By Steve ZALL and Sid FISH

Here are some great new shows opening soon in our local theater scene!

The information presented in this column is the latest available at the time of printing; however, it should be verified with the theater before making definite plans. 

Here are the shows that have announced opening dates for this month or are already running:

Opening

“Little Shop of Horrors” The story follows Seymour, a downtrodden and shy florist’s assistant whose life blossoms overnight thanks to an otherworldly – and hungry – new plant named Audrey II. But there’s a catch – it craves blood. As fame, fortune and love begin to bloom, so does the madness. 

The score includes unforgettable, passionate melodies like “Suddenly Seymour” and “Somewhere That’s Green.”

Written by Howard Ashman, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and directed by Sarah Azcarate, it runs today, Sept. 3 through Sept. 13 at the Mountain View Mausoleum in Altadena. For tickets, visit www.altadenamusictheatre.com.

“The Nightman Cometh” plus “The Waitress is Getting Married” Join us for two hilarious unauthorized musical parodies inspired by the gang from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: No. 1: “The Nightman Cometh” Charlie recruits the gang to put on a musical in hopes of finally winning the heart of the woman of his dreams – The Waitress. No. 2. “The Waitress Is Getting Married” The story continues as The Waitress prepares to walk down the aisle … but with this gang involved, you know things are about to go terribly wrong. Two outrageous stories. One very chaotic night. And plenty of singing, dancing, questionable decisions and Nightman nonsense. 

Written and directed by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, it runs Sept. 4 through Sept. 6 at the Wisteria Theater in North Hollywood. For tickets,, call (818) 237-4643 or visit www.wisteriatheater.com/upcomingshows.

“Winter’s Bench” Set in a park where only one ancient tree remains, “Winter’s Bench” follows Gladys, an elderly woman who has spent a lifetime believing the tree spoke to her when she was a child, and who waits to hear its voice again. Blending storytelling, live music and imagination, “Winter’s Bench” is both a memory play and a meditation on nature, aging and hope. At a time when forests are disappearing and loneliness is on the rise, “Winter’s Bench” invites audiences to consider what we lose when we stop listening – to nature, to one another and to the stories that shape us. 

Written by Mike Kenny and directed by Debbie Devine, it runs Sept. 5 through Oct. 25 at the 24th Street Theatre in Los Angeles. For tickets, call (213) 745-6516 or visit 24thstreet.org.

“Texas Sodomy: The Incredible True Story of Lawrence v. Texas” Houston 1998. John Lawrence and Tyron Garner are arrested under Texas’ “Homosexual Conduct” law. What begins as a drunken arrest grows into a constitutional battle stretching from Houston to Washington, D.C. “Texas Sodomy” follows two ordinary working-class men and Lane Lewis – a Houston bartender and activist who becomes their closest ally and protector – as they join an unlikely coalition of lawyers and activists in a pivotal chapter of the American Civil Rights Movement. Blending sharp comedy, gripping drama and intimate character study, “Texas Sodomy” reveals the extraordinary human story behind one of the most important civil rights decisions in modern American history. 

Written and directed by Howard Skora, it runs Sept. 10 through Oct. 24 at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks. For tickets, visitwww.TexasSodomy.com.

“Bright Blue Sky: the 9/11 Musical” This original stage musical is set on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. It has five performances only in September and is timed to the 25th anniversary of the attacks. “Bright Blue Sky” is about a group of people working in the World Trade Center on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. During these desperate hours, not knowing whether the day will end as it began, the characters come together through their differences to find their shared humanity. In a series of charming, endearing and deeply heartfelt vignettes, each character relives moments from their past, revealing an uplifting story of the hope amid tragedy and loss within love. 

Written by Vincent Aniceto, with music by Tim Nelson, it runs Sept. 11 through Sept. 20 at the Rose Center Theater in Westminster. For tickets, call (714) 793-1150 or visit www.rosecentertheater.com/bright-blue-sky-9-11-musical.

