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Keven Quillon and the cast of South Pacific at Goodspeed. Photo by Diane Sobolewski.
14 productions to see at lauded out-of-town venues in Hudson Valley, the Berkshires and beyond
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Summer's halfway over but that still leaves plenty of time for a trip to catch an out-of-town show. While there are promising productions to see in New York, this is the season when regional theatre heats up. The Northeast proves to be a mecca for talented artists to put fresh spins on beloved classics and debut new works. So peg your summer escape to one of these worthy shows. Be sure to peruse each theatre's full schedule as many Broadway stars do one-off concerts on off nights.
Approximately three hours from Midtown Manhattan by car, this multi-theatre venue is known for presenting top-notch productions of plays and musicals—this is where The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Mr. Saturday Night first bowed.
Boeing Boeing at the Boyd-Quinson Stage
Runs through August 3
Stage and screen vet Debra Jo Rupp (That '70s Show, Becoming Dr. Ruth) headlines this high-flying farce about an American playboy in Paris (Christopher Innvar) juggling flight attendant fiancés with the help of his harried housekeeper in the swinging 1960s. But the advent of the Boeing jet and a visit from a long-lost friend send his sex life into a nosedive.
Next to Normal at the Boyd-Quinson Stage
Runs August 14-September 8
Cabaret favorite Natalie Joy Johnson (late of Lempicka) and Broadway vet Alan H. Green star in Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical about a traumatized family grappling with a mentally ill matriarch. A coproduction with Maryland's Round House Theatre.
See Barrington Stage Company's full summer lineup.
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Enhance your Hamptons trip by seeing a show at this modern wharfside playhouse, which is approximately two and a half hours from Midtown Manhattan by car or the Hampton Jitney.
Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein The Musical
Runs August 1-25
Broadway vet Gerry Mcintyre (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Once on This Island) directs and choreographs Mel Brooks' screamingly funny musical based on his beloved cinematic Frankenstein sendup. Sean Bell (Broadway's Harmony) is the Monster, Matthew Hydzik (Broadway's The Cher Show) is Dr. "Fronkensteen" and we are horse whinnying picturing the invaluable character actress Veanne Cox as Frau Blücher.
See Bay Street Theater's full summer lineup.
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About a three-hour drive from Midtown Manhattan, the Berkshire Theatre Group was founded in 2010 when the Berkshire Theatre Festival and the Colonial Theatre merged. The company presents classic and contemporary works on four stages in two nearby towns: Stockbridge and Pittsfield.
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Pipe Dream at The Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge
Runs July 26-August 31
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's ambitious stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel Sweet Thursday, a sequel to Cannery Row, was a financial flop and is infrequently revived. So this is a rare chance to see this moving musical about a young homeless girl who's taken in by a kindly brothel owner and falls for a marine biologist. A portrait of outcasts in post-World War II California, the show features a wonderful score, including the songs "All at Once You Love Her" and "The Next Time It Happens."
See Berkshire Theatre Group's full summer lineup.
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Dorset Theatre Festival is based in a century-old theatre fashioned from a pair of prerevolutionary barns. Approximately four hours from Midtown Manhattan by car, it's known as an incubator for new plays.
Sidekicked
Runs August 2-17
Kelly McAndrew stars as I Love Lucy second banana Vivian Vance in this solo bio show by Kim Powers. As she prepares to play Lucy's BFF Ethel for the last time, she looks back on her life, career and offscreen frenemy, her costar Lucille Ball.
See Dorset Theatre Festival's full summer lineup.
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Since its founding in 1963, Goodspeed has been a musical theatre hot spot, mounting more than 250 tuners on its two stages and transferring 21 to Broadway. Both are approximately two and a half hours from Midtown Manhattan by car.
South Pacific at The Goodspeed in East Haddam
Runs through August 11
Celebrated director Chay Yew (The Light in the Piazza at Encores!, Cambodian Rock Band) helms this revival of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's landmark musical about passion and prejudice on a lush tropical isle during World War II. Featuring twin love stories and a still-urgent message about intolerance and hate, the show boasts a stunning score, including the songs "Some Enchanted Evening," "I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair," "Bali Ha’i," "Happy Talk" and the anti-racist anthem "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught."
