Though it seems like it will never be here, there will be summer and the 216/440/330 theater scene will heat up. Here’s a list of some of the offerings that are being staged. SUPPORT LOCAL LIVE THEATER!
BECK CENTER
216-521-2540 or http://www.beckcenter.org
8 p.m. evenings, 3 p.m. matinees
DOUBT: A PARABLE--May 26-June 25 (Studio Theatre)
This Pulitzer Prize-winner for Drama draws one into an issue of suspicion in the query of a Catholic school in the Bronx in the 1960s. Principal Sister Aloysius’s suspicions about the relationship between a priest, Father Flynn, and a young male student will raise questions long after this play is over!
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND—July 7-August 6 (Senney Theater)
Tony Award-nominated musical in which a wise peasant girl on this tropical island uses the power of love and the beauty of acceptance to bring together very different people.
BLANK CANVAS
440-941-0458 or www.blankcanvastheatre.com
LIES ABOUT LOVE—June 9 & 10
A unique intwining of poetry, music, images and dance on themes of love, loss, motherhood and the human struggle.
LEAP OF FAITH—June 30-July 15
Based on the film of the same name, this musical follows an electrifying “Reverand” and con artist who finds himself in a small Kansas town. He meets the sheriff and her son and love forces an ultimate cynic to take a leap of faith.
COMMA—July 28-30
Cleveland native Jeff Glover’s play about good and bad decisions, beautiful and horrible miracles, and real or imagined love.
PETER AND THE STAR CATCHER—August 18-September 2
Based on the Disney-Hyperion novel, the play features a dozen actors portraying more than 100 characters in discovering the Neverland we never knew.
CAIN PARK
216-371-3000 or http://www.cainpark.com
Thursday-Saturday 7 pm, Sunday 2 pm
RENT—June 8-25
The rock musical follows a year in the life of a group of young artists struggling to create and survive in New York’s Lower East Side under the shadow of poverty, social unrest, and the AIDS epidemic. With universal themes of falling in love, finding one’s voice, and living for today, it teaches us to measure our lives in love.
FUN HOME—August 10-27
Area premiere of Alison Bechdel’s groundbreaking graphic novel memoir of the same name, the musical explores the haunting pull of memory and its power to shape one’s identity.
CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE
216-241-6000 or go clevelandplayhouse.com
7:30 Wednesday-Saturday, 2:30 Saturday and Sunday
WATCHING BUTTERFLIES—JUNE 17-24
Five children find themselves in a room. Why are they there? How did they get there? Can anyone get out? Who is a helper? Who is not? The children must rely upon their collective skills, talents, and experiences to find a way to health, safety, and understanding. Inspired by and created in partnership with families in Cleveland.
ERMA BOMBECK: AT WIT’S END—JULY 29-AUGUST 20 (Outcalt Theatre)
Chronicles Ohioan, Erma Bombeck’s fascinating story, beginning in 1964 with the launch of her groundbreaking newspaper column through her emergence as America’s favorite mother. Filled with Bombeck’s own wit and wisdom.
CLEVELAND SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
Free admission, except where noted.
For the past 25 years Cleveland Shakespeare Festival has delivered FREE and ACCESSIBLE theatrical productions directly to all of Northeast Ohio!
For plays, times and places go to http://www.cleveshakes.com
convergence continuum
convergence-continuum.org or 216-687-0074
Thursday-Saturday @ 8
WALKING TO BUCHENWALD--June 2-24
Using his personal experience as a jumping off point, playwright Tom Jacobson takes the audience on an ominously comic trip in which learn that the world no longer admires the U.S.
EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR—August 11-September 2
A dark revengeful comedy in which two people are freed from their past.
OHIO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens (outdoor performances)
Thursday-Sundays (6:00 gates open for picnicking, 7:30 Greenshow performance, 8 show begins)
714 N. Portage Path, Akron
ohioshakespearefestival.com or 1-888-718-4253 opt.1
LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST--June 29-July 16
Whimsical rom-com-meets-buddy-play. Silly disguises, mistaken identities, a play-within-a-play, and all the favorite Shakespeare devises come together for a whimsical night under the stars.
TWELFTH NIGHT—July 27-August 13
Lady Viola is shipwrecked on the beaches of Ilyria. To protect herself in an unknown land, she pretends to be a boy and takes on a page’s role to Count Orsino. Problem is: she falls madly in love with him. Add in some drunken uncles, fools, fops, and pirates, and you’ve got one of Shakespeare’s most perfect comedies.
PLAYHOUSE SQUARE
216-241-6000 or go to www.playhousesquare.org.
BROADWAY BUZZ
Get the inside scoop on every KeyBank Broadway show from host Joe Garry one hour before each performance. Broadway Buzz Pre-Show Talks are held in the Upper Allen, accessible through the Allen Theatre lobby. Admission is free.
MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL--June 7-July 2, 2023
Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory! Baz Luhrmann's revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new jukebox musical mash-up extravaganza. A celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and — above all — Love.
LATE NIGHT CATECHISM—JUNE 11
The irrepressible Sister teaches a class to a roomful of "students." Throughout the course of the class the benevolent instructor rewards the "students" for correct answers with glow-in-the-dark rosaries and other nifty prizes. Naughty students may well find themselves on stage sitting in a corner reflecting their actions. Be on the watch for flailing yardsticks.
COME FROM AWAY—July 25-28
On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all. The true story, set to music, of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.
SIX THE MUSICAL—August 8-September 10
From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st-century girl power!
PORTHOUSE
Blossom Music Center
http://www.porthousetheatre.com or 330-929-4416 or 330-672-3884
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM—JUNE 9-24
One of the funniest musicals ever written, takes comedy back to its roots, combining 2000-year-old comedies of Roman playwright, Plautus, with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. Comedy tonight!
THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES—June 30-July 15
It’s 1958 at the Springfield High School prom. Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy, four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts learn about life love while serenading with classic ’50s hits including “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” and “Stupid Cupid.”
THE PROM—July 21-August 6
Area premiere of a new hit musical, about inspiring people to accept their differences, becoming the star each person was meant to be, and there’s no business like getting in other people’s business.
