Performers embrace the eerie, mysterious — even creepy — on area stages this month while promising no shortage of fun and laughter.
Among the Halloween-season shows happening in the coming weeks are:
The Lipstick Divas drag show returns to Lewiston this weekend with “Monster Bash,” a “celebration of diversity, creativity and self-expression.”
The company’s founding manager, former Potlatch resident Jerid Weinberg, announced his retirement a year ago, before the Divas’ last Lewiston performance, passing the baton to the queens in the show.
“After Jerid’s well-deserved retirement from the production, we’ve revitalized parts of the show while still maintaining the level of respect and professionalism Jerid brought to every Lipstick Divas show,” event manager Cody Wojahn said via Facebook Messenger. “We are bringing new energy and excitement to our beloved fans.”
This weekend’s show, billed as the Divas’ annual “Halloween spook-tacular,” includes genres from horror to comedy to drama, Wojahn said. Returning queens include fan favorites Victoria Amore and Tatiana Rexia, from the Tri-Cities, with Diva Dott and Inanna Miss hosting.
Performances are from 8-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Boomtown American Saloon, 516 Main St., Lewiston. Doors open at 7 p.m. for this 21+ event.
Tickets, $10-$125, are at eventbrite.com or at the door.
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Spooky season entertainment continues next weekend with Ostara Production Co.’s “There’s Some Horrors In This House” burlesque show, billed as “a night of spine-tingling glamour.”
Performances are at 7 p.m. Oct. 11-12 with a bonus 9 p.m. show Oct. 12.
The show “blends allure with a touch of eerie enchantment,” according to an Ostara news release, exploring the art of burlesque with a horror theme.
Tickets, $35-$45, are at bit.ly/ostarahorrors for an evening of “tantalizing thrills and seductive chills” at the Orchid Room in Morgan’s Alley, 301 Main St., Lewiston.
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This one’s not for the kids.
A “great date night show,” according to director Amanda Marzo, the Lewiston Civic Theatre’s “Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors” has fun with sexual innuendo, gender roles and pop culture references.
“It’s definitely, like, go out to get drinks first, then come to the show and laugh your ass off,” Marzo said.
The show’s run, from Oct. 17-27, includes 7 p.m. performances Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays.
Cindy Zeliff, who acted in the civic’s recent 10-minute plays and has been in other shows’ ensembles, shines as the love interest of both Dracula and Jonathan Harker, Marzo said, juggling lead acting duties with her usual role as costumer.
A donation of custom fangs from Leavitt Family Dentistry in Lewiston adds to the show’s “gothic, cool, period look with Tim Burtonesque influences.”
The practice, which also donated the dentist chair used in the civic’s 2022 production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” did dental impressions of cast members and made the fangs after store-bought costume fangs weren’t cutting it, Marzo said.
That attention to detail extends to special effects (including but not limited to fake blood, flashing lights and fog), some of which she said haven’t been employed by the civic in recent memory.
“It’s been really fun just to recreate ‘Dracula,’ ” Marzo said. “So many have done it in so many ways — it’s fun to find our little niche.”
Frequent LCT pianist Sam Weeks provides music for the show, and Patrick Brommeling assistant directs, bringing “that sort of Mel Brooks humor” to the mix, Marzo said.
Tickets, $12-$20, are at lctheatre.org.
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The Idaho Repertory Theatre’s “The Addams Family: A New Musical” opens later this month, promising “a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family.”
The story follows a grown-up Wednesday Addams who’s fallen in love with a “normal” young man, a secret she asks her father, Gomez, to keep from her mother, Morticia.
Performances are set for 7:30 p.m Oct. 24-25 and 31 and Nov. 1-2 with 2 p.m. matinees Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 at the University of Idaho’s Hartung Theatre, 625 Stadium Drive, Moscow.
Tickets, at uitickets.com, are $26 general admission, $21 for UI employees, $16 for seniors (55+) and military, $6 for kids 18 and younger and free for UI students. !
— Mary Stone, Inland 360
