By Raquella Hess

Let's face it: Hollywood movies really just aren't what they used to be. Of course, we all need something to do on the weekends, but do you honestly want to sit through a gross-out teen comedy, an action flick with no plot, or a three-and-a-half hour long snoozer by a director who refuses to use music in his films?

When you're ready to try something new, take on spring showers the way Rochestarians of the days of yore did – at a live theatre production! With an array of theatre companies to choose from in the downtown area alone, as well as very affordable tickets across the board, there's no reason not to don a new dress and join the ranks of 'high society' right in your own backyard.

Geva Theatre Center
75 Woodbury Blvd., Rochester 14607
232-1366 www.gevatheatre.org
Geva Theatre is the most well-known of our local stage venues and the most attended regional theatre featuring local directors in New York State, attracting some 174,000 patrons annually. Geva offers a broad sampling of shows and programs on their stages, ranging from the annual Holiday classic A Christmas Carol to the Big Theatre for Little People series for audiences in grades K-8.

Their lineup is always growing and changing to keep new works in rotation, but some features run year-round, such as Geva Comedy Improv. This raucous bunch never fails to delight the audience at their monthly performances, and for only $7, this show promises to be one of the most entertaining things you'll see all year.

The spring season will feature several works from a variety of genres. Throughout March Bad Dates will entertain audiences as they follow a dedicated and successful restaurant manager and single mother in her resurrected romantic misadventures. In April, The Piano Lesson will be the main attraction, telling the story of a young sharecropper who wants to sell his family's ancestral piano in order to buy land.

An adapted version of Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice is always a rich experience complete with humor, music and elegance, and has earned its reputation as one of the world's most popular love stories. There's something for everyone to enjoy at Geva, whether you make it to the theatre once a month or just once a year, the unpretentious and welcoming atmosphere makes for a wonderful evening.

Rochester Broadway Theatre League
885 East Main St., Rochester 14605
222-5000 www.rbtl.org
Although similar to Geva in the quality and diversity of their productions, the Rochester Broadway Theatre League (RBTL) is known more for their venue management and for bringing in the best in nationally touring shows. As the owners of the Auditorium Theatre, they also give local performance groups a space to present recitals and shows.

Surprisingly, despite having a reputation for bringing in huge names in theatre, the RBTL has been non-profit since its inception in 1957. Further fulfilling their commitment to local patrons, the RBTL offers an extensive and exciting lineup for the spring season.

Don't miss the Broadway smash-hit Avenue Q, running from March 4-9. This hilarious show follows characters through their attempts to make it in New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. Featuring a cast of people and puppets, this slightly risqué, absolutely entertaining and just plain witty show will warm your heart.
If you missed your chance to see Avenue Q, try to make it out to the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber masterpiece Jesus Christ Superstar. This groundbreaking production is as relevant and timeless as ever, featuring a contemporary spin and ironic allusions to modern life throughout. If the promise of a few good laughs doesn't do it for you, the soundtrack surely will.

This summer, RBTL will have a few new tricks up their sleeve with the arrival of the enormously popular tale of how the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good came to be, Wicked. Tickets go one sale March 17th, so keep your eye out!

Downstairs Cabaret Theatre
20 Windsor St., 172 West Main St., 540 East Main St., Rochester 14605
325-4370 www.downstairscabaret.com
The Downstairs Cabaret Theatre stays true to its mission of producing non-traditional work, offering a wide range of unique pieces that have a way of drawing many first time theatergoers. This professional not-for-profit theatre is known on a local and national level for developing Nunsense, as well as the world premiere of the hit comedy Forever Plaid.

Always in the market for new and exciting pieces, their spring lineup is no different. One long time local favorite is I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, featuring four actors playing over forty roles in a hilarious journey through several romantic relationships, and the difficulties and joys of connecting with another person, no matter what age. Keep checking in to see what other new works will hit the Downstairs Cabaret Stage in upcoming months, at all three locations!

Raquella Hess is a staff writer for Rochester Woman.