Summer Theatre 2018

Summer Theatre 2018: Shakespeare in the Park, On The Farm, On The Sound, On The Green and on the majestic Hudson River with the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Plus a touch of “regular” theatre like Anything Goes, too!

Sister Act, Westchester Broadway Theatre – Thurs, 4/5-Sun, 7/1: The big glitzy musical Sister Act fared better than the original movie. It received four Olivier Award nominations for its original stage production at London’s West End Theatre. It moved to Broadway in 2011 where it received five Tony and five Drama Desk Award nominations. The musical features music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Menken has won eight Academy Awards for his Disney Scores that include The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas. His stage hits include Little Shop of Horrors and Sister Act. Glenn Slater is his frequent collaborator. (One Broadway Plaza, Elmsford; www.broadwaytheatre.com)

Free! Othello, Shakespeare in the Park, Delacorte Theatre – Tues, 5/29 – Sun, 6/24: 8pm: Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson (The Piano Lesson) directs a new production of Othello. This classic drama about a noble Black Venetian general whose marriage is sabotaged by theater’s most infamous villain, Iago, remains Shakespeare’s most urgent and relevant tragedy today. (Delacorte Theatre in Central Park; www.publictheatre.org)

Local! Next to Normal, The Armonk Players, Whippoorwill Hall, NCPL – Fri-Sun, 6/1-3 & Thurs-Sat, 6/7-9: Next to Normal is an award-winning (see below) rock musical centering on a mother struggling with bipoloar disorder and the effects her illness has on her family. It has been called one of the best musicals of the 21st century. Nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 2009, it won three (Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical) as well as the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming only the eighth musical in history to receive the honor. (19 Whippoorwill Rd., E., Armonk; www.armonkplayers.org)

Paula Poundstone, Tarrytown Music Hall – Fri, 6/1: 8pm: Number 88 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time, Poundstone was the first female comedienne to win a CableAce Award for her HBO Special Cats, Cops and Stuff. She followed up with another HBO special Paula Poundstone Goes to Harvard and a Bravo special Paula Poundstone: Look What The Cat Dragged In. She is currently the host of NPR’s Live from the Poundstone Institute. (13 Main St, Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

The Clairvoyants, Ridgefield Playhouse – Fri, 6/8: 7:30pm: Fresh from selling-out performances across the globe as part of The Illusionists, the World Champions of Mindreading open up a fabulous new world of mentalism and unique illusions. Thommy Ten & Amélie finished second on NBC’s “Americas Got Talent”. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT;  www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

The Taming of the Shrew, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Boscobel – Thurs, 6/7 – Fri, 8/24: check dates & times: With its breathtaking views of the Hudson River, Boscobel provides a world-class setting for summer Shakespeare and picnicking. Here their a critically acclaimed troupe, takes on William Shakespeare’s comedy about the shrewish Kate, her sister Bianca and Petruchio the gold-digger. Bianca would be an easy match for Petruchio but Dad, the wealthiest man in Padua has ordained that Kate must marry first! Good luck Petruchio.(Boscobel, 1601 Rt. 9D, Garrison; www.hvsf.org) 

Local! Vanities, Hergenhan Center Armonk – Fri-Sat, 6/8-9: 8pm: Armonk’s Small Town Theatre Company presents a staged reading of Jack Heifner’s 1976 comedy that chronicles the lives of three high school cheerleaders from a small Texas town. The play spans the years 1963 to 1974 and follows the trio from HS to college sorority to New York City. The play earned Heifner a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play and ran off Broadway for o ver four years and 1785 performances. (40 Maple Ave.., Armonk; www.smalltowntheatre.com)

ALL AGES! The Heart of Robin Hood, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Boscobel – Fri, 6/8 – Sat, 8/25: check dates & times: HVSF takes on David Farr’s reimagined adaptation of Robin Hood, commissioned in 2011 by The Royal Shakespeare Company. In Farr’s telling, Maid Marion bands with Robin Hood to escape an impending marriage to Prince John and his evil plan to betray the king. Only to discover a roguish band of hoods whose pilfering of the wealth never quite makes it to the poor. Marion has some work to do on the heart of Robin before she can save the kingdom. (Boscobel, 1601 Rt. 9D, Garrison; www.hvsf.org) 

Richard II, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Boscobel – Sat, 6/9 – Sun, 8/26: check dates & times: Here Artistic Director Davis McCallum assembles a huge cast of HVSF’s finest for their first ever production of Shakespeare’s historic drama of the absolute ruler Richard and how he splits his kingdom in two by banishing his cousins Henry Bolingbroke. (Boscobel, 1601 Rt. 9D, Garrison; www.hvsf.org) 

The Dog in the Dressing Room, Schoolhouse Theatre – Thurs – Sun, 6/14-7/1: For it’s final 2017-18 Main Stage production, The Schoolhouse Theatre presents a new play from the multi-award winning playwright Deborah Savadge. The Dog in the Dressing Room is a comedy about a backstage romance – the best kind! (3 Owens Rd., North Salem; www.schoolhousetheater.org) 

David Cross, “Oh Come On”, Capitol Theatre – Fri, 6/15: 8pm:  One of Comedy Central’s Top Comedians of All Time, David Cross is well known for his role as Tobias Funke in the sitcom Arrested Development. He also starred in the motion picture Alvin and the Chipmunks and was the voice of Crane in Kung Fu Panda. Following his hit tour, Making America Great Again, he brings his new show to the Capitol. (149 Westchester Ave., Port Chester;www.capitoltheatre.com)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare on the Sound, Pinckney Park Rowayton, CT – Thurs, 6/14 – Sun, 7/1: 7:30pm. See Shakespeare’s fairytale fantasy of love and magic potions at in a park setting on the Long Island Sound. SOS plays are produced in the “round” as the “groundlings did at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater 400 years ago. Performances are free Tues-Wed and just $10-$20 Thurs-Sun. You can stake out your picnic space for this FREE! as early as 4pm or receive a chair for $50.. Mondays are dark! (Pinckney Park, 177 Rowayton Ave, Rowayton, CT; www.shakespeareonthesound.org)

