Oct. 1 & 2
HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR
Sure, Halloween probably isn't the best time to start experimenting with magical potions, but that doesn't stop Winifred and her sisters from concocting a brew that has the power to bring fictional characters to life. So it's no surprise when the Pumpkin King, the Wicked Witch of the West and a cavalcade of ghouls, villains and other seasonal icons suddenly appear and cause a stir that involves plenty of singing and dancing. This all-ages, hourlong show has an extra meet-and-greet VIP option so the entire family can hobnob with the cast. The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Center, Coeur d'Alene, $26-$36, showtimes vary (E.J. IANNELLI)
Oct. 14
AN AVIARY FOR THE BIRDS OF SADNESS
Playwright Tristen Canfield saw her one-act play The Window debut at the Spokane Civic Theatre's Playwright's Forum Festival in 2015, when it won the Audience Choice award. Now she's ready to reveal her first full-length play via a staged reading of her An Aviary for the Birds of Sadness through the new Spokane Playwrights Laboratory. Experience of a new piece of theater as a work in progress, then enjoy a drink and talk about the show with its writer right after. Pretty cool, right? Washington Cracker Building, 304 W. Pacific, free, 7:30 pm. (DAN NAILEN)
Oct. 19-24
CATS
How do you take a theatrical phenomenon like CATS and reimagine it for a new generation? This nationally touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's record-smashing musical might hold the answer. The choreography, lighting, costume design, scenery and sound have been re-envisioned by some of the biggest names on Broadway — while still paying homage to Webber's score and breakout hits like "Memory." Updates like those are sure to make this CATS as captivating to longtime fans as to those who are seeing it for the first time. First Interstate Center for the Performing Arts, $42-$100, showtimes vary (EJI)
Nov. 12-13
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
If you think you've seen every possible variation of A Christmas Carol there is to see, think again. Award-winning playwright Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and director Matthew Warchus (Matilda) have teamed up with the goal of making this one of the most spellbinding adaptations of Charles Dickens' timeless holiday tale. Rounding out the Broadway-quality staging and performances are 12 beloved Christmas carols like "Joy to the World," "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" and "Silent Night." Hard to see how even the grumpiest Scrooge among us could resist those charms, or those of star Bradley Whitford (The West Wing, The Handmaid's Tale). First Interstate Center for the Performing Arts, $53.50-$93.50, showtimes vary (EJI)
Nov. 23-28
MEAN GIRLS
Navigating the cliques and hierarchies of your average American high school can be fraught with danger. Unfortunately, Cady Heron is unaware of those risks. After living in the African wilderness most of her life, she's started school in suburban Illinois and fallen in with a group of girls whose stock in trade is gossip and insults. Acclaimed for being funny, sassy and moving, this hit Broadway adaptation of the 2004 cult film scripted by Tina Fey charts Cady's journey from outsider to apex predator to a more compassionate version of her true self. First Interstate Center for the Performing Arts, $39-$100, showtimes vary (EJI)
Dec. 3-5
AN ILIAD – LIVE
Back in January, Stage Left streamed a prerecorded production of An Iliad, Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare's compelling chronicle of human bellicosity that took its inspirational cues from Homer's ancient epic about the Trojan War. Now the theater is bringing that same well-received show — still directed by Susan Hardie and starring Robert Tombari as the war-weary poet — to its stage for an in-person run. Along with marking the theater's anticipated return to live entertainment, An Iliad will double as a fundraiser for its upcoming season. Stage Left Theater, tickets TBA, 7 pm (EJI) ♦
