middle as their timelines intersect.
Fun fact: The show premiered in Chicago in 2001 and was then produced off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States and internationally.
For tickets and information: www.basementarts.org

Show: “Godspell” by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Trebelak, through April 22
Company: The Encore Musical Theatre Company
Type of Company: Professional Equity Special Appearance Contract, Non-Equity.
Venue/location: The Encore Musical Theatre Company, 3126 Broad Street, Dexter
Recommended ages: All
Description: Godspell is a musical based on the gospel of St. Matthew, using a collection of songs written by Stephen Schwartz and vaudevillian skits. With songs like "Day by Day", "Turn Back O Man", and "All For the Best."
Review from AnnArbor.com
Fun fact: The word "Gospel" is derived from Anglo Saxon "Gódspell" (ca AD 1000), which means "good word"
For tickets and information: www.theencoretheatre.org, 734-268-6200

Show: “Red” by John Logan, through May 27
Company: Performance Network Theatre
Type of Company: Professional Equity (SPT)
Venue/location: Performance Network Theatre, 120 East Huron, Ann Arbor
Recommended ages: 16+
Description: For two years from 1956-58, the abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko worked feverishly in his Bowery St. studio on Manhattan's lower East side, on what was at the time the highest paid commission since the Sistine Chapel. A Russian immigrant from humble beginnings, he worked on a series of enormous murals that would adorn that bastion of capitalism—the famous Four Seasons Restaurant in Mies Van der Rohe's Seagram Building. John Logan's Tony-winning play paints a picture of the fiery artist as he works intensely on the paintings, with the help of his apprentice Ken, and struggles with his personal demons to bring forth what would ultimately be his life's greatest achievement.
Fun fact: In conjunction with its production, Performance Network is sponsoring “Red All Over” a community art project that places canvasses and art supplies in 11 locations around Ann Arbor. PNT invites the public to add their artistic contribution to the works, which will be displayed in the theater’s lobby during the run of “Red.”
Check out the video
For tickets and information: 734-663-0681, www.performancenetwork.org/

Show: “White Buffalo” by Don Zolidis, through June 2
Company: The Purple Rose Theatre Company
Type of Company: Professional Equity (SPT)
Venue/location: The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 137 Park Street, Chelsea
Recommended ages: 14+ (contains some adult language and content)
Description: When Carol Gelling discovers that a buffalo born on her farm is pure white, she thinks it’s nothing more than a curiosity. She soon learns that the birth of the white buffalo fulfills an ancient Sioux prophecy—the coming of peace on earth and unity of mankind. Almost overnight, her small farm becomes a hotbed of spiritual outpouring -- from Native American pilgrims to the Dalai Lama. When a mysterious businessman offers to buy the calf, Carol must decide whether the white buffalo signals the end of her financial hardships or the beginning of her own spiritual enrichment.
Review from AnnArbor.com
Fun fact: The cast features an actress who has done more than 1,000 performances (Michelle Mountain) and one who is onstage for the first time in her life (Meghan Thompson).
For tickets and information: 734-433-7673, www.purplerosetheatre.org