5 shows budding on Philly’s stages

From ageless classic characters to American comic tragedies to award-winning local playwrights, Philly’s theaters are truly in bloom.

­‘Curse of the Starving Class’

Through April 8

The Wilma Theater

265 S. Broad St.

www.wilmatheater.org

Sam Shepard’s 1978 comic tragedy focuses on a family frantically trying to save their California farm from debt collectors.

‘Cyrano’

Through April 15

Arden Theatre Company

40 N. Second St.

www.ardentheatre.org

Arden Theatre Company co-founder Aaron Posner returns to Philadelphia to direct a brand new “Cyrano” adaptation by longtime Arden favorite Michael Hollinger. Edmond Rostand’s 1897 classic created a timeless character: A poet with a colossal nose who falls desperately in love with his cousin.

‘The Outgoing Tide’

March 23-April 22

Philadelphia Theatre Company

480 S. Broad St.

www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org

Local playwright Bruce Graham found national success with “Tide.” Last year’s Chicago production starred John Mahoney and won Graham Chi-town’s highest honor for a new play: the Joseph Jefferson Award. The play features a retired teamster struggling with Alzheimer’s and attempting to mend old family wounds.

‘Slip/Shot’

April 11-May 5

Flashpoint Theatre Company

2030 Sansom St.

www.flashpointtheatre.org

Last year, Philly playwright Jacqueline Pardue Goldfinger penned a local comic hit, “The Terrible Girls.” Ever prolific, her latest centers on the legacy of racial violence in a small Florida town.

‘The Golem’

March 28-April 15

Egopo Classic Theater

Prince Music Theatre Cabaret

1412 Chestnut St.

www.egopo.org

Continuing their season of classic Jewish theater, Egopo’s stable of performers will collaboratively write this piece. “The Golem” promises a myriad of Jewish folk tales and plenty of live, vibrant music.