"The King Stag." Curious where new Seattle Rep artistic director David Esbjornson is taking the city's flagship playhouse? So are we. Carlo Gozzi's fantasy play about a magical kingdom, as directed and co-translated by Andrei Belgrader, is the first mainstage show under Esbjornson's watch, and should provide some tantalizing clues. Sept. 24-Oct. 22, Seattle Repertory Theatre, 206-443-2222 or www.seattlerep.org.

"The Grapes of Wrath." The searing John Steinbeck novel, about a poor but proud family trying to escape the Dust Bowl in the turbulent 1930s, gets an airing in Frank Galati's Tony Award-winning dramatic adaptation. After years toiling mainly at the youth-oriented company she heads (Seattle Children's Theatre), Linda Hartzell stages a classic American story that transcends age barriers. Oct. 7-Nov. 13, Intiman Theatre, 206-269-1900 or www.intiman.org.

"Flight." Charlayne Woodard has long impressed Seattle audiences with her cycle of self-acted solo plays, starting with "Pretty Fire." Now she's stepping aside to let other performers do the honors, in her major ensemble play about a community of African-American slaves in the antebellum South. ACT Theatre presents the Seattle premiere, staged by the sure-handed Valerie Curtis-Newton. Oct. 14-Nov. 13, ACT Theatre, 206-292-7676 or www.acttheatre.org.

"Sweeney Todd." This ground-breaking Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical zeroes in on a Victorian-era "demon barber" who settles old scores with razor in hand. Gruesome, funny and chillingly brilliant, it will receive a rare local revival with full orchestra at the 5th Avenue Theatre and should draw Sondheim addicts from hither and yon. Oct. 25-Nov. 13, 5th Avenue Theatre, 206-292-ARTS or www.5thavenuetheatre.org.

"Shoppers Carried by Escalators Into the Flames." Labeled a "Restoration comedy set in a trailer park," this is the second work in a play trilogy by sardonic novelist-dramatist Denis Johnson to reach the tiny Theater Schmeater stage this year. The first ("Hellhound on My Trial") exhibited Johnson's unique theatrical voice, and whetted the appetite for an installment. Nov. 3-Dec. 10, Theater Schmeater, 206-325-6500 or www.schmeater.org.

Cheap thrills

Nearly every theater in town has two policies penny-pinchers should know about. One is the pay-what-you-can show during a run, which allows anyone to name their price for a ticket. The other is "rush" seating, sometimes restricted to students or seniors but often open to anybody, available an hour before curtain. Just remember: Call ahead to be sure of the company's policy, and get in line for the cheap tix as early as possible.