Summer Stage Directory 2009

Rarely Done Productions. 546-3224. www.rarelydone.org. Bingo: The Musical
(June 19, 20) will be performed at the 63-seat performance space at
Jazz Central, 441 E. Washington St. Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m;
Sundays, 2 p.m. $20.

Simply New Theatre. 558-9124. www.simplynewtheatre.com. The company revives its acclaimed production Talking With. . .<
(Aug. 8). Presented at the Mulroy Civic Center’s BeVard Studio, 411
Montgomery St. Call for time. Advance tickets, $20; at the door, $25.

Spaghetti Warehouse. 689 N. Clinton St. The Thursday night interactive-mystery satirists Acme Mystery Co. present Homestyle Homicide: The Freagan Family Reunion (June 18, 25) and The Strange Case of Sheik Yerbuti
(July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Aug. 6, 13, 20) at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25.95,
including dinner theater and show, plus tax and gratuity. Call 475-1807
for Spaghetti Warehouse information, or 622-2665 for Acme Mystery. Also
at the venue: The Emperor’s New Clothes (June 20, 27), a Saturday
afternoon interactive shows presented by Magic Circle Children’s
Theater at 12:30 p.m. Show tickets are $5; kids’ meals available before
and after the show for a special price. Reservations: 449-3823.

Syracuse Shakespeare Festival. 476-1835. www.syracuseshakespearefestival.org.
Artistic director Ronnie Bell’s Shakespeare in the Park again takes
place at the Thornden Park amphitheater, off Ostrom Avenue and Madison
and South Beech streets, with a free production of the Bard’s The Tempest
(Aug. 13-16, 20-23). Theatergoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs
and picnic ingredients, although food vendors will be on hand.
Thursdays through Saturdays, 5:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.

The Talent Company. 479-SHOW. West Side Story
(July 9-11, 23-26, 29-31, Aug. 1, 6-9) will bring the Sharks and the
Jets to the New Times Theatre, Art and Home Center, New York State
Fairgrounds. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Call
for prices.

Heavy Hitters

Cortland Repertory Theater. Dwyer Park Pavilion, Little York Lake, Preble. (607) 756-2627, (607) 753-6161, (800) 427-6160. www.cortlandrep.org.
The tiny pavilion theater (since renamed the Edward Jones Playhouse) in
Dwyer Memorial Park, located on the Little York Lake shoreline, is
under the stewardship of producing director Kerby Thompson. The CRT
season continues with Paul Rudnick’s Shakespeare spoof I Hate Hamlet (June 17-21, 23-27); the devilish baseball musical Damn Yankees! (July 1, 2, 4, 5, 7-11, 14-18); the new comedy Unnecessary Farce (July 22-26, 28-31, Aug. 1); the courtroom drama Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (Aug. 5-9, 11-15); and the musical Forever Plaid (Aug. 19-23, 25-30, Sept. 1-4). Performances
are Tuesdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; with
additional 2 p.m. matinees June 19, 24, July 8, 10, 15, 17, 24, 29,
Aug. 7, 12, 21, 26, Sept. 2, 4. Evening prices run $25 to $27;
matinees, $20 to $22; discounts for seniors and students. There will
also be performances of the children’s show A Bagful of Fables
(dates to be announced) with a $5 admission. And talkbacks, which
follow Friday’s evening shows on June 19, 26, July 10, 17, 24, 31, Aug.
7, 14, 21, 28 and Sept. 4 (plus a Thursday version on July 3), offer
informative give-and-takes ’twixt the cast and audience.

