CURTAIN RISING ON FALL!
Plays, musicals fill local stages
Great job waiting for “Hamilton” to come to Boston. The good news is you only have another year: The storied show arrives in our city in September 2018.
But no need to while away the time dreaming of a musical about the treasury secretary (Can’t wait until they do one about Hank Paulson!). This fall is full of song and dance and drama. Here are a few of our favorites to look out for.
“WarholCapote,” tomorrow through Oct. 13, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, americanrepertorytheater.org — Truman Capote and Andy Warhol had dreams of the Great White Way. While their dreams never came to fruition, in the late 1970s, they recorded hours and hours of conversations about a potential show and a range of other topics. Now with the blessing of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Truman Capote Literary Trust, director Rob Roth adapted this show from these never-before-heard conversations.
“Men on Boats,” through Oct. 7, Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont St., speakeasystage.com — A gender-bending cast of diverse acts (sort of) tell the tale of John Wesley Powell’s 1869 expedition to chart the Colorado River. A funny and strange (but not too funny or strange) look at gender and history.
“Constellations,” through Oct. 8, Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, centralsquaretheater.org — Just your everyday play about love, quantum physics, bees and endless possibilities. Marianne and Roland meet and fall in love and, well, wait, what actually did happen? In a world of infinite possibilities, any action can change everything.
“Fun Home,” Oct. 17-29, Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., bostonoperahouse.com — You want a Broadway sensation? You don’t have to wait until “Hamilton.” “Fun Home” won five 2015 Tony Awards including best musical. The groundbreaking production based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic memoir tells the writer’s story through her memories and mysteries at
three ages.
“Kiss,” Oct. 26-Nov. 19, Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre, 559 Washington St., paramountboston.org — A young theater company tries to mount what it thinks is a Syrian soap opera. Eventually, they realize they're performing something very different. From modern Chilean theater master Guillermo Calderon, “Kiss” is a looks at how cultural misunderstandings can illuminate ignorance.
“The Color Purple,”
Nov. 21-Dec. 3, Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont St., bochcenter.org — Alice Walker's masterpiece is now the 2016 Tony winner for best musical revival. A stunning mix of jazz, blues, ragtime and gospel, the production's score put new fire and magic into the Pulitzer Prize-winning story about love and pain in the African-American South.
“Hold These Truths,” Dec. 1-31, Lyric Stage, 140 Clarendon St., lyricstage.com — You can't get more topical than this intense production from the Lyric. Jeanne Sakata's piece is the true story of Gordon Hirabayashi, the American son of Japanese immigrants, who fought being sent to an internment camp during World War II. Michael Hisamoto plays Hirabayashi, a university student, a Quaker and patriot.