If you don’t know your “hasenpfeffer” from your “weltanschauung,“ get yourself to “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” without delay. This is one of the funniest musical comedies ever conceived. Originally a one-act winner of two Tony awards, the Barksdale’s technically flawless production is in two acts—some of us needed the break to give our abs a chance to recover from the nonstop laughter of the first act.

Theatre IV’s production of the children’s classic, “The Ugly Duckling,“ is bright and child friendly, but the story sure has changed since I was a child—or even since I was the mother of a young child. Rollicking scenes like the upbeat “Rock’n Roll Mole” and a disco dancing eagle may not have been inspired by Hans Christian Anderson, but they sure do contribute to an enjoyable evening of theatre. (Not all the patrons of this children’s theatrical event, targeted for ages 3 and up, were children—or even accompanied by children. One of the most enthusiastic participants in the Eagle dance was one such unaccompanied adult!)

Now in its 11th year, Kaye Weinstein Gary’s “Yes, VirginiaDance” invitational built on Gary’s recent foray into theater and sought diverse dance artists from the state and beyond. Continuing her relationship with local actor-director Billy-Christopher Maupin, who collaborated on last season’s “The Words of Wendy Wasserstein,“ this year Gary presented a 10-minute play by Joan Ackermann, “A Great-Looking Boat.“ Gaye took on the role of Mrs. Carmichael (originally Mr. Carigianis), a woman born blind but possessed of vivid insight. Mrs. Carmichael has an encounter with Elaine Fink, a volunteer reader whose mangling of “The Odyssey” leads to insightful interactions—and the sharing of oversized cream puffs.

One man, 42 personalities. But there’s no need to call a psychiatrist. Ironically, television personality Dr. Phil McGraw is one of the many characters actor Scott Wichmann pulls from his wiry frame on the set of “Fully Committed,“ the show that earned Wichmann his Actor’s Equity card in 2001. Playwright Becky Mode’s outrageously funny one-man play captures a day in the life of Sam Peliczowski, the reservations clerk at a tony Manhattan restaurant.

It’s a familiar coming-of-age story, set in the summer of 1942. The country is at war, and Hermie, Oscy and Benjie, three teens from New York and New Jersey, are spending a summer on an island off the coast of Maine. The boys’ biggest concern is girls, and except for an air raid drill, a few cursory efforts at conserving goods, and a single, pivotal telegram, the summer islanders are relatively unaffected by the war.

The good news is that “Thoroughly Modern Millie” is a relentless, nonstop period pastiche musical set in the Jazz Age and performed as if each actor’s life depended on it. The bad news is that “Thoroughly Modern Millie” is a relentless, nonstop period pastiche musical set in the Jazz Age and performed as if each actor’s life depended on it. Millie Dillmount arrives in New York City from small-town Kansas, circa 1922. She rips up her return ticket, only to have her purse, suitcase, and even her hat and one shoe stolen in broad daylight—but “Millie” is not about the terrors of the big city. There is a hilarious speak-easy scene, ending with all the participants spending the night in the pokey—but it’s not about Prohibition. She checks into a women’s hotel managed by a former actress whose sideline is white slavery, and there are two “Chinese” henchmen who assist in the abduction of orphaned guests—but it’s not about racism or any sort of political statement. It’s about having fun, and being silly, and falling in love, and having hope.

One thing that is perfectly clear is that Endesha Ida Mae Holland was a determined woman. There are times in her life story, told as a series of overlapping stories and vignettes in an autobiographical two-act play, when the author lapses into self-aggrandizement, and times when even the clarity of the actors’ speech stumbles over the muddy thickness of Mississippi Delta axioms.

The Richmond Ballet is closing out its 25th-anniversary season with two dynamic performances.  George Balanchine’s “Four Temperaments,“ first performed for the opening of the Ballet Society in 1946, is an enduring classic, and one of Balanchine’s first experimental works, fusing classical lines with angularity. Stripped down to practice clothes and devoid of scenery, the work’s deceptive simplicity masks the truth:—It is one of the master’s most difficult ballets to perform.

A modern Irish classic within 20 years of its first production, Brian Friel’s “Translations,“ first performed in 1980, is a tightly knit ensemble work that derives considerable dramatic action from the theme of change that tears at the fabric of the small community of Ballybeg. But it is ultimately, and more importantly, about language. “Translations” is a fitting stimulus for the intellect that raises relevant questions about language and culture, and about hegemony—one nation’s political and cultural dominance over another.

The Spring Gala performance of the Concert Ballet of Virginia, at their downtown home base in The Woman’s Club, ended on a high note Friday with a spirited performance of “American Saturday Night.“ Set to a medley of folk tunes and pop music, and with a predominantly Western flair, the ballet also features a down-home set designed by company technical director deVeaux Riddick to go along with the gingham-splashed skirts and cowboy hats attire fashioned by costume designer Erline Eason.

Normal” is a musical that tackles the weighty and relevant subject of eating disorders and how one young girl’s struggle affects her entire family. Artistic Director Chase Kniffen writes in his program notes that “Normal” not only deserves a place in Stage 1’s inaugural season, but that it was, in fact, the reason he wanted to create a new theatrical venue in central Virginia dedicated to new and recent works by American playwrights - especially musicals.

Building on its strengths, Derome Scott Smith’s African American Repertory Theatre revived the 1980’s off-Broadway to Hollywood hit “Steel Magnolias” with, apparently, few major changes since its last appearance in 2006. The all-female cast—which is true to the original 1987 production—is primarily focused on Shelby and her mother, M’Lynn, the former a young diabetic who determines to have a baby against medical advice, and her somewhat overbearing but truly loving Southern mother. But there are no stars in this tragicomedy; it is an ensemble effort with strong performances and meaty characters for all six of the cast members. If nothing else, this production proves that Southern is a culture and not a color.

It’s silly, and clever, and satirical and high-powered. I smiled so much I thought my face would hurt the next day. At Swift Creek Playhouse, “Altar Boyz”—the second Richmond-area based production of this musical this theater season (Richmond Triangle Players, Jan. 28-Feb. 21)—is rockin’ the house with its special style of boy-band Christian pop music.

The Latin Ballet of Virginia has a knack for telling stories—colorful, rhythmic, entertaining stories that delve into sometimes unpleasant aspects of history and that touch the heart. The latest production, “Son Corazon” (literally, “they are heart,“ or figuratively, heart strings), is a 2-hour history lesson and celebration of Afro-Cuban music and dance, with the emphasis on celebration.

‘Strings’ reveals growth of Z Mullins Dance Evening showcases the young company’s solid choreography The third annual evening-length concert by the 3-year-old Z Mullins Dance Company was characterized by solidly constructed and thematically coherent choreography. Guest artists Danah Bella and her danahbella DanceWorks, from Radford, contributed two works that supported the holistic philosophy of the Mullins troupe.