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Ryan Mac in Goodspeed's All Shook Up, a jukebox musical featuring the hits of Elvis. Photo by Diane Sobolewski.
16 productions to see at lauded out-of-town venues in Hudson Valley, the Berkshires and beyond
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Summer's halfway over but that still leaves plenty of time for a trip to catch an out-of-town show. While there are promising productions to see in New York, this is the season when regional theatre heats up. The Northeast proves to be a mecca for talented artists to put fresh spins on beloved classics and debut new works. Of particular note: the 71-year-old Williamstown Theatre Festival reinvents itself with a jaw-dropping lineup curated by Jeremy O. Harris. So peg your summer escape to one of these worthy shows. Be sure to peruse each theatre's full schedule as many Broadway stars do one-off concerts on off nights.
Approximately three hours from Midtown Manhattan by car, this multi-theatre venue is known for presenting top-notch productions of plays and musicals—this is where The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Mr. Saturday Night first bowed.
Camelot at the Boyd-Quinson Theater
Runs through July 19
Broadway favorite Ali Ewoldt (Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera) is Guenevere, the woman torn between two great men in Camelot, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's beloved musical based on T. H. White's novel The Once and Future King about King Arthur's Round Table. The score includes the classic songs "If Ever I Would Leave You," "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" and the title tune, and the story celebrates integrity, courage and empathy, which we could all use more of right now. Ken Wulf Clark, Emmett O’Hanlon and the great Shakespeare actor Dakin Matthews, who played Merlyn in the recent Broadway revival of the musical, costar.
Joan at the Boyd-Quinson Theater
Runs July 31-August 17
Tessa Auberjonois stars in Joan, a new bio play about the pioneering and polarizing comedian Joan Rivers written by Daniel Goldstein (Unknown Soldier, Orange Crush) and commissioned by the stand-up's daughter, Melissa Rivers. Well-received at its world premiere at South Coast Repertory last year, it's a funny and unfiltered look at the Queen of Mean costarring Elinor Gunn as Melissa.
See Barrington Stage Company's full summer lineup.
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Enhance your Hamptons trip by seeing a show at this modern wharfside playhouse, which is approximately two and a half hours from Midtown Manhattan by car or the Hampton Jitney.
Bonnie & Clyde
Runs July 29-August 24
Although it was short-lived on Broadway, the dark and daring Bonnie & Clyde has gained many admirers over the past 15 years. With soaring songs by Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde) and Don Black (Sunset Boulevard) and a book by Ivan Menchell, it's a violent and tragically romantic portrait of the real-life criminal couple, who dominated the headlines with their brazen robberies, kidnappings and killings during the Great Depression. Broadway vet Charlie Webb and recent Manhattan School of Music grad Lyda Jade Harlan star.
See Bay Street Theater's full summer lineup.
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About a three-hour drive from Midtown Manhattan, the Berkshire Theatre Group was founded in 2010 when the Berkshire Theatre Festival and the Colonial Theatre merged. The company presents classic and contemporary works on multiple stages in two nearby towns: Stockbridge and Pittsfield.
The Mousetrap at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield
Runs July 24-August 17
The West End production of Agatha Christie's murder mystery The Mousetrap is the longest-running play in the world, opening all the way back in 1952! Yet the rumored Broadway incarnation never materialized. Thankfully, you can catch this consummate whodunnit this summer in the Berkshires directed by Broadway vet Gerry McIntyre (Once on This Island, Anything Goes).
Dying Is No Excuse at The Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge
Runs August 7-30
The legendary Renée Taylor (The Nanny, Lovers and Other Strangers) shares the inspiring true story of her 52-year partnership with Joseph Bologna, her husband and frequent costar and cowriter, who died from cancer in 2017. Comedy icon Elaine May directs this hilarious and heartfelt play about love, loss and a lifetime of laughter, which is bookended by appearances by Taylor herself.
See Berkshire Theatre Group's full summer lineup.
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Dorset Theatre Festival is based in a century-old theatre fashioned from a pair of prerevolutionary barns. Approximately four hours from Midtown Manhattan by car, it's known as an incubator for new plays. Because many well-known theatre performers vacation nearby, they do some starry revivals, too.
Satellites
Runs August 6-16
Real-life couple Chris Lowell and Kerry Bishé star in Erin Breznitsky's two-hander Satellites about a lost astronaut who returns to Earth and has a rocky reunion with his climate scientist wife. Busy NYC-based director Adrienne Campbell-Holt helms this meditation on connection and our place in the cosmos.
Other Desert Cities
Runs August 22-September 6
Another family affair: Longtime spouses Jayne Atkinson and Michel Gill and their son, Jeremy Gill, star in Jon Robin Baitz's Pulitzer finalist drama Other Desert Cities about the Wyeths, a staunchly conservative, politically powerful family in Palm Springs. Over the holidays, their daughter announces she's publishing a memoir revealing all the skeletons in their collective closet. Needless to say, dinner is quite explosive! Elizabeth Stahlmann and Laila Robins round out the cast.
See Dorset Theatre Festival's full summer lineup.
