When the weather is at its peak, so are Seacoast theaters. Each year, local stages pack their summer seasons with captivating plays and bombastic musicals, each show offering compelling reasons to avoid the warm weather and stay inside. There are plenty of opportunities to catch a play outside, too. Here’s a look at what you’ll find on local stages this summer, from Shakespeare in the park to naughty puppets in the dark.
Ogunquit Playhouse
10 Main St., Ogunquit, Maine, ogunquitplayhouse.org
After you hit the beach in Ogunquit, Maine, settle in for a show at the Ogunquit Playhouse. The summer promises productions of popular classics. The theater starts its season on May 20 with the regional premiere of Sister Act, the Tony Award-nominated show based on the Whoopi Goldberg comedy. Victor/Victoria follows on June 24, and Nice Work If You Can Get It, featuring classic Gerswhin tunes and “high-stepping Broadway magic,” opens on July 22. The second half of the theater’s season dives deep into the history of pop and rock. Million Dollar Quartet, the musical inspired by the true story surrounding the Sun Records recording session that brought together Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, opens on Aug. 19. And be sure to wear your finest polyester duds on Sept. 23 for the opening of Saturday Night Fever: The Musical, an adaptation of disco’s definitive film.
Hackmatack Playhouse
538 State St., Rt. 9, Berwick, Maine, hackmatack.org
The Berwick, Maine theater kicks off its season with Unnecessary Farce on June 19, a comedic caper involving an embezzling mayor, a sexy accountant, a hit man, and a pair of undercover cops at an economy motel. The classic musical West Side Story, about star-crossed lovers caught between prejudice and warring street gangs, opens July 8. Later that month, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, based on the 1988 film about two con men, their beautiful mark, and an escalating battle of wits on the French Riviera, opens on July 29. The theater closes its season with the outrageous musical Ruthless, about young Tina Denmark, a girl who’ll stop at nothing — including murder — to get the role of Pippi Longstocking in her school play. Ruthless runs Aug. 19 through Sept. 5.
The Players’ Ring
105 Marcy St., Portsmouth, playersring.org
Now entering its 24th season, the Ring is the place for comedy, cabaret, and original works this summer. The annual late-night summer series begins on June 19 with Only for You and showcases original works produced by local artists and production companies. Other summer shows include stand-up comedy from Sam Bennett from July 3 through July 5; the antics of sketch comedy troupe Darwin’s Waiting Room from July 24 to Aug. 2, and a Tuesday night improv series hosted by Stranger than Fiction from June through August. Also this summer, Patrick Dorow Productions returns with a Monday night cabaret series beginning in July.
Seacoast Repertory Theatre
125 Bow St., Portsmouth, seacoastrep.org
The Rep’s summer season mixes classic productions and contemporary favorites.
Into the Woods, the Stephen Sondheim musical that subverts fairy tale conventions, opens on May 22. Witches, giants, wolves, and beanstalks befuddle Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack, and the Baker and his Wife, all of whom must pay a price if they want their wishes to come true. Sure, there was a big-budget Hollywood version of Into the Woods recently, but nothing compares to seeing it live on stage.
In July, the Rep goes tropical with Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, about lovers coming together on an island paradise during World War II. And, in August, Avenue Q hits the Rep. The hit Broadway musical featuring a cast of puppets has racked up accolades and a reputation for its outrageous humor. Don’t let the cute puppets fool you — Avenue Q is definitely not for kids.
“It’s kind of like an adult version of ‘Sesame Street,’” said Jamie Bradley, the Rep’s associate artistic director. “There is a sex scene with two puppets that happens on stage.”
New Hampshire Theatre Project
959 Islington St., Portsmouth, nhtheatreproject.org
NHTP’s summer offerings are especially unique this year, according to artistic director Genevieve Aichele. Performances and readings in May and June are all part of NHTP’s Intelligent Theatre Festival. The festival was previously held over two weekends in the spring, but this year, it extends through two months.
First up is An Oz Story on May 23, a one-time show that’s something of a departure from NHTP’s usual productions.
“We don’t usually do musical theater,” said Aichele. “It was written by our high school students … they went back to the original literature and this is based on that. … We challenge people to look beyond popular entertainment (at) what is underneath.”
In June, NHTP will perform two live readings as part of its Intelligent Theatre Festival at the Portsmouth Museum of Art, located at 909 Islington St. First up is The Square, a timely play about veterans returning home from deployment, Aichele said. That’s followed by Dinner at Eight, a 1932 spoof of “life on the fast-track,” according to Aichele.
Prescott Park Arts Festival
Prescott Park, Portsmouth, prescottpark.org
The park by the sea transforms into Neverland this summer with a production of Peter Pan: The Musical, which runs from June 26 through Aug. 23. The family-favorite play follows Peter, Wendy, and the Lost Boys as they battle Captain Hook.
According to producing director John Moynihan, “It’s going to be a really great show for the summer, between the flying that we are going to be doing and the cast … I think people are going to be really wowed by what we have for this season.”
Seven Stages Shakespeare Company brings the Bard outside this summer with a performance of the comedy As You Like It, with shows in July and August.
3S Artspace
319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth, 3sarts.org
3S and Seven Stages Shakespeare Company team up for an immersive production of the Bard’s comedy What You Will (or Twelfth Night), set against the backdrop of Weimar-era Berlin and overflowing with decadence and indulgence. The show opens on June 5 and runs through June 13.
Top of page: Gabby Archambault as Cinderella and Jamie Bradley as The Baker in “Into the Woods” at the Seacoast Rep.