No Spring Chicken, North Castle Public Library – Fri, 6/15: 7:3pm: Armonk’s Hudson Stage Company presents a stage reading of Ginna Hoben’s No Spring Chicken, a heartfelt comedy about a 40 year-old woman’s effort to achieve and complete a pregrnancy – all without medication. Ms. Hoben, an American Shakespeare Center vet, stars in her autobiographical odyssey along with her husband Sheffield Chastain whose acting career spans Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regional Theatre and TV’s 30 Rock and Law and Order. (19 Whippoorwill Rd., E., Armonk; www.hudsonstage.com)

Cocktail Hour, Ballets With a Twist, White Plains Performing Arts Center – Sat, 6/16: 8pm: The NY dance company Ballets with a Twist’s signature show, Cocktail Hour,  from choreographer Marilyn Klaus was lauded byThe New York Times(“witty and fantastic”) and The Huffington Post(“blasting thee boundaries between high art and entertainment”). Klaus’s pop-infused homage to Hollywood’s Golden Age through its cocktails serves up a series of vignettes (Mai Tai, Brandy Alexander, Singapore Sling) that are always shaken, not stirred.  (11 City Place, 3^rdFloor, White Plains; www.wppac.com)

Tommy Tune Tonight, Paramount Hudson Valley – Sun, 6/17: 2pm:  Broadway’s tallest tapper and 10-time Tony Ward-winner,  (Nine, Grand Hotel, Seesaw, A Day in Hollywood, A Night in the Ukraine, The Will Rogers Follies)  sings, dances, and tells tall tales in this show featuring songs by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Carole King and Green Day).  “Tune still dances better than anyone else on Broadway…” – The New York Post. (1008 Brown St., Peekskill;  www.paramounthudsonvalley.com)

Josh Blue, Paramount Hudson Valley – Sat, 6/30: 8pm: Perhaps best know as the comedian who puts cerebralin Cerebral Palsy, Blue’s self-deprecating humor often centers around his disability. He was a winner on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and was the first comic to debut a stand-up special on the big screen with his 7 Days in the Tank. (1008 Brown St., Peekskill;  www.paramounthudsonvalley.com)

July

Anything Goes, Westchester Broadway Theatre – Thurs, 7/5- Sun, 9/9: Anything Goes,winner of three 2011 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival is considered one of the greatest Tap Dancing musicals of all time. There’s romance and laughter in this story about a nightclub singer, a stowaway and Public Enemy No. 13 on a transatlantic luxury liner. With an incomparable musical score from Cole Porter featuring timeless classics such as “It’s De-Lovely”, “I Get a Kick Out of You”, “You’re the Top”, “Friendship”, and “All Through The Night”. (One Broadway Plaza, Elmsford; www.broadwaytheatre.com)

Free! Shakespeare on the Green, Hamlet, Sterling Farms, Stamford , CT – Fri-Sun, 7/13-15 & 20-22: 7:30pm: Stamford’s professional theatre company, Curtain Call’s Shakespeare productions are performed on a scaled-down version of the Globe Theatre stage nestled among the pine trees of the Sterling Farms Complex in Stamford. The park opens 90 minutes before the performance for picnicking. Beverages and desserts are available on site. (Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Ave., Stamford; www.curtaincallinc.com)

Shakespeare on the Farm, Romeo & Juliet, Muscoot Farm – Sun, 7/15 & 22 & Wed, 7/18 & 25: 6-7:30pm: The Friends of Muscoot Farm present an abridge version of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy of young love, directed by Mary Roberts. BYO picnic, blankets and lawn chairs. TKTS are $20 and include a hayride to the Pumpkin Field Theater. (51 NY Rt. 100, Katonah; www.muscootfarm.org)

Free! Twelfth Night, Shakespeare in the Park, Delacorte Theatre – Tues, 7/17 – Sun, 8/19: 8pm: Free Shakespeare in the Park presents a re-imagining of Public Works’ 2016 musical adaptation of Twelfth Night for a full five-week run in Central Park. Featuring music and lyrics by critically-acclaimed songwriter Shaina Taub.(Delacorte Theatre in Central Park; www.publictheatre.org)

Local! Lawn Chair Theatre, The Tempest – Chappaqua – Fri, 7/20: 6:30pm: The Lawn Chair Theatre brings it’s 2018 production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest to Recreation Fieldadjacent to Town Hall in Chappaqua. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets to this free event. Donations suggested. In the event of rain this event will move indoors to the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center.(200 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; www.lawnchairetheatre.org)

Free! The Sea-Maid’s Music, HVSF on the Green at The Ridgefield Playhouse – Sun, 7/22: 2pm: In this original clown show, made from scratch in collaboration with the actors of HVSF’s Conservatory Company, a young mermaid is the source of literary inspiration for Shakespeare. Consummate clown Zachary Fine is a 2015 Helen Hayes Award winner and the dreamer/director behind HVSF’s 2016 production, So Please You. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

August

Rip Van Winkle,Hudson Valley Shakespeare Company – Fri-Sat 8/31-9/1 & Mon, 9/3: 7:30pm: In Seth Boakley’s new take on this old tale Rip is joined by an adventurous daughter and her hard-working mother, tinkers, butchers, innkeepers, tall tale-tellers and a few seafaring ghosts in HVSF’s first-ever mainstage commission. (Boscobel, 1601 Rt. 9D, Garrison; www.hvsf.org) 

More stuff to do here.

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