“Frankenstein: Resurrection – An Original Musical” In “Frankenstein: Resurrection,” Victor Frankenstein awakens in a secret laboratory beneath the infamous Paris morgue, resurrected by the brilliant Doctor Seraphina Pretorius. As Victor becomes convinced that the doctor’s sister Elsa is the reincarnation of his lost bride Elizabeth, he descends into a nightmare of obsession and madness. Guided by the Monster through the Nine Circles of Hell, Victor is ultimately forced to confront a terrifying truth: the greatest monster he ever created may have been himself. Operatic, brutal and deeply human, “Frankenstein: Resurrection” asks one haunting question: What is the cost of refusing to let go? 

Written and directed by Justin Meyer, with music by Chris Thomas, it runs Sept. 11 through Nov. 1 at the Nocturne Theatre in Glendale. For tickets, visit thenocturnetheatre.com.

“Othello” Shakespeare’s classic tragedy of manipulation, madness and despair that begins when Iago, a resentful, egocentric individual who feels overlooked and undervalued by his peers, is passed over by Othello for promotion and pursues his revenge against the Moor of Venice by constructing a plot fueled by betrayal and jealousy. Iago operates not with brute force but by psychologically poisoning others, making them act as pawns in his vendetta. And as suspicion about his wife Desdemona’s fidelity takes hold of Othello’s mind, we watch him spiral downwards towards his inevitable tragic doom. 

Written by William Shakespeare and directed by Christopher Aruffo, it runs Sept. 11 through Oct. 3 at the Westchester Playhouse in Los Angeles. For tickets, call (310) 645-5156 or visitwww.kentwoodplayers.org.

“September 10” One evening a woman confesses to her husband that she’s been unfaithful. The date is Sept. 10, 2001. The next morning, their private crisis is eclipsed by a national tragedy – best known as 9/11. As the couple watches coverage on television and works through their relationship, we meet various ordinary people affected by the event: a sportswriter, a firefighter, a woman rediscovering her faith, a graffiti artist, a street vendor selling American flags, an evangelist and others. 

Written by Art Shulman and directed by Stan Mazin, it runs Sept. 11 through Oct. 4 at the Two Roads Theatre in Studio City. For tickets, visitonstage411.com/sept10.

“Into the Woods” When the Baker and his wife venture into the forest to break a witch’s curse, they encounter Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack (of beanstalk fame) – and familiar tales take on clever new lives. But be careful what you wish for because “happily ever after” is never the whole story. This poignant musical comedy masterpiece celebrates its 40th anniversary with a fabulous new SCR production featuring 12 actors instead of the customary 18 or more. 

Written by James Lapine, with music by Stephen Sondheim, and directed by Peter Rothstein, it runs Sept. 12 through Oct. 18 at the South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. For tickets, call (714) 708-5555 or visitwww.scr.org.

“Marisol” A dreamlike blend of magical realism, Theatre of the Absurd and Rivera’s powerfully poetic language, “Marisol” is a darkly funny, apocalyptic fable about survival, faith and hope. After her guardian angel abandons her to join the celestial battle against a senile God, Bronx resident Marisol Pérez must navigate a terrifying, unraveling world on her own while struggling to preserve her humanity. 

Written by José Rivera and directed by Amanda Weier, it runs Sept. 12 through Oct. 24 at the Open Fist Theatre Company @ Atwater Village Theatre in Atwater Village. For tickets, call (323) 882-6912 or visitopenfist.org.

“A Killer Night in Studio City” A genre-bending production, “A Killer Night in Studio City” blends a classic, fast-paced comedic stage play and musical performances of 1950s hits, with a fully immersive and interactive mystery experience. 

It’s 1958. You’re invited to a memorial for Sophia Vance. Who killed Sophia Vance, the fastest-rising young actress in Hollywood? Could it be Johnny Turner, the A-list movie star that she rejected? Could it be Ronnie Bennett, the guy who plays a detective on television? Could it be Arthur Clarkston, the make-up artist who is the custodian of all of Sophia’s secrets? Could it be Edith Sinclair, the determined gossip columnist? Could it even be Mama Vitello? Everyone has a motive. Everyone has secrets. You’ll be given the opportunity to find the murderer as you’ll be given clues during the course of the evening at this immersive, interactive murder mystery, set at the memorial for Sophia Vance at Vitello’s, the Studio City culinary institution that’s been a favorite of Hollywood celebrities. You’ll be moving between rooms at Vitello’s, and you’ll have a sumptuous dinner with your choice of entrée: chicken, fish or vegetarian, as well as coffee, tea or soft drinks. 

