Neary’s award-winning ‘The Stands’ plays Newburyport’s Firehouse
Last spring, Jack Neary’s new play “The Stands” had its world premiere at The Players Ring in Portsmouth, N.H. It won several New Hampshire Theatre Awards, including Outstanding Professional Production and Best Direction.
Now the fast-moving, funny, timely, suspenseful play is coming to the Firehouse Center for the Arts, Market Square, Newburyport, where it plays May 3-5 with the same cast — Ashley Risteen, Jocelyn Duford, Kate Gilbert, Tara Johns, Trish Aponte, and Dave Sullivan — who brought down the house last year in Portsmouth.
Running next weekend at different times but with the same set is “The Big Game,” a new Neary comedy that’s fast-moving, funny, and full of surprises for the whole family.
A special 2-for-1 friends and family discount is in place for opening night on Friday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. Use the code AWARDS for the discount. Go to https://firehouse.org/ events/category/theater/list/?tribe-barsearch=the+stands for tickets. Call 978-462-7336
for info.
In the wings
‘JERSEY BOYS’ OPENS NORTH SHORE SEASON: Bill Hanney’s award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) in Beverly begins the 2024 musical season early by bringing back the smash hit 2019 production of “Jersey Boys.” The Tony winning story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons plays Tuesday, May 7-Sunday, May 19.
“I am thrilled bring back our smash-hit production of ‘Jersey Boys’ that played to sold out crowds for four weeks in 2019,” said Hanney, NSMT owner and producer. “Director/choreographer Kevin P. Hill returns to helm this unique production that is unlike any other production of Jersey Boys. Our unique theatrein-the-round venue allows us to create a 360° experience where audiences don’t just watch a show, they are immersed in the action and surrounded by the glorious music of Frankie Valli and the Four Season.” The show takes audiences behind the music and inside the real-life story with a book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe. The unforgettable score includes top ten hits like “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes
Off You,” and “December 1963 (Oh What a Night).” Tickets start at $70. For tickets and information call 978- 232-7200, visit www.nsmt.org, or visit the box office at 54 Dunham Rd., Beverly.
‘SHREK’ TIX ON
SALE: Fifth Estate Entertainment and Round Room Live are thrilled to announce that an all-new version of “Shrek the Musical” will play at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston from Sept. 1315, as part of the show’s cross-country national tour. Audiences can expect a “Shrek” that feels both familiar and refreshingly new, inviting everyone to “fall in love all ogre again.”
Tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, April 26 at 12 p.m. EST. To sign up to be among the first to buy tickets via an exclusive presale, please visit www.emersoncolonialtheatre.com. “Kimberly Akimbo” Tony Award-winning duo Jeanine Tesori (music) and David Lindsay-abaire (book) revisit their first collaboration to deliver a more intimate and engaging experience — a joyful, colorful “Shrek” that leans into the humanity in all of us that celebrates our differences. With all-new original direction and choreography by Danny Mefford
(Choreographer, “Dear Evan Hansen”), this reimagined production of “Shrek the Musical” brings the show back to its roots — giving it a new kind of love emphasizing the importance of loving ourselves and one another. Additional information about the show is available at www.shrekthemusicaltour.com.
Nancye Tuttle’s email is nancyedt@verizon.net