Sights and Sounds of Drama, Classical Music Seasons : Theater Marquees Boast Diverse but Energetic List of Openings

Revivals are part of every theatrical community, and the San Fernando Valley is no exception. But in recent years, Valley theaters have also played host to a number of ambitious and affecting world of West Coast premieres.

Some of those highlights include such recent works as Murphy Guyer’s “American Satire” (Theatre West, 1986), John Ford Noonan’s “Talking Things Over With Chekhov” (Victory, 1987), Rafael Lima’s “El Salvador” (Gnu Theater, 1988), Will Holt’s “A Walk on the Wild Side” (Back Alley, 1988), Leslie Caveny’s “Love of a Pig” (Theatre West, 1989) and Doug Haverty and Adryan Russ’ “Roleplay” (Group Repertory, 1989).

The upcoming fall season promises an equally diverse--and potentially energetic passel of openings.

At Sherman Oaks’ Actors Alley, Anthony Webster’s dark comedy, “The Greatest Man Alive,” opens Oct. 6. Directed by John Crawford, the story concerns a 72-year-old man who attempts to hang himself as a last bid at attaining fame. Opening Oct. 18, and playing alternate nights, is Peter Lefcourt’s comedy-drama, “Only the Dead Know Burbank,” about a contemporary television writer whose co-worker claims to be William Faulkner. Donna Hardy directs.

At the Back Alley Theatre in Van Nuys, Matthew Witten’s “The Deal,” an absorbing drama about an FBI sting gone awry, plays through Oct. 29. Back Alley co-producing director Allan Miller directs Michael Cavanaugh, John M. Jackson, Will Nye and Charles Siebert. Also at the theater: Will Holt and Dion Alden Holt’s popular children’s show, “Max and Zoey, Zoey and Max” returns for an Oct. 7-29 run.

Burbank’s Alliance Theatre continues its one-act festival until Oct. 15 with Craig Pettigrew’s “Brutal Mandate,” Stan Jones’ “Blue in the Face,” Michael Slade’s “Thanksgiving,” and Deb Lacusta and Dan Castellaneta’s “Pieces of Eight: A Collection of Urban Oddities.”

At the Richard Basehart Theatre in Woodland Hills, Agatha Christie’s whodunit “Mousetrap” continues to catch audiences; the run is scheduled to go through the end of October but may extend through December.

Running through Nov. 19 at the Gnu Theatre in Toluca Lake, Gnu artistic director Jeff Seymour directs Gary Frank and Bruce Kirby in “A Life in the Theatre,” David Mamet’s serio-comic study of generation-gap actors sharing a summer stock dressing room. Up next: the Dec. 21 premiere of Daniel Faraldo’s “How Does it Feel?,” a “heavy-heavy” drama about two sisters confronting their past.

At Group Repertory Theatre in North Hollywood, Patricia Lee Willson’s staging of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” plays until Oct. 14. It is followed in early November with the premiere of Craig Alpaugh’s “Neighborhood Crime Watch.” Dom Salinaro directs this “ironic comedy” about a group of people who band together to organize a neighborhood watch--and promptly get robbed.

At the Donald O’Connor Family Theatre in Studio City, managing director Alicia O’Connor continues her program of readings and discussions of world premieres, offering theatergoers a chance to see plays for free--and play critic afterward. The as-yet-unscheduled readings usually take place twice a month.

At Studio City’s Theatre West, Thomas Strelich’s desert-locked “Neon Psalms” continues to Oct. 22, alternating with Leslie Caveny’s clever comedy “Love of a Pig” (to Oct. 8). Terry Dodd’s “Dusk to Dawn at the Sunset” is next up on Nov. 3; Michelle Trufo directs the modern-day drama, set in New Mexico, about a working-class family coming apart at the seams.

At the Third Stage in Burbank, the 10-person comedy-improvisation troupe Live Humans on Stage continues its current program on Oct. 26 and Nov. 30--with an all-new show planned for January.

At Burbank’s Victory Theatre, Bruce Graham’s bomb-scare comedy, “Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar & Grille” continues to Oct. 15--at least.