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Too Old to Be Loud. Heritage Square is unlike any other dinner theater in the state — and possibly the nation. The facility itself debuted in the 1950s as Magic Mountain, a Disneyesque theme park with whimsical buildings based on Colorado architectural styles. In 1970, it was bought by the Woodmoor Corporation and reincarnated as Heritage Square; soon after, G. William Oakley opened the Heritage Square Opera House, which featured wickedly silly — yet oddly clever — melodramas. Current director T.J. Mullin took over in 1986 and shifted both the name and the focus, alternating hopped-up versions of classic stories with shows that are pretty much a medley of songs. Too Old to Be Loudis the sixth in a series based on an annual reunion in the Boylan High School gym, a thin plot line that serves as the excuse for this talented ensemble to offer some great rock and roll, hilarious sendups of pop stars and a rendition of the Beatles' "Yesterday," during which Mullin gets to reveal his surprisingly melodious tenor. Presented by Heritage Square Music Hall through October 14, 18301 West Colfax Avenue, Golden, 303-279-7800. www.hsmusichall.com. Reviewed July 12.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? On one level, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?is a very literate and sophisticated Jerry Springer show, a sharply focused study of the disintegration of a marriage. George and Martha are a longtime married couple. He's a history professor at a small New England college whose career is far less glittering than he'd once hoped it would be; she's the daughter of the college president. Of course, Edward Albee is a genius, and his play provides far more than an evening of voyeurism and the self-righteous pleasure of being shocked by the bad behavior of others. The protagonists are fascinatingly complex characters. There's something magnificent about the unbridled rage that surges through their home. The brilliant dialogue sweeps you along for the play's three squirm-inducing hours: torrential, lurid, passionate, high-pitched, occasionally revelatory. Warren Sherrill directs with a sure and respectful hand, evidenced in such small details as the real snapdragons used for one scene and in the large talents of his cast, whose members find every one of the script's possible nuances. Presented by Paragon Theatre Company through August 11, Phoenix Theatre, 1124 Santa Fe Drive, 303-300-2210, www.paragontheatre.org. Reviewed July 26.