Summer Stages: Sherry Cohen's Summer Picks in Connecticut

The brilliant Connecticut director Frank S. Petrilli once joked that you can't do a drama or tragedy as an opening show in the fall, or in the winter because people want something cheerful, or in the spring as a closing show, or in the summer because people want something light and casual. Well, we have all of the aboveth this summer. We're marking our calendars for the following shows:

George Kelly's The Show-Off is not produced often, so we don't want to miss an opportunity to see it. Aubrey Piper is the title character - a blowhard, first rate annoyance and shameless liar. That's a problem for the Fisher family whose daughter is following this Pied Piper. June 11 through June 29. Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport. 888-927-7529 or 203-227-4177. www.westportplayhouse.org

Shakespeare on the Sound turns 17 this year and will present As You Like It, directed by Claire Shannon Kelly. Founded by Ezra Barnes, Shakespeare on the Sound was the first company in this area in our lifetime to present professional open air productions of the plays of Shakespeare and related playwrights. June 13-30 at Pinkney Park, Rowayton. Suggested donation. 203-299-1300. www.shakespeareonthesound.org

Now put up the black flag! Curtain Call will celebrating its 10th anniversary season of Shakespeare on the Green with a tragedy - Othello. Curtain Call does an awesome job in constructing the simple, but stunning Elizabethan stage, and audiences experience the performance almost as if they were at The Globe Theatre. Performances run July 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19 and 20 at 7:30. Bring a picnic dinner or, better yet, order from the RoyAl Green restaurant, which was recently renovated, or the Player's Club Grill Room. The park opens at 6:00 p.m. Come really early for parking or park at the nearby Davenport Ridge Elementary School. Suggested donations: $20.00 for adults and $10.00 for students and senior citizens - a lot cheaper than flying over the pond and seeing it at The Globe. 1349 Newfield Avenue, Stamford. 203- 329-8207. www.curtaincallinc.com

We believe that parents have a responsibility to introduce their children to theatre. Summer Theatre of New Canaan is offering South Pacific, Grease, The Little Mermaid, The Cat in the Hat and Pinkalicious. Check the website, www.stonc.org, because the shows are playing on selected weekend from mid-June through mid-August. Curtain Call has two Summer Youth Theatre offerings: Sondheim and Lapine's Into the Woods with participants aged 14-21. Performances are August 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. and August 10 at 2:00 p.m. For younger kids, there's Disney's Alice in Wonderland, based on the 1951 Disney film. The book was a and additional lyrics to the 1951 . The book was adapted by David Simpatico, who added lyrics, and the music was adapted, arranged and complemented by Byran Louiselle. The actors in this show will be entering fourth through eighth grade. Performances are August 14 and 16 at 7:30 and August 17 and 18 at 2:00 p.m. 1349 Newfield Avenue, Stamford. 203- 329-8207. www.curtaincallinc.com

Love farce? So do we. The Town Players of New Canaan has a treat for us with Camoletti's Boeing, Boeing. Peripatetic ParisIan Bernard has Italian, German and American fiancées - each beautiful airline hostesses. An unexpected schedule change brings everyone, including Bernard's perplexed visitor and clever maid, too close for comfort in Bernard's apartment. July 26, 27 and August 2, 3, 9 and 10 at 8:00 p.m. and July 28 and August 4 at 2:30 p.m. Powerhouse Theatre, Waveny Park, New Canaan. 203-966-7371. www.tpnc.org

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