CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (May 14, 2025) — Are senior centers all bridge games and craft classes or is something much more interesting going on?

Find out at Center Rep’s showing of Min Kahng’s “Happy Pleasant Valley: A Senior Sex Scandal Murder Mystery Musical” at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr. It’s a co-production with and commissioned by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley.

You’ll meet June, a feisty grandmother whose nocturnal adventures have raised the eyebrows of neighbors in her senior residential community. But more than eyebrows get raised when a string of June’s lovers die mysteriously. Fortunately, her granddaughter Jade is on the case trying to solve the mystery and save her grandmother’s sex life.

Jeffrey Lo directs, with Sophie Eda as Jade and Emily Kuroda as June. The cast also includes Rinabeth Apostol, Jacqueline de Muro, Michael Patrick Gaffney, Cindy Goldfield, Lucinda Hitchcock-Cone, Ezra Reaves and Danny Scheie. The world premiere musical runs June 1-29.

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Dance

Also at the Lesher, you’ll find Diablo Ballet’s “Alice in Wonderland at 7:30 p.m. May 16 and 2 and 7:30 p.m. May 17, as well as the Ballet School Performing Arts’ “Happiness the Musical: A Peanuts Musical Revue!” at 7 p.m. May 17.

Smuin’s Dance Series 2 comes to the Lesher at 7:30 p.m. May 23 and 2 p.m. May 24 to present old favorites and new premieres, including Trey McIntyre’s “Wild Sweet Love” set to a medley of popular artists ranging from Queen to the Zombies and the Partridge Family as well as artistic director Amy Seiwert’s “I Remember Now.”

The company also revives Michael Smuin’s Rodin-inspired pas de deux, “The Eternal Idol,” and rounds out the evening with Rex Wheeler’s “Sinfonietta,” a spirited neoclassical ballet for five couples set to a piece by Boris Tchaikovsky.

Poison Apple Productions closes out the month with the musical “Sweeney Todd School Edition” May 29-June 1. Enjoy this infamous tale of a barber in 19th century London and his unhealthy obsession with revenge – not to mention his outrageous contribution to Mrs. Lovett’s pie recipe.

For tickets to all the above shows, call 925-943-7469 or go to www.leshercenter.org.

True West

Lafayette’s Town Hall Theatre takes on Sam Shepard’s “True West,” reimagining it through a Latin-American lens. Two brothers could not be more different as Lee, a drifter and petty thief, and Austin, a successful screenwriter, struggle for power while collaborating on a Western screenplay.

The dark comedy runs June 7-28 at Town Hall Theatre, 3535 School St., Lafayette. For tickets, go to www.townhalltheatre.com.

Witty Satire

B8 Theatre continues its successful run of Oscar Wilde’s timeless comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest” through May 18 at the Campbell Theater, 636 Ward St., Martinez. With Wilde’s witty satire, a lovely set by Diane Rice, beautiful period costumes by Taśa Gleason and director Becky Potter’s talented cast, this is a sure winner for an entertaining, light-hearted evening at the theater. For tickets, go to www.campbelltheater.com/earnest.

You can also catch the final performances of those sexy criminals in Pittsburg Theatre’s production of “Chicago.” Filled with jazzy tunes and colorful characters, the show continues through May 17 at the California Theatre, 351 Railroad Ave., Pittsburg. For tickets, call 925-427-1611 or go to https://pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com.

Send comments to sallyhogarty@gmail.com.

Sally Hogarty

sallyhogarty@gmail.com

Sally Hogarty is well known around the Bay Area as a newspaper columnist, theatre critic and working actress. She is the editor of the Orinda News. Send comments to sallyhogarty@gmail.com