Written by Kevin Allen Jackson and Kristine Dickson, and directed by Noah Blake, it runs Sept. 15 through Oct. 31 at Vitello’s Restaurant in Studio City. For tickets, visitwww.akillernightlive.com/studiocity/tickets,.

“The Case-Book of C. Auguste Dupin” With Edgar Allan Poe’s creation of the character of C. Auguste Dupin, the master of the macabre forever changed crime fiction. Dupin was the first modern detective. He was the archetype for literary sleuths Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, solving seemingly unsolvable crimes with logic and astonishing deductions. This play brings together Poe’s three spellbinding Dupin Mysteries: “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Mystery of Marie Roget” and “The Purloined Letter” for an engrossing evening of murder, mayhem and meerschaum pipes. 

Written by John Strysik and directed by Edgar Allan Poe, it runs Sept. 17 through Oct. 18 at Theatre Forty, in the Mary Levin Cutler Theatre in Beverly Hills. For tickets, call (310) 364-0535 or visittheatre40.org.

“Catch Me If You Can the Musical” is a high-flying, splashy Broadway musical that tells the true story of Frank W. Abagnale Jr., who runs away from home in search of the glamorous life. With nothing more than his boyish charm, a big imagination and millions of dollars in forged checks, Frank successfully poses as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer – living the high life and winning the girl of his dreams. But when Frank’s lies catch the attention of FBI agent Carl Hanratty, Carl chases Frank to the end … and finds something he never expected. 

Written by Terrence McNally, with music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, and directed by Michael Donovan, it runs Sept. 17 through Oct. 18 at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. For tickets, visitwww.colonytheatre.org.

“A Number” Salter thought he had only two sons: the troubled child he sent away at 4 years old, and the genetically identical copy he had created and raised in his place. Then he discovers there are more – many more. When the truth about a long-buried cloning experiment comes to light, Salter is forced to confront the consequences of a decision made decades earlier. As questions of identity, nature, nurture and responsibility collide, “A Number” turns a startling scientific premise into a gripping and deeply human family drama. 

Written by Caryl Churchill and directed by James Paradise, it runs Sept. 18 through Oct. 11 at the Madnani Theater in Hollywood. For tickets, visitevents.thestagecrafts.com/15047.

“Realm of the River” Close friends enjoy a magical night out. Fun and freedom suddenly take a dark turn when an unforeseen and insurmountable circumstance invokes a mystic force, bringing everyone face-to-face with the true work of healing. Water runs through the story as a source of danger and restoration, carrying memory and transformation with it. Bliss’s writing creates an emotional and mystical landscape that is further brought to life through projections, music, lighting and atmospheric stage design, transforming the venue into an immersive theatrical world. 

Written and directed by Jesse Bliss, it runs Sept. 18 through Sept. 27 at the Rosenthal Theater at Inner-City Arts in Los Angeles. For tickets, visitwww.eventbrite.com/e/realm-of-the-river-a-world-premiere-play-by-jesse-bliss-tickets,-1996257931210.

“The Peterson Show” follows five former child stars who reunite as the legacy of their beloved television father collapses into scandal. With cameras swarming outside and decades of unresolved history inside, they confront old rivalries, buried secrets and the complicated bonds forged while growing up on America’s favorite sitcom. At once hilarious and heartbreaking, “The Peterson Show” raises a difficult question: What happens to a family when the person who held it together becomes the one who tears it apart? 

Written by Janine Nabers and directed by Michelle Bossy, it runs Sept. 19 through Oct. 26 at the Atwater Village Theatre in Atwater Village. For tickets, call (747) 350-8066 or visitEchoTheaterCompany.com.