Hangar Theater. Cass Park, Ithaca. Tickets: (607) 273-4497; (800) 284-8422. Theater: (607) 273-8588. www.hangartheatre.org.
Newbie artistic director Peter Flynn is guiding Hangar’s 35th summer
season of professional theater, which since 1975 has actually taken
place in a renovated airplane hangar located in picturesque Cass Park,
an area with picnic grounds, a marina and other recreational
facilities. Hangar’s slate includes the Caribbean-inflected musical Once On This Island (June 18-21, June 23-28, 30, July 1-4); Flynn will helm David Mamet’s political satire November (July 8-12, 14-18); associate artistic director Wendy Dann guides Harold Pinter’s  Betrayal (July 22-26, 28-31, Aug. 1); and the late Jonathan Larson’s blockbuster musical Rent
(Aug. 6-9, 11-16, 18-22) closes the summer. Performances run Tuesdays
through Thursdays and Sundays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8
p.m.; Saturday matinees, 3 p.m.; 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday, July 1,
and Sundays, June 28 and Aug. 16. Tickets are $16 to $38; under 18,
$16. Kiddstuff, the Hangar’s children’s theater series, features a slew
of new daytime programs: Snow White (June 25-27, July 2-4); Busytown
(July 15-18); The Adventures of a Bear Called Paddington (July 29-31,
Aug. 1) and a school version of The Mystery of Edwin Drood
(Aug. 13-15), running Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. and noon.
Tickets are $5. The Hangar’s Lab Company, consisting of drama students
in an experimental mood, offers a repertory of eight free, black-box
one-acts at the Wedge portion of the theater’s entranceway, usually
before and after main-stage performances Wednesdays through Sundays.
Reservations are recommended. And Tuesday Talkbacks, following evening
shows on June 23, 30, July 14, 28 and Aug. 11, give the audience a
chance to chat with actors and staff about the productions.

Kitchen Theatre Company. 116 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca. (607) 273-4497. www.kitchentheatre.org.
Wildly offbeat ventures provide the lure for this 73-seat theater
located in the renovated Clinton House hotel in downtown Ithaca. This
summer features Gutenberg! The Musical (June 17-21, 24-28, July
1-5, 8-12), the two-man tuner about the inventor of the printing press.
Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.;
Sundays, 4 p.m. Adults, $23 to $34; previews and matinees, $21;
discounts for seniors and students.

Merry-Go-Round Playhouse. Emerson Park, Route 38A, Auburn. 255-1785, (800) 457-8897. www.merry-go-round.com.
Longtime producing director Edward Sayles, on board since 1981 at MGR,
presents a series of crowd-pleasing summer-stock musicals in the park’s
renovated 501-seat carousel (now renamed the Preston H. Thomas Theater)
next to Owasco Lake: the blue-collar lark The Full Monty (June 17); Disney’s High School Musical (June 24-27, 29, 30, July 1-3, 6-11, 13-18); the flapper-era nostalgia of No, No, Nanette (July 22-25, 27-31, Aug. 1, 3-8, 10-13); the evergreen blockbuster A Chorus Line (Aug. 19-22, 24-29, 31, Sept. 1-5); rock, roll and remember Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Sept. 9-12, 14-19, 21-26, 28-30); and the Tony Bennett tribute I Left My Heart
(Oct. 7-10, 12-17, 20-25). Performances are Mondays through Thursdays,
7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; 2 p.m. matinees June 26, 27,
30, July 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 24, 25, 28, 29, Aug. 4, 5, 10, 12, 13, 21,
22, 25, 26, Sept. 1, 2, 11, 12, 15, 16, 22, 23, 28, 30, Oct. 9, 10, 13,
14, 20-25; 1 p.m. matinee July 3. Adult tickets are $33 to $39;
seniors, $30 to $37; under 18, $26 to $33. Don’t forget the $2 parking
fee at Emerson Park.

Unique Events

Glimmerglass Opera. Route 80, Cooperstown. (607) 547-2255. www.glimmerglass.org.
A Cooperstown mainstay since 1975, the company continues its summertime
arias with performances in the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego
Lake, one of four in the country solely devoted to opera. The repertory
season includes Verdi’s La Traviata (July 18, 20, 26, 28, Aug. 1, 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 16, 20, 22, 25); Rossini’s La Cenerentola (July 19, 24, 27, 31, Aug. 4, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 21, 23); and Menotti’s The Consul (July 25, 30, Aug. 1, 7, 9, 15, 18, 22, 24). There will also be a special concert performance of Purcell’s Baroque opera Dido and Aeneas
on Sundays, Aug. 2, 9, 16 and 23, at 11:30 a.m. The theater is eight
miles north of Cooperstown and two miles south of the junctions of
routes 20 and 80. Performances run Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.;
Sunday through Tuesday matinees, 2 p.m. (except Aug. 9, 16 and 23, when
matinees are at 3 p.m.); Saturday matinees, 1:30 p.m. Tickets range
from $48 to $130.

