11 theater productions to see this summer

There’s much to see this summer — indoors and out. Theater makers near (and sort of far) are staging universally resonant stories with themes of love, perseverance, immigration, vengeance and more. There will always be a Shakespearean tale on offer every season. Still, Shakespeare & Company serves up an old story with a vaudevillian twist in “The Comedy of Errors,” Gloucester Stage Company’s “Wish You Were Here” by Sanaz Toossi chronicles a group of friends aiming to live everyday lives amid a revolution, and Broadway in Boston will host the classic tale “Les Misérables.” Here are 11 productions to see — four of which will be performed outdoors under the warmth of the summer sun.

Pending nuptials, drag and hijinks are the center of the musical “La Cage Aux Folles” with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. In the show, a gay couple who manage a nightclub must contend with the ultra-conservative parents of their son’s fiancée. The play, which premiered on Broadway in 1983, is based on a French play of the same name by Jean Poiret. There’s also a 1978 film of the same name. Mike Donahue directs this production staged in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Romeo and Juliet don’t come to a tragic end in playwright Ben Power’s reimagining of the Shakespearean tale staged in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In“A Tender Thing,” Power draws audiences into a narrative where the young, smitten Montague and Capulet get to grow old in each other’s arms. In the past, Power used his skills to develop an exciting adaption of “The Lehman Trilogy,” which was staged at the Huntington Theatre Company last year. “A Tender Thing,” which will be directed by Alan Paul, Barrington Stage’s artistic director, was first staged at the Royal Shakespeare Company in England.

For artist Nicole Acosta’s “The HOOPS Project,” she asked more than 100 participants what hoop earrings meant to them. The stories and portraits taken were used for an exhibition. Writer Eliana Pipes’ play “Hoops” — for which there was a developmental workshop in May — is based on Acosta’s project and covers themes of joy, resilience, self-expression and power. The show features original music from local creative Brandie Blaze, who also stars in the show, and is directed by Tonasia Jones, with dramaturgy by Company One Producer-in-Residence afrikah selah. “Hoops” is produced in partnership with Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture.

“The Comedy of Errors” is a funny tale of mistaken identities and mishaps that starts with two sets of twins who were separated by a storm at sea. This show, which is Shakespeare’s shortest, will be directed by Kate Kohler Amory. Staged outdoors in Lenox, Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Company’s rendition, with its vaudeville theme, might be markedly different from ASP’s hip-hop centric production of the classic tale in 2022, but hopefully, it will prove to be just as fun. Earlier in the month, the company will also stage “Shake it Up: A Shakespearean Cabaret.”

If there’s no time to head to the Berkshires for a taste of the classic canon, spread a blanket on the green of Boston Common and get cozy for “The Winter’s Tale.”  In this production, King Leontes of Sicilia accuses his wife Hermione of an intimate tryst with his best friend, the King of Bohemia. Despite his wife’s innocence, King Leontes remains unconvinced and plans to poison his friend. Will he succeed, and if so, what’s the cost? Audiences at this free production will find out. Bryn Boice, who excellently directed Gloucester Stage Company’s well-done “Gloria” in 2022, will helm the production.

For many, the American dream includes the purchase of a family home. But for Jackie Siegel and her billionaire husband, the house they envisioned had to be bigger and better than their 26,000-square-foot mansion of the moment. Siegel and her spouse David’s journey of building America’s largest home were the subjects of the 2012 documentary “The Queen of Versailles,” and now, a musical of the same name based on the film. Siegel, who made headlines earlier this year for wanting to flip her $19.5 million penthouse in New York City, set out to construct the $100 million home in Florida just before the recession in 2008. The pair couldn’t predict how the recession and other things would affect building their new residence, inspired by the Palace of Versailles, or their fabulous lifestyle. The production, with a book by Lindsey Ferrentino, features music by Oscar-winning songwriter Stephen Schwartz, with Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth starring as Jackie Siegel. Tony Award-winner Michael Arden (“Parade,” “Once on This Island”) directs. This is the pre-Broadway premiere.

Double Edge Theater in Ashfield, Massachusetts is best known for its summer spectacles. Their offerings (typically a new show every two years) are staged on the theater’s sprawling farmland. Audiences move along with the action. The company’s work focuses on “dream, imagery, metaphor, mystery and symbolism,” and this year, the group will stage “The Heron’s Flight.” The production, which Jennifer Johnson and Travis Coe will direct, centers around a mid-summer feast and the native great blue heron. There will be preview performances on July 18 and 19, with a pay-what-you-wish option July 23-29 and Aug. 1-11.

“When the taking in of refugees is the morally correct thing to do, and yet it might bring war to your city, what is the correct course of action?” asked playwright David Greig in an interview about the making of his 2017 play “The Suppliant Women.” Greig’s play — adapted from ancient Greek writer Aeschylus’ “The Suppliants,” written more than 2,500 years ago — follows a group of women who flee forced marriages in search of refuge. In Apollinaire’s bilingual production, a community chorus of local women will perform in the show at PORT Park in Chelsea. Performances occur on Fridays and Saturdays during the first three weeks of August.

At the start of the Iranian revolution, five friends do their best to live their lives, plan weddings and keep the jokes flowing despite protests and unrest around them in Sanaz Toossi’s “Wish You Were Here.” Set in the friends’ living rooms in Karaj, Iran from 1978 to 1991, the group is forced to decide whether to stay in their homes or leave them behind in this regional premiere. This is not the first time Toossi has explored loss. Toossi won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play “English,” set in a classroom in Iran, which tells the larger story of the price one pays for embracing another culture through learning English as a second language. Toossi has a natural talent for developing rich relationships on the page, as evidenced in “English,” and Melory Mirashrafi, who helmed SpeakEasy Stage Company’s powerful 2022 production of that show and was up for the task of bringing those complicated liaisons to life onstage. Preview performances are Aug. 9 and 10 ahead of the run Aug. 11-25.

“Les Misérables,” dubbed one of the most popular musicals in the world, focuses on Jean Valjean, a poor Frenchman who gets released from prison after serving time for stealing bread and is trying to start over. But when Valjean breaks his parole, he becomes the focus of a relentless policeman, Javert. In the musical, set in 19th-century revolutionary France, Valjean meets a group of young activists who want to overthrow the government. The narrative covers themes of love, sacrifice, hope and redemption. “Les Misérables” features music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, and a book by Schönberg and Boublil. It’s based on the 1862 book of the same name by Victor Hugo. The French musical premiered in 1980. The score of “Les Misérables” includes the popular songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own” and “Bring Him Home.”

Long before the success of Netflix’s “Emily in Paris,” where an American marketing executive falls in love in and with the City of Lights, the 1951 classic Gene Kelly film showed viewers what it was like for a U.S. soldier and a French woman to meet, make art and become enamored with one another. Coming to the Reagle Music Theatre in August, the play is set to the music of George and Ira Gershwin with songs like “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” and “I Got Rhythm.”  The theater, a big winner at this year’s Elliot Norton Awards, is also staging “All Shook Up,” where Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” meets Elvis in July.