Ask for the Moon at The Tetris in Chester
Runs July 19-August 11
Darko Tresnjak, who won a Tony Award for helming A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder on Broadway, directs and cowrote Ask for the Moon, a wacky new musical comedy set on the high seas where a shady widow, a vindictive lawyer and an unstable nurse collide on an ocean liner. Broadway vets Ali Ewoldt (The Phantom of the Opera) and Luba Mason (Girl From the North Country) star in this campy romp.
See Goodspeed Opera House's full summer lineup.
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Approximately 75 minutes from Midtown Manhattan by car and also accessible via Metro-North, this company mounts classics and new takes on old favorites in an elegant, open-sided tent overlooking the Hudson River.
By the Queen
Runs through August 31
Award-winning playwright Whitney White reframes the infamous War of the Roses through the seen-it-all eyes of Queen Margaret. A raucous retrospective of a royal survivor, the script is inspired by Shakespeare's Henry VI and Richard III.
Medea: Re-Versed
Runs through September 2
Admittedly, this world-premiere reimagining of mythology's maddest mom is coming to NYC in September courtesy of coproducer Red Bull Theater. But you can see Luis Quintero's high-energy, hip-hop take on Euripides' ancient tragedy right now upstate.
See Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival's full summer lineup.
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Founded in 1933, the Ogunquit Playhouse specializes in musicals, both world premieres and revivals, in its historic theatre. Located in a seaside resort town, the venue is approximately five hours from Midtown Manhattan by car.
A Little Night Music
Runs through August 17
Kathleen Turner stars as Madame Armfeldt in this revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, his beloved musical about complicated romances in 1900 Sweden based on Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night. She's joined by a cast of Broadway alums, including Wicked's Julia Murney as Desiree Armfeldt, Lora Lee Gayer (Holiday Inn) as Countess Charlotte and Spamalot's Nik Walker as Count Carl-Magnus. Tony nominee Hunter Foster directs.
Little Shop of Horrors
Runs August 22-September 21
While you can see a first-rate production of Little Shop of Horrors right here in NYC, Ogunquit's revival sounds like a hoot. It's directed by Hunter Foster, who earned a Tony nomination for playing Seymour in the man-eating musical, and it stars Broadway vets Etai Benson and Talia Suskauer as the unlikely lovers alongside RuPaul's Drag Race diva Latrice Royale as Audrey II. Delicious!
See Ogunquit Playhouse's full summer lineup.
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This venerable company brings classics by the Bard and others to life through top-notch productions and education programs. In fact, this is where Shakespeare in the Park regular Hamish Linklater got his start thanks to his mom, a founding member.
The Comedy of Errors
Runs through August 18
Enjoy Shakespeare's romp of mistaken identity on the company's lovely outdoor stage as two sets of twins separated at birth find love and long-lost family.
See Shakespeare & Company's full summer lineup.
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Founded in 1947, this red barn theatre is known for programming crowd-pleasers. Approximately two and half hours from Midtown Manhattan by car, it's also accessible via Metro-North.
The Prom
Runs July 26-August 11
Two-time Tony nominee Kate Baldwin (Hello, Dolly!, Finian's Rainbow) is narcissistic Broadway diva Dee Dee Allen in The Prom, the laugh-out-loud musical satire that's become a regional favorite. As she and her equally egotistical theatre pals descend on a small town to put LGBTQ rights and, more importantly, themselves center stage, they slowly learn how to be less self-involved. Carl Andress, best known in NYC as Charles Busch's longtime collaborator, directs.
See Sharon Playhouse's full summer lineup.
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About a three-hour drive from Midtown Manhattan, this Tony-winning fest is still in the process of reinventing itself after a much-publicized 2021 reckoning. While there are many intriguing one-offs, there's only one full-fledged production this summer.
Pamela Palmer
Runs July 23-August 10
Endlessly clever playwright David Ives (Venus in Fur) fuses noir and romance in this world premiere about a wife who has an existential crisis and hires a gumshoe to investigate her marriage with unexpected results. Tony winner Walter Bobbie (Chicago) directs a cast of MVPs, including including Becky Ann Baker, Tina Benko and Clark Gregg.
See Williamstown Theatre Festival's full summer lineup.
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Raven Snook is the Editor of TDF Stages. Follow her on Facebook at @Raven.Snook. Follow TDF on Facebook at @TDFNYC.
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