Musicals, Shakespeare & for-adults-only stories: 15 shows at Cape Cod theaters
There are a couple of classics opening at Cape Cod theaters this week, but several shows are area premieres or debuts of some kind so audiences can take a chance on some unfamiliar territory. The two shows on the Outer Cape come with a warning about adult situations and language, so leaving the young family at home for those.
At our website https://www.capecodtimes.com/entertainment, you'll find reviews of recently opened shows that include those playing at Cotuit Center for the Arts, the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans, the Cape Cod Shakespeare Festival in Chatham, Cape Rep Theatre in Brewster, Cape Playhouse in Dennis, College Light Opera Company in Falmouth, Harbor Stage Company in Wellfleet and Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre.
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For what's new, check out these shows:
The (comic) aftermath of destruction
Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (2357 Route 6) will produce the area premiere of Taylor Mac’s “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus” (July 27-Aug. 19), a “profane” and “bloody” play based on Shakespeare’s original and set during the fall of the Roman Empire.
The show is described as a brash and bawdy comedy centered on two servants sorting through what remains of humanity, a story of how “those who have power and those who have money destroy things (and) it’s those who don't have power who are left to clean up the mess”; http://www.what.org/gary/.
Broadway song and stories
Closing out July for the “Broadway @” shows at the Art House (214 Commercial St.) in Provincetown, with performances at 7 p.m. July 30-31, will be Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie making her debut with the series, with Sirius XM Radio’s Seth Rudetsky as music director and host.
McKechnie is best known as originating the role of Cassie in “A Chorus Line,” and other Broadway credits include “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “Promises, Promises,” “Company” and “On The Town”; https://provincetownarthouse.com/.
More musicals
Other musicals playing at local theaters this week are:
► Jerry Herman’s “Mame,” about a young boy going to live with his bohemian aunt and them learning about life together, playing at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 21 at Chatham Drama Guild, 134 Crowell Road; $25 and $28; chatdramaguild.org or 508-945-0510.
► College Light Opera Company, will continue its production of “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” a musical version of the beloved fairy tale, through July 30 at Highfield Theater, 60 Highfield Drive. Then on Tuesday, Aug. 2, CLOC will open the Stephen Sondheim musical “Assassins,” which focuses on people through history who have or have tried to assassinate presidents; http://www.collegelightoperacompany.com/.
More family shows
Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre will kick off its second round of family shows on the outdoor stage with “Charlotte’s Web,” the classic story of a friendship between a spider and a pig, presented at 7 p.m. Sundays through Tuesdays July 30-Aug. 16.
Then “Fairy Tale Heroes,” three 20-minute fairy tales adapted by local playwrights and presented by the Junior Players Troupe, will be presented at 10 a.m. Wednesdays through Fridays Aug. 3-19. Tickets and information: https://capecodtheatrecompany.org/.
The love story banned by the FCC
Provincetown Theater (238 Bradford St.) will present the New England premiere of “Jerker,” Robert Chesley’s “sensuous love story” that follows a romance via phone sex between two gay men in 1980s San Francisco. Joe MacDougall and Stephen Walker star, with company artistic director David Drake directing.
“Jerker” will play at 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays Aug. 1-Sept. 1; “Provincetowntheater.org, 508-487-7487.
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The script includes profanity, sexual situations and nudity, so is for mature audiences only. Drake notes a 1986 controversy when a Christian minister filed a complaint with the FCC, saying he accidentally tuned into a radio broadcast that included excerpts of “Jerker.” Despite Chesley’s protests, the FCC ruled that the broadcast was indecent and possibly obscene, sanctioned the station, and implemented more stringent broadcast indecency guidelines.
New York City-based MacDougall has previously performed at WHAT and in “Lonesome Planet,” “Salome” and “The Normal Heart” at Provincetown Theater, plus Todd Flaherty’s feature film "Chrissy Judy," which had its world premiere at the 2022 Provincetown International Film Festival. Walker, a native of England, is making his U.S. stage debut in this show. His film/TV credits include “Different for Girls,” four seasons on the BBC’s “Word on the Street” series, “Kinky Boots” and “A Wedding Most Strange.”
A movie-musical classic translated to the stage
Cape Playhouse will open the area premiere of the dance-centric “An American in Paris,” based on the Gershwin-scored 1950s movie musical, with shows Aug. 3-13 at the theater, 820 Main St. (Route 6A), Dennis; https://www.capeplayhouse.com/an-american-in-paris/.
The stage musical has a book by Craig Lucas, telling the story of a young American soldier in Paris just after World War II who falls for a French girl who is also looking for a new beginning. A cast boasting multiple Broadway credits will be led by Josh Drake (currently in Broadway’s “Aladdin”) and Leigh-Ann Esty (Broadway’s “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel” and 11 seasons with the Miami City Ballet), who starred opposite each other in a 2020 production of “An American in Paris” outside Chicago.
Also in the cast as Madame Baurel is Jennifer Smith, who has performed in 15 Broadway productions, including the original companies of "La Cage Aux Folles," "The Secret Garden," "Víctor/Victoria," "The Producers" and "Anastasia." The director/choreographer will be Al Blackstone, an Emmy Award winner ("So You Think You Can Dance") whose credits include Broadway's "Wicked the Musical," working with Garrett Taylor, in his fifth season as Cape Playhouse resident music director.,
Contact Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll at kdriscoll@capecodonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @KathiSDCCT.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod theater: musical, comedy, adults-only, Shakespeare, premieres
