DEBORA SHAULIS | On the Scene Take your pick: List is long

Somehow we survived last week and the flurry of entertainment options that came with it -- the openings of three community theater productions, two sold-out shows by comedian Jerry Seinfeld, the Youngstown debut of Ohio Ballet, and two classical music offerings in Greenville, Pa., and Warren.
Now March approaches swiftly, bearing a lion's share of local theater offerings, Broadway-style entertainment, concerts and a bit of magic.
Is that such bad news?
Only if your Palm Pilots and pocket planners are too full to note these upcoming events.
For something onstage that's out of the ordinary, there's "The House of Bernarda Alba" (weekends beginning March 12, Kent State University Trumbull Campus Theater, Warren; 330-847-8700). This play by Federico Garcia Lorca focuses on a widowed, tyrannical woman and her daughters living in the early 20th century in rural Spain. The story's themes include relationships, mental illness, religion, society and suicide.
"Zastrozzi" (beginning March 25, YSU Spotlight Arena Theater; 330-941-3105) follows a swordsman who seeks revenge for his mother's death. With themes of truth, deceit and human tendency to embrace exaggeration, it's better to leave the kids at home.
"Lips Together, Teeth Apart" (opening March 26 at Oakland Center for the Arts, Youngstown; 330-746-0404) is a serious comedy by Terrence McNally about an oceanside Fourth of July celebration by two affluent couples. One of the characters inherited a beach house from a relative who died of AIDS. That reality gnaws at this foursome in ways that challenge their habits and thinking.
For laughs, there's Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple" -- the female version, that is (weekends beginning March 12 at Youngstown Playhouse; 330-788-8739). Instead of Oscar and Felix, we get to know Olive and Florence not only for their idiosyncrasies, but their motives and thought processes.
Thanks to "Squabbles" (opening March 19 at Salem Community Theatre; 330-332-9688), a husband and wife share their home with her father and his mother, who can't stand each other.
Familiar titles
Some favorite productions will be on local stages, too. Victorian Players revisits Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" (weekends beginning March 11; 330-507-1678); Trumbull New Theatre in Niles revives "Fiddler on the Roof" (weekends beginning March 12; 330-652-1103); and Youngstown Symphony's Broadway series continues with "The Sound of Music" (March 29-30, Edward W. Powers Auditorium; 330-744-0264).
Why has it been so long since magician David Copperfield's last appearance in Youngstown? "I didn't want them to get tired of me," Copperfield said matter-of-factly last week. His "Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion" (5:30 and 8 p.m. March 15, Powers Auditorium) includes stage time with a deadly-poisonous black African scorpion. Hardly sounds routine.Casual country music listeners may associate the band Lonestar (March 21, Scottish Rite Cathedral in New Castle, Ticketmaster) with mushy ballads -- "Amazed," an early romantic hit that crossed over to pop radio, and "I'm Already There," the 2002 tune about separation of parents and children that gained meaning and momentum as military personnel were sent overseas.
Reviewers of the band's "From There to Here: Greatest Hits" CD remind us that Lonestar also is known for its straightforward, mid-tempo, pop-influenced approach to songs.
"With Me" is rock-ready, with some fancy fiddlin' to boot; "Tequila Talkin'" has a honky-tonk feel; and "My Front Porch Lookin' In" celebrates the comforts of home.
Tickets going fast
Rock music fans shouldn't wait much longer to buy tickets for the Sno-Core Tour 2004 featuring Trapt, Smile Empty Soul, Finger Eleven and Strata. The March 17 concert at Struthers Field House is two-thirds sold out, promoter Eric Ryan says. The same tour will visit Agora Theater in Cleveland on March 26.
Get to know Jim McNeely, jazz pianist and featured performer at the annual Leonardi Legacy Concert (March 19, Stambaugh Auditorium; (330) 941-3105). McNeely is composer-in-residence for Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and chief conductor of Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra. He has worked with Phil Woods, Chet Baker and Stan Getz, among others.
Here he'll perform with students and faculty from YSU's Jazz Studies faculty, which was founded by the late Tony Leonardi. Tickets are $5 for YSU students, $10 otherwise.
If music is what moves you, make plans to attend the Beethoven concert by Youngstown Symphony Orchestra with pianist Alon Goldstein (March 13 at Powers Auditorium); the "Stories and Dances" family concert by Warren Philharmonic Orchestra (March 21 at Christ Episcopal Church; 330-399-3606); or "In the Mood," a 1940s revue (March 22 at W.D. Packard Music Hall, Warren; 330-841-2931).
XDebora Shaulis is entertainment editor. Write her at shaulis@vindy.com.