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Since its founding in 1963, Goodspeed has been a musical theatre hot spot, mounting more than 250 tuners on its two stages and transferring 21 to Broadway. Both are approximately two and a half hours from Midtown Manhattan by car.
All Shook Up at The Goodspeed in East Haddam
Runs through August 24
Elvis Presley's hits including "Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog" and "Love Me Tender" punctuate Joe DiPietro's undersung musical comedy, which uses elements of multiple Shakespeare romps to tell the tale of a guitar-strumming stranger who shakes up a tiny town in the 1950s. Mistaken identity, unlikely lovers and raucous romance ensue. The show actually premiered at Goodspeed 20 years ago before transferring to (and quickly closing on) Broadway. But since then, it's become a favorite in schools and at regional theatres. The ensemble is led by Ryan Mac as the pelvis-thrusting crooner; Tony nominee L Morgan Lee is also in the cast.
A Chorus Line at The Goodspeed in East Haddam
Runs September 5-November 2
If you weren't able to snag a ticket to the starry 50th anniversary A Chorus Line celebration later this month, console yourself with Goodspeed's upcoming revival, the first time the lauded theatre has presented Michael Bennett's milestone musical about ensemble dancers getting a moment in the spotlight. Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban's fabulous score includes "What I Did for Love," "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three," "At the Ballet" and "One."
See Goodspeed Opera House's full summer lineup.
Approximately 75 minutes from Midtown Manhattan by car and also accessible via Metro-North Hudson Line, this company mounts classics and new takes on old favorites in an elegant, open-sided tent overlooking the Hudson River.
The Matchmaker
Runs through August 3
Don't miss this rare revival of the Thornton Wilder play that inspired the musical Hello, Dolly! starring real-life spouses Nance Williamson and Kurt Rhoads as the irrepressible matchmaker Dolly Levi and the miserly mogul she targets. A three-piece band underscores the zany action as multiple couples get together in 1880s Yonkers and NYC.
Octet
Runs August 11-September 7
An acclaimed chamber opera from Dave Malloy, the Tony-nominated creator of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Octet is a musical meditation on the necessity for human connection in our online world. Amanda Dehnert directs an ensemble that includes Broadway vets Jill Paice and Anand Nagraj.
See Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival's full summer lineup.
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Founded in 1933, the Ogunquit Playhouse specializes in musicals, both world premieres and revivals, in its historic theatre. Located in a seaside resort town, the venue is approximately five hours from Midtown Manhattan by car.
High Society
Runs July 24-August 23
Tony nominees Robyn Hurder (Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Smash) and Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw) headline this revival of High Society, a musical based the screwball romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story about a socialite juggling a trio of admirers, including her fiancé, her ex and a reporter. Cole Porters' glorious tunes, including "Let's Misbehave," "It's All Right With Me" and "Throwing a Ball Tonight," make this effervescent musical comedy sing. Broadway vets Max Clayton, Sara Gettelfinger and Bryan Batt costar.
See Ogunquit Playhouse's full summer lineup.
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About a three-hour drive from Midtown Manhattan, this Tony-winning but, in recent years, troubled fest roars back this season with playwright and provocateur Jeremy O. Harris at the helm. He chose Tennessee Williams, both his works and vibe, as the theme of this year's edition. While almost every event sounds intriguing, these four are the must-sees.
Camino Real
Runs July 10–August 3 at the Main Stage Theatre
Pamela Anderson (!!!), Tony nominee Ato Blankson-Wood, downtown darlings April Matthis and Henry Stram and more than a dozen others inhabit the Camino Real, an oppressive police state in a fictional country that serves as the setting for Tennessee Williams' rarely mounted play. Figures from history and literature flit in and out of this surreal scene as the characters yearn for love, connection and resurrection. Obie winner Dustin Wills directs.
Not About Nightingales
Runs July 12–August 3 at the Nikos Stage Theatre
Another seldomly seen Tennessee Williams play, this early work explores the inhumanity of prison as inmates go on a hunger strike to protest terrible conditions. Radical director Robert O'Hara promises a raw and revealing experience—cell phones must be locked away! The ensemble cast includes Tony nominee William Jackson Harper and TV star Chris Messina.
Spirit of the People
Runs July 16–August 1 at the Main Stage Theatre
What do we know about Jeremy O. Harris' world-premiere play? Not much save that your cell phones need to be locked up. Reportedly, it's a bilingual epic in Spanish and English exploring hot-button issues like gentrification and immigration. He's assembled quite the cast, including Slave Play Tony nominees Ato Blankson-Wood and James Cusati-Moyer alongside screen stars such as Amber Heard, Brandon Flynn and Tonatiuh from the upcoming Kiss of the Spider Woman film.
The Gig: After Moise and the World of Reason
Runs July 18–August 2 at the Rink
The brainchild of director-choreographer Will Davis (Men on Boats), this site-specific movement piece adapts elements of Tennessee Williams' erotic novel Moise and the World of Reason into dazzling ice-skating choreography! Two-time Olympic medalists, siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani, star in this infinitely cool offering performed on an ice rink.
See Williamstown Theatre Festival's full summer lineup.
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Raven Snook is the Editor of TDF Stages. Follow her on Facebook at @Raven.Snook. Follow TDF on Facebook at @TDFNYC.
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