BWW Previews: Summer Stages CABARET, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, & More Lead BWW'S Top Atlanta Theatre Picks for Summer

The summer months usher in all the things we love about summer in Atlanta: visits to the Atlanta Zoo, Braves baseball, evening strolls through the Atlanta Botanical Garden. This year, the summer months are also playing host to some of the best theatre offerings of the year, and there are so many that you might need help narrowing the playing field.

Here are the must-sees for Summer 2017:

Serenbe Playhouse

Cabaret - August 3-August 27

Fresh off the sold-out run of Grease this spring, which was delightfully staged as a vintage-style drive-in complete with vintage screen advertisements and 1950s jalopies, Brian Clowdus, the Artistic Director for Serenbe Playhouse and the mastermind behind the inventive stagings that have put Serenbe Playhouse on the national theatre map, will take to the stage as the Emcee in a reinvented and immersive Cabaret to be set in an outdoor cabaret nightclub, complete with neon lights and aerial capabilities.

Cabaret tells the story of Sally Bowles, a cabaret performer in the seedy Kit Kat Club in 1931 Berlin, and her relationship with an American writer against the grim backdrop of the rise of Nazism.

As if August in Atlanta won't be hot and steamy enough...

For tickets and additional information, visit http://www.serenbeplayhouse.com/

Atlanta Lyric Theatre

My Fair Lady - August 18-September 3

Lerner & Loewe's My Fair Lady, one of the most beloved musicals of all time, is coming to Atlanta Lyric Theatre this summer. The musical, which tells the story of Eliza Doolittle's Pygmalioning from a common flower girl into a proper lady of English society, will feature the old familiar songs that have secured this tuner a special place in so many hearts: "On the Street Where You Live," "With a Little Bit of Luck," "I Could Have Danced All Night."

What could be more loverly than that?

For tickets and additional information, visit http://atlantalyrictheatre.com/

Aurora Theatre & Theatrical Outfit

Aurora Theatre and Theatrical Outfit are joining forces this summer to bring The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Atlanta. The musical, based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the beloved Disney film, will showcase the only stage collaboration between Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin) and Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Disney's The Little Mermaid).

The musical tells the story of the disfigured Quasimodo, the bell ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, who spends his life tucked away in a tower. When he encounters Esmeralda, a young gypsy girl, Quasimodo must set aside his own insecurities in order to protect Esmeralda from Frollo, Quasimodo's evil guardian.

The fact that the musical, which made its long-anticipated U.S. premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2014 before moving to the Papermill Playhouse the following year, is coming to an Atlanta stage this summer is definitely something to sing about.

For tickets and additional information, visit http://www.auroratheatre.com/

The Fox Theatre

An American in Paris - August 15-20

Fresh off its successful Broadway run, the national tour of An American in Paris is making a stop at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The musical, inspired by the Academy Award-winning 1951 film of the same name, racked up a slew of awards during the 2015-2016 season, including the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Musical and four Tony Awards for Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, and Best Lighting Design of a Musical.

The musical, packed with beloved George and Ira Gershwin songs and gorgeous dance sequences, tells the story of Jerry Mulligan, an American soldier who is eager to rebuild his life after World War II. When Jerry meets a ballerina named Lise Dassin in Paris, he decides to stay in the city and devote his time to painting in order to be near Lise. The only problem is that Lise is already involved with Henri, a wealthy Frenchman to whom she is much indebted.

This show is sure to sell out, so get your tickets before they dance away.

For tickets and additional information, visit http://foxtheatre.org/

Horizon Theatre

Blackberry Daze - July 14-August 27

This summer Horizon Theatre will feature the Thomas W. Jones II's stage adaptation of Ruth Watson's historical novel Blackberry Days of Summer.

The play with original music, set in a small Southern town in the aftermath of World War I, tells the story of three women whose lives are changed forever by a mysterious and flamboyant gambler named Herman Camm.

This story of seduction and treachery is a perfect complement to sultry Southern summer evenings.

For tickets and additional information, visit www.horizontheatre.com

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