“Shells” The story surrounds the aftermath of an unexpected encounter with a violent neighbor; it is developed by Rogue Artists Ensemble. Evvy is just trying to get back to work. But now she has a wound and the world around her may never be normal again … or maybe it never was. Inspired by a true story, “Shells” is an absurdist dark comedy utilizing puppetry and physical humor about coping with the farce and devastation of gun violence in an increasingly chaotic reality. 

Written by Amy Judd Lieberman and directed by Stephanie O’Neill, it runs Sept. 24 through Oct. 11 at the Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles. For tickets, visitgreenwaycourttheatre.org/tickets,.

“Confessions of a Sugar Baby” (This is a live taping of a new show.) When an uninsured 29-year-old actress collapses and is given eight months to live, the hospital demands $800,000 in cash upfront at a predatory 785% interest rate, her parents have already liquidated their retirement for her father’s cancer and her trust-fund boyfriend declines: “I don’t think it’s healthy for me to help you fix your financial needs. I’m a feminist.” She refuses to take on the debt, even if it means dying: “The moment you have debt, you’ve invited someone to own you. And I’m not interested in being owned at all.” Then a clinic nurse gives her the only useful advice of her diagnosis: “You’re a white girl with a fat ass in Atlanta. You know what to do.” So she builds a profile on Seeking Arrangements, becomes a girl named Justine and transforms into a high-paid, untouchable sugar baby with one strict rule: no sex, ever. Deploying her acting training, Meisner, Stanislavski, scene objectives, on custom-scripted dates, she becomes a doting plus-one at a daughter’s wedding, a fake fiancée in a hospice room, a dance partner for an 80-year-old widower wearing his dead wife’s dress. She pays for surgery after surgery in cash, the rule intact, until a $50,000 emergency forces her to consider breaking it. When people ask if she’s okay, she has a standard answer: “I’ll die from it, just not today.” It’s a story about medical debt, survival work and the male loneliness epidemic, and it ends with her looking the room dead in the eye: “It’s not what you had to do to survive. It’s the fact that you did survive.” 

Written by Allison Dayne and directed by Cameron Lopez, it runs Sept. 25 and Sept. 26 at the Crow (in the main room) in Santa Monica. For tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/confessions-of-a-sugar-baby-tickets,-1990616605854.

“Kaiju” Two gigantic, mythical monsters have just destroyed the city. Amid the chaos and destruction, a debate ensues. A funny and audacious takedown of the sometimes pretentious nature of art and culture, “Kaiju” also presents a pointed examination of power and artistic responsibility in our current world. 

Written by Dan Caffrey and directed by Ken Sawyer, it runs Sept. 25 through Nov. 1 at the Road Theatre in North Hollywood. For tickets, call (818) 761-8838 or visit ci.ovationtix.com/35065/production/1280560.

“Into The Woods” When the Baker and his wife venture into the forest to break a witch’s curse, they encounter Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack (of beanstalk fame) – and familiar tales take on clever new lives. But be careful what you wish for because “happily ever after” is never the whole story. This poignant musical comedy masterpiece celebrates its 40th anniversary. 

Written by James Lapine, with music by Stephen Sondheim, and directed by Elijah Green, it runs Sept. 26 through Oct. 18 at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica. For tickets, call (310) 828-7519 or visitci.ovationtix.com/1221.

Continuing

“Green Corridors” explores the human cost of war, examining the harrowing yet darkly humorous realities of four Ukrainian women who have fled their country following Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion: a woman who reluctantly left her pets behind, a mother adjusting to life away from her husband on the front lines, a woman bearing physical and psychological trauma, and an actress determined to share Ukraine’s story with the world. It alternates between the women’s current shared reality in crowded European refugee centers and flashbacks detailing their past lives, blending modern experiences with cinematic flashbacks of Ukrainian historical figures who also faced agonizing choices in the face of invasion. It is a story of resilience and resistance, of courage and heartache, of loss and determination. 

Written by Natalka Vorozhbyt, translated by John Freedman with Nataliia Bratus, and directed by Frédérique Michel, it runs through Sept. 27 at the City Garage in Santa Monica. For tickets, call (310) 453-9939 or visitwww.citygarage.org.