Ten theatre events you can't miss this summer

PRIME – June 2014 By Mark G. Auerbach Special to PRIME Ever since the 1920s, when actors and directors left the un-air-conditioned theatres of Broadway for the cooler summer stock theatres on "the straw hat circuit," the summer theatres of western New England have brought stars of Broadway and Hollywood to the neighborhood. Sometimes, they brought Broadway hits, light comedies, mysteries, some classics, and maybe a new play or two to the mountains. The heyday of summer stock ended in the late 1960s in most places, but in New England, it continues. Here are 10 shows of summer worth making time for, all listed in alphabetical order. Get your tickets early, before the weekenders of New York and Boston invade the box offices. And, make note: the best seats may be available on weeknights. "A Little Night Music" Inspired by Ingmar Bergman's "Smiles of a Summer Night," whirled about by some of the most exhilarating waltzes by Stephen Sondheim (including his most famous "Send in the Clowns"), "A Little Night Music" is the lovely summer show. Imagine a Swedish country house, where a famed actress and her mother invite a host of people linked together in multi-layered liaisons. A lawyer, once in love with the actress, brings his new, much younger, still-virgin wife, and his seminarian son for a weekend in the country. The actress' current lover, an egomaniac military officer, and his long-suffering wife arrive uninvited. Berkshire Theatre Group's production at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield (June 30 to July 19), brings some of Broadway's big musical theatre people to the Berkshires. Kate Baldwin ("Finian's Rainbow" and "Big Fish"), Gregg Edelman ("Into The Woods" and "City of Angels"), and Penny Fuller (Eve Harrington to Lauren Bacall's Margo Channing in "Applause") take center stage, along with Berkshires soprano Maureen O'Flynn as Desiree, the actress. For tickets: 413-997-4444 or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org . "A Midsummer Night's Dream" You can't find a more seasonally appropriate Shakespearean comedy than "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or a better venue for Shakespeare than Shakespeare and Company in Lenox. Artistic director Tony Simotes sets the Bard's tale of whimsy and fantasy with all that jazz on the bayous of Louisiana. Johnny Lee Davenport stars as Bottom. This is the 450th birthday of Shakespeare, and what better way to let the good times roll. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" plays in Lenox June 21 to Aug. 30. For tickets: 413-637-3353 or www.shakespeare.org . "The Amish Project" Most people recoiled in horror, when learning about the West Nickel Mines School shootings in a small one-room schoolhouse in an Amish community in Pennsylvania in 2006. A gunman opened fire in a classroom, shooting 10 young girls, before killing himself. The Amish responded with hopes of forgiveness and reconciliation. Jessica Dickey's fictional exploration of the Nickel Mines tragedy, "The Amish Project," brings a tale of forgiveness after inexplicable violence to The Chester Theatre Company (Aug. 14 to 24). Allison McLemore, a Chester Theatre regular, plays a host of characters in the solo play, staged by Associate Artistic Director Daniel Elihu Kramer, who has collaborated with McLemore three times. For tickets: 800-595-4TIX, 413-354-7771 or www.chestertheatre.org . The Capitol Steps In satire, song, and dance, The Capitol Steps have been poking fun at Democrats and Republicans for several decades. Depending on the headlines of the day, and which politician has made the biggest fool of himself or herself, there's plenty of material to keep the show freshly up-to-date. Their current show, "How to Succeed in Congress Without Really Lying" will be in residence all summer at Cranwell (July 4 to Aug. 31) in Lenox. For a preview of the Capitol Steps: www.capsteps.com. For tickets:413-881-1636 or http://shop.cranwell.com . "Fiddler on The Roof" There's something universal about the appeal of "Fiddler on The Roof," a musical set in Tsarist Russia, based on Yiddish folk tales by Sholem Aleichem, and adapted by Joseph Stein, with music and lyrics by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. It's all about "tradition." A Jewish milkman and his wife raise five daughters, who each test the boundaries of tradition, as they try to forge out happy lives in a changing world. Goodspeed Musicals gives "Fiddler" a 50th anniversary production (June 27 to Sept. 7). What sets this musical apart, aside from it's multi-year performance run on Broadway, successful revivals, a great film adaptation, and numerous productions on schools and community theatre ... is a taut story, a haunting score (including "Sunrise, Sunset"... the popular wedding song in many cultures) and unforgettable characters. Rob Ruggiero, artistic director of Hartford's TheaterWorks, directs. He's responsible for last season's most satisfying "The Most Happy Fella" at Goodspeed, "Ella," the musical bio of Ella Fitzgerald, on national tour, and a host of other musicals at theatres nationwide. He directed Kathleen Turner on Broadway in "High", and Valerie Harper on Broadway in "Looped". No one can revive a musical with love and care like Goodspeed. For tickets: 860-873-8668 or www.goodspeed.org . "Gypsy" Many people consider "Gypsy" to be one of the finest American musicals ever written. Based on the story of Gypsy Rose Lee, with a smart book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by a young Stephen Sondheim, "Gypsy" is inhabited by a tour-de-force, pushy stage mother, Rose, who thrusts her children to stardom, whether they want it or not. Ethel Merman made the role of Rose the equivalent of Lady Macbeth in musical theatre. With songs like "Everything's Coming Up Roses," "Together Wherever We Go," and "You Gotta Have a Gimmick," this musical is showbiz from backstage to onstage and vaudeville house to burlesque. Now, "Rose's Turn" belongs to Leslie Uggams, who stars in the Connecticut Repertory Theatre's production in Storrs, Connecticut (July 10 to 20). Uggams was in show business at the age of seven – she knows what it's like to be a child star. By her middle 20s, she'd won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in "Hallelujah, Baby!" Her Broadway credits include "Anything Goes," "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "King Hedley II." TV audiences remember her as Kizzy in "Roots." Also in the cast is funny man Steve Hayes, star of the web TV show "Tired Old Queen At The Movies". For tickets: 860-486-2113 or www.crt.uconn.edu . "Kiss Me Kate" After seeing Barrington Stage Company's dazzling "On The Town" last summer, a production I felt was better than most of the musicals on Broadway these days, I'm excited to see what this group can do with the classic "Kiss Me, Kate" (June 11 to July 12), that Shakespearean-inspired musical within a musical by Cole Porter and Sam and Bella Spewack. Amidst Porter classics like "Wunderbar," "Too Darn Hot" and "Another Opening, Another Show," a Broadway company attempts to mount a pre-Broadway musical version of "The Taming of The Shrew." Brush up your Shakespeare with this very witty musical that just doesn't get produced as often as it should. Elizabeth Stanley, star of last season's "On The Town" returns to Barrington Stage to play Lili Vanessi, the diva cast as the shrew. Paul Anthony Stewart plays Fred, the producer and Lili's ex, who also plays the Shakespearean hero who tames her. The Barrington Stage Company celebrates its 20th anniversary this summer, and its mainstage theatre in downtown Pittsfield (they used to perform in a high school in Sheffield) is part of the arts renaissance of Pittsfield. For tickets: 413-236-8888 or 855-TIX-2BSC or www.barringtonstageco.org . "Other Desert Cities" Jon Robin Baitz's "Other Desert Cities" was a Broadway hit of the 2011-12 season, and New Century Theatre brings the highly-praised drama to the Pioneer Valley (July 31 to Aug. 9). A well-to-do family gathers for the holidays in their Palm Springs abode. The Wyeths are well-regarded political conservatives. Their liberal daughter arrives to announce that she's planning to reveal a family secret in her upcoming memoir – one that the family wants to keep under wraps. Rand Foerster directs, and Cate Damon plays the daughter. "Other Desert Cities" was nominated for numerous awards, and has enjoyed frequent productions since its Broadway run. If it hints of Ronnie, Nancy and Patti ... well, you get the picture. For tickets:413-585-3220 or www.newcenturytheatre.org . "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" The very funny Christopher Durang snagged a Tony Award last season for his very funny comedy "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike." Set in a cherry orchard-like Bucks County home, with numerous hints of Chekhov, the comedy involves three siblings, Vanya and Sonia, who live together and Masha, a Hollywood success who returns to the family home with her hunky, eye-candy, often half-naked much younger boyfriend. Since the Broadway production closed last summer, Durang's comedy has been produced at theatres nationwide. You can see "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" at Hartford Stage through June 15. A separate production plays Shakespeare and Company in Lenox from Aug. 7 to Sept. 14 For Hartford Stage tickets: 860-527-5151 or www.hartfordstage.org. For Shakespeare and Company tickets: 413-637-3353 or www.shakespeare.org . "The Visit" "The Visit", a musicalization of a 1956 Durrenmatt play by John Kander and Fred Ebb ("Cabaret," "Chicago," and more) and Terrence McNally, was, as theatre legends go, written with Angela Lansbury in mind. A Broadway opening in 2001 was shelved, when Lansbury took ill, and Chita Rivera took over in subsequent productions. Now, Williamstown Theatre Festival mounts a new production (July 31 to Aug. 17) with John Doyle directing, and Rivera once again plays the lead. Chita Rivera is a Broadway legend, since "West Side Story" days. In "The Visit," she plays a wealthy old woman who returns to her hometown to seek revenge on a man who scorned her. At Williamstown, she'll be joined by some other Broadway legends, including Judy Kuhn, Howard McGillin, and Roger Rees. A Chita Rivera "visit" is a must. She's still going strong at 81, and she is one of Broadway's greatest leading ladies. And, "The Visit" is one of Kander and Ebb's final collaborations, yet to debut on Broadway. For tickets: 413-597-3400 or www.wtfestival.org. Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He's worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio.