Five bucks for five musicals at Polyphone Festival

As if things weren't thrifty enough with Five Dollar Comedy Week (through Sunday, March 29), you're in for another performance score with the Polyphone Festival, University of the Arts' five-day festival of five musicals for only $5.

Pairing UArts students and alumni with local and national theater professionals, the festival brings both new and classic material to the Merriam Theater (250 S. Broad St.) stage for five 7:30 p.m. performances — one a night — from Tuesday, March 24 through Saturday, March 28.

First up on Tuesday, March 24, is the story of how a pie to the face became the impetus for Anita Bryant's destiny for gay rights championing in the musical "Pied!"

The Tony-winning "A Little Night Music," based off of the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, gets the festival treatment on Wednesday, March 25. This romance, set in Sweden, follows the passionate affairs of actress Desiree Armfeldt.

Adapting an 18th century opera (translations into English and all), an outlaw goes through a series of betrayals on Thursday, March 26 in "Threepenny Opera."

Things get lighthearted on Friday, March 27 with a web of out-there musical and dance sequences in the game show-esque "Elementary Spacetime Show."

The festival closes out on Saturday, March 28 with "The Total Bent," a back history of a young black musician trying to find peace with his own music and his gospel star father.

$5 gets you into any and all shows. Get your tickets.

For more Things to Do, check out our calendar for the most up-to-date happenings.