Hill Cumorah Pageant. Route 21, Palmyra. 597-5851. www.hillcumorah.com.
Since 1937, thousands have made the trek to Wayne County’s Palmyra for
a dose of old-time religion, presented by the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. With the advertising tagline “Come feel the Savior’s
love,” this year’s DeMille-ian spectacle promises the usual display of
opulent props, 1,400 costumes (more than 300 wigs!), sets, special
effects from Tinseltown’s Rick Josephsen (Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure, Cujo)
that entail volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, and a cast of more than
650. Although there are 8,000 seats available, the crowds often reach
as high as 14,000, with plenty of room for lawn chairs and blankets.
Food is available from local Lions and Rotary clubs from 4 to 9 p.m.
(lots of salt potatoes are sold), interpreters for the hearing-impaired
will be on the premises (headsets for a Spanish translation are also
available), and it’s handicapped-accessible. The free outdoor event
(parking’s free, too) begins at dusk, running 9:15 to 10:30 p.m., on
Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, and Tuesday, July 14, through
Saturday, July 18, although it’s recommended to be seated by 7 p.m.
It’s about two miles north of Thruway Exit 43.

Sterling Renaissance Festival and Summer Marketplace. 15385 Farden Road, Sterling. 947-5783, (800) 879-4446. www.sterlingfestival.com.
Still going strong in its 33rd season, the festival relies on more than
600 improvisational actors, entertainers, food and craftspeople to
recreate the ambiance for this popular 35-acre, open-air recreation of
the English village of Warwicke, circa 1585. The grounds contain
everything from a jousting field and dunking pond to gossiping
washer-wenches, mud-soaked beggars, a village idiot and rat catcher.
Artisans feature specialty stuff like pewter, custom-minted coins and
leather masks. Gravity-powered rides thrill the kids, and food (such as
turkey legs to satisfy your inner Charles Laughton) is available.
Special treats include a twice-daily Queen’s Royal Tea Party ($14.95)
at 1:30 and 4:15 p.m. for 60 little girls of all ages, and a Renewal of
Vows package deal ($119.95) on July 11 and 12, 11:15 a.m. and 3:30
p.m., for 100 couples who will get re-hitched by the Queen. The
festival runs Saturdays and Sundays only, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or
shine: July 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26, Aug. 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16.
Adults at the gate, $24.95; children ages 6 to 12, $14.95 (kids are
free July 4 and 5); 5 and under, free.

Other Upstate Theater

Beardslee Castle. 123 Old State Road, Little Falls. 823-3000, (800) 487-5861. Bob Greene’s Acme Mystery Co. from the Spaghetti Warehouse presents the murder-mystery dinner theater shows Homestyle Homicide: The Freagan Family Reunion (Saturday, June 20, 7 p.m.) and Death Takes a Cruise (Friday, July 24, 7 p.m.) at the 1860-vintage allegedly haunted castle. $45 per person, includes tax and gratuity.

Bristol Valley Theater. 151 S. Main St., Naples. (585) 374-6318. www.bvtnaples.org.
Presented in the 200-seat theater in the former Trinity Federated
Church, Bristol Valley will present the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical
revue A Grand Night for Singing (June 17-21); Red Herring (June 25-28, July 1-5), a mystery comedy set in 1952 Boston; Agatha Christie’s durable whodunit The Unexpected Guest (July 9-12, 15-19); the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice blockbuster musical Evita (July 23-26, 29-31, Aug. 1, 2); and the Noel Coward comedy Private Lives (Aug. 6-9, 12-16). Junior theatergoers can also enjoy Sparky Spectre and the Case of the Snowy Summer
(July 28-31, Aug. 11-14) at 11 a.m.; call for prices. And Talkback
Sundays, following matinees on June 28, July 12, 26 and Aug. 9, give
the audience a chance to chat with actors, crew and artistic director
Karin Bowersock about the shows. Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.;
Sundays and select Wednesday and Thursday matinees, 2 p.m. Adults, $30;
seniors, $28; college students, $15; children, $10. Previews, $29.

Capitol Theater. 220 W. Dominick St., Rome. 337-6453. www.romecapitol.com.
This 1,700-seat art deco theater, open for business back in 1928,
continues with its Summerstage 2009 lineup: the fairy-tale musical Once Upon a Mattress (July 16-18) and the murder-mystery musical Curtains! (Aug. 13-15