There will be an abundance of area plays and musicals this fall. Here are 10 you shouldn’t miss.
“A Beautiful Noise,” the Neil Diamond musical, opens The Bushnell’s Broadway series, Oct. 1-6. Diamond’s life takes center stage in this jukebox musical featuring his greatest hits. Nick Fradiani from American Idol plays young Neil. Robert Westenberg, a Tony nominee for the original “Into the Woods,” plays Neil today.For details: www.bushnell.org.
“A Moon for the Misbegotten,” the Eugene O’Neill classic, plays West Springfield’s Majestic Theater Oct. 24 to Dec. 1. James Warwick, who staged the American premiere of “Big Big Sky” at Chester, directs, and the show stars Jay Sefton, whose “Unreconciled” premiered at Chester before heading to Ireland and New York. With these two involved, it’s an ambitious project for the Majestic. For details: www.majesticthester.com.
The Capitol Fools rose from the ashes of the Capitol Steps, the beloved political comedy troupe that left office during the pandemic. Several writers and performers launched this new group that pokes fun at both sides of the aisle. They’re back on the road at Jorgensen at UConn on Oct. 19 (www.jorgensen.uconn.edu) and the Academy of Music in Northampton on Oct. 20 (www.aomtheatre.com).
“Christmas on the Rocks,” the funniest holiday show in town, returns to TheaterWorks Hartford, Nov. 29 to Dec. 22. Set on Christmas Eve in an out-of-the-way bard, your favorite kids from holiday classics, now dysfunctional adults, wander in from the cold. Charlie Brown, Frosty’s friend Karen, Elf on a Shelf, Clara from “The Nutcracker” and more incite howls of laughter. For details: www.twhartford.org.
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Jeffrey Hatcher’s thriller based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson, opens Hartford Stage’s season, Oct. 10 to Nov. 3. Melia Bensussen directs. Evil has many faces. When the well-respected Dr. Jekyll investigates the mayhem on the streets of London, he encounters the mysterious Mr. Hyde. For details: www.hartfordstage.org.
“Fever Dreams (of Animals on the Verge of Extinction),” an explosive new thriller from Jeffrey Lieber (best known for the TV series “Lost”), opens TheaterWorks Hartford’s season. Rob Ruggiero directs, Oct. 3 to Nov. 3. For decades, Adele and Zachary have rendezvoused in a remote cabin in the woods to celebrate their passion and be together. This year though, something is … different. The place is falling apart, a sense of loss pervades the air, they’re both keeping secrets, and Adele has brought a gun. For details: www.twhartford.org.
“Primary Trust,” this year’s winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, comes to Barrington Stage Company, Sept. 18 to Oct. 13. Eboni Booth’s play is a portrait of Kenneth, a 38-year-old bookstore worker who spends his evenings sipping mai tais at the local tiki bar. When he’s suddenly laid off, Kenneth finally begins to face a world he’s long avoided — with transformative and even comical results. “Primary Trust” is a touching and inventive play about new beginnings, old friends and seeing the world for the first time. Jennifer Chang directs. The cast features Kyle Haden, C. David Johnson, Hilary Ward and Justin Weaks. For details: www.barringtonstageco.org.
“Promises, Promises,” the Burt Bacharach and Hal David musical hit, which introduced the hit “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” will be performed by K&E Theatre Oct. 11-19 in Northampton. Based on Billy Wilder’s hit film “The Apartment,” and adapted for the stage by Neil Simon, its score provided a string of hits for Dionne Warwick and others. Eddie Zitka directs. For details: www.ketg.org.
“The Shark is Broken,” a bitingly funny comedy about the making of the movie “Jaws,” opens Playhouse on Park’s season, Oct. 2-20. Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon recap the behind-the-scenes drama about Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw, based on Shaw’s journals. For details: www.playhouseonpark.org.
“The Weir,” Conor McPherson’s celebrated play, is the fall offering at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, Sept. 26 to Oct. 27. Eric Hill directs the play, which unfolds as a captivating and evocative evening set in a small, remote pub, drawing audiences into a world where tales of folklore and the supernatural weave an enchanting, yet eerie, atmosphere. Isadora Wolfe choreographs. For details: www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
Keep in mind …
The Bushnell’s Broadway Series includes: “Les Miserables” (Oct. 29 to Nov. 3), “The Lion King” (Nov. 13 to Dec. 1) and “MJ: The Michael Jackson Musical” (Dec. 10-15). And, “Six” opens New Year’s Eve. (www.bushnell.org). … Northampton’s Academy of Music presents “Bring it Broadway” with Jenn Colella and Seth Rudetsky (Oct. 13). For details: www.aomtheatre.com. … Humorist and social critic Fran Lebowitz has the last word at the UMass Fine Arts Center on Oct. 10. For details: www.fineartscenter.com. … Goodspeed presents a musicalization of “A Christmas Story,” Nov. 1 to Dec. 29. Ralphie wants a BB gun for Christmas. Hunter Foster directs. For details: www.goodspeed.org. … Westfield Theatre Group brings “Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn” to town, Dec. 5-14. For details: westfieldtheatregroup.com. … and Exit 7 Players presents “Beauty and the Beast” with Maddy Oldenberg and Christopher Morey, Nov. 1-17. For details: www.exit7players.org/shows/beauty-and-the-beast.
“Shear Madness” opens the Majestic’s 27th season, Sept. 5 to Oct. 20. Paul Portner wrote the whodunit that ran for over 40 years in Boston. Bob Lohrmann directs. For details: www.majestictheater.com.
James Barry, co-artistic director of Chester Theatre Company, will be teaching theater at Pittsfield High School this year.
Mark G. Auerbach studied theater at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He has worked for arts organizations nationwide and reported on the arts for print and broadcast. Mark produces and hosts “ArtsBeat,” “Athenaeum Spotlight” and “On the Mark” for WCPC, Channel 15 in Westfield, and WSKB 89.5 FM. His “Arts Beat” column appears Mondays in The Westfield News. He’s a regular contributor to Pioneer Valley Radio and a member of the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association.
