Affordable Entertainment In and Around Marlborough

1. Affordable Local Musical Productions are coming up in Marlborough. Watching a live performance is a wonderful family activity. With the high cost of tickets, parking and dinner, however, such an outing is out of reach for many families on budgets. A great alternative to the expensive Broadway shows are the local plays, including college and high school musicals. Tickets to these performances are low in cost or free in some cases. Our family has enjoyed many of the local high school shows. The productions are excellent, the student actors are very talented and the event is entertaining for all. Children who have the opportunity to see local performances are better prepared to appreciate a Broadway show when they are older.

There are three musicals taking place in our area this weekend:

•  will present "The Wizard of Oz" Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m. in the  auditorium. Tickets can be purchased in advance at ticketriver.com.  Advanced ticket prices are as follows: Adult $10, Student $8.

• Clark Musical Theatre will present “Footloose” at the Daniels Theatre at Atwood Hall at Clark University, 950 Main St. in Worcester, Thursday, March 22 and Friday March 23 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, March 24 at 2 and 7 p.m. Admission is free.

• Nashoba Regional High School will present “Beauty and the Beast” Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m. (though the March 25 performance is sold out). Ticket prices are as follows: Adults $14, children and students are $10. Click here to purchase tickets online. Nashoba Regional High School is located at 12 Green Road in Bolton.

2. Disney on Ice presents “Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Journey" at the DCU Center. Kid’s tickets for the April 20 and 21 7 p.m. shows are $10. Order tickets by phone at 800-745-3000 or online. The DCU Center is located at 50 Foster Street, Worcester.

3. Party like it’s 1965 at your own Mad Men-themed party! The Fifth Season of Mad Men premiers Sunday, March 25 at 9 p.m. on AMC. Celebrate the return of one of the best written and styled television dramas. Millions of people around the US will dress up in 60s styles, drink 60s drinks, and tune in to see what has happened to their favorite characters. Join in the fun even if you are on a budget. I found the following party supplies in Marlborough: At , Utz potato chips 3 ¾ oz bags are $1 each; red and amber plastic martini and wine glasses are $1 each—great for serving soft drinks to folks who don’t wish to keep up with Don Draper. At , I found cat eye sunglasses, some on clearance. If you didn’t inherit your grandparent’s chip-and-dip or old-fashioned glasses, visit some of the area thrift stores for sixties serving pieces and table ware. If you are lucky, you might find some vintage clothing. Don’t have a music collection of sixties tunes? Listen to one of the many Mad Men Radio stations on Pandora Radio.

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