BWW Previews: SUMMER STAGES in Atlanta

Welcome to Sunpocalypse. So far, this Atlanta summer is 100-in-the-shade. Basically, we're all human-sized Marios running from the evil sun and hoping for a brief respite via some magical pipe that takes you to a cool underground cavern where there's lots of unprotected gold. Luckily, our favorite Atlanta stages are offering up a lot of great summer theatre, so at least we have something cool to look forward to.

Oliver! at Atlanta Lyric Theatre

June ushers in Atlanta Lyric Theatre's new production of Lionel Bart's Oliver!, the 1960 Tony-winning musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' beloved novel Oliver Twist. The stage musical, like its celebrated 1968 film adaptation which picked up a slew of Oscars, and, of course, its Dickensian inspiration source, tells the story of young orphan Oliver who runs away from a workhouse and joins a group of boys who are trained to steal for their master, the villainous Fagin. This one is a fascinating portrait of 19th century class structures.

Oliver! plays at Atlanta Lyric Theatre from June 7 - 23.

For tickets and info, visit www.atlantalyrictheatre.com/

Ragtime at Serenbe Playhouse

There's a lot of heat radiating from Serenbe Playhouse this month, and it's mostly a byproduct of visionary director Brian Clowdus's "lush, huge production" of Ragtime, a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty. The Tony-winning 1996 musical, based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, is a portrait of the American experience at the turn of the 20th century. In classic Clowdus go-big-or-go-home fashion, this Vaudevillian reimagining of the musical takes place under a huge big top tent and takes on a sultry Atlantic City vibe.

Ragtime plays through June 9 at Serenbe Playhouse.

For tickets and info, visit www.serenbeplayhouse.com

Head Over Heels at Actor's Express

Direct from a well-reviewed Broadway run, Actor's Express offers up Head Over Heels, the new Go-Go's jukebox musical that made its world premiere in 2015 at Oregon Shakespeare Festival before opening on Broadway in 2018. The campy musical, loosely based on a 16th-century prose poem by Sir Philip Sidney, follows the royal family of Arcadia as they set out on a journey to save their kingdom from extinction. Expect song favorites like "We Got the Beat" and "Mad About You" from this fun musical fairy tale.

Head Over Heels plays July 17 - August 25 at Actor's Express.

For tickets and info, visit www.actors-express.com

Come From Away at the Fox Theatre

This summer the Fox Theatre welcomes the Broadway touring production of Come From Away, the critically-acclaimed box office darling with book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein that opened on Broadway in 2017 and continues its successful run. The popular tuner tells the true story of what happened when, after the events of 9/11, 38 planes were forced to land in the small town of Gander. Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls it a "big bearhug of a musical."

Come From Away plays June 25 - 30 at the Fox Theatre.

For tickets and info, visit www.foxtheatre.org

CATS at the Fox Theatre

In August, the Fox Theatre welcomes another Broadway touring show, Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS. CATS, the winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, tells the story of a tribe of cats who gather in the junkyard for their annual ball to decide which cat will be reborn. This new production, featuring punchy new choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, the choreographer for Hamilton, was well-reviewed on Broadway.

CATS plays August 6-11 at the Fox Theatre.

For tickets and info, visit www.foxtheatre.org

Driving Miss Daisy at Oglethorpe University

Georgia Ensemble Theatre is taking their recent production of Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning Driving Miss Daisy to the beautiful Conant Performing Arts Center at Oglethorpe University. Driving Miss Daisy, one of the most beloved American plays, tells the story of Daisy Werthan, a white Southern Jewish woman, and her relationship with her longtime African- American chauffeur, Hoke Coleburn, from the years 1948 - 1973. The play is, of course, the original source material for the popular 1989 film adaptation by the same name which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1990.

Driving Miss Daisy plays at Oglethorpe University from June 28 - July 21.

For tickets and info, visit www.get.org

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