The abundance of summer theater is here. Between June 15 and the 30th there are 13 plays or musicals opening in our area.
Among the shows opening over the next few weeks there are only two that could be considered contemporary. The first impulse is to think the theme of the summer might be nostalgia. You know – forget your troubles by going to the theater.
That is true of some, especially a couple of musicals. Park Playhouse is offering “The Marvelous Wonderettes” at Washington Park June 20-July 14, and in Guilderland July 19-21. First produced in 2008, it’s about a girl group that performs the music of the 60s and 70’s. It’s free, light-hearted and filled with memories.
“Beetlejuice” at Proctors, June 18-23, is pure fun. Based on a 1978 film it deals with a haunted house and an entertaining ghost.
Fun is also at the heart of “Guys and Dolls.” Offered by Opera Saratoga at Universal Preservation Hall, June 29-July 7, it takes us back to Times Square in the 1940s, complete with lovable gamblers.
Indeed, what could be more frivolous than “Young Frankenstein” at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA? It plays June 29 – July 21. “West Side Story” at Mac-Haydn Theatre does deal with immigration in the 1950s. But in 2024, the show that runs June 13-23 in Chatham is more noted for its dance numbers.
However, a musical like “La Cage aux Folles” which is at Barrington Stage Company is both nostalgic and significant in a contemporary way. It first appeared on stage in 1983 and was about the acceptance of same sex couples. Forty years later, some changes such as legal same-sex marriage have changed the landscape, but all is not yet equal. Think, if you will, about the prejudices that exist with the transgender community, which this Jerry Herman musical touches on indirectly. “La Cage…” is now playing in Pittsfield, MA through July 6.
“Abe Lincoln in Illinois” is another example of the past illuminating the present. The work is offered at the Unicorn Theatre on the Berkshire Theatre Group campus in Stockbridge, MA. It plays through July 4. When first produced in 1938, it was lauded for showing one of our greatest presidents as a human being as much as a legend. Today, it is unique in the sense that it’s a portrait of a politician who thought of country before political party. Now that’s nostalgic.
Going over the schedules of Shakespeare & Company and Barrington Stage Company there is a sense of cognitive dissonance. BSC is producing “Tender Thing” June 28 – July 3. It’s a look at Romeo and Juliet, who in this play lived a long life together.
Meanwhile, Shake & Co. is producing “Body of Water,” a play about identity. It’s about a couple who wake up together with absolutely no memory of anything. A third person appears to offer prompts about their identities, but it makes their attempts at recall even more confusing. No matter what play is at what venue, it appears each will offer a provocative night of theater.
Clearly, this summer is a search for older theater pieces that will remind us of political and social issues that are still with us. One of the newer plays, “Squirrels” offered by Harbinger Theatre at Sand Lake Center for the Arts, June 20-30, also forces you to consider the realities of today. It uses a breed of squirrels that dominate the nut harvest one harsh fall. Rather than share with others, the Gray Squirrels use it to increase their power among the poorer squirrel society. Consider one line from the play first produced in 2018: “We’re going to bite and claw and scratch until today looks like yesterday.”
Adirondack Theatre Festival in Glens Falls is dedicated to new work. This year’s opener, “Todd vs the Titanic” is a world premier about a man who finds himself a survivor of an apocalyptic event outside a Schenectady theatre. This one-man Godot tries to keep himself sane by creating a one-person musical about the Titanic. It sounds like a concept that relates the arts and human survival in a most entertaining manner. It plays June 23 – July 3.
June offers not only an abundance of theater. It also offers diversity. Fun and thought-provoking work that exists side by side. Indeed, often within the same piece of material. Take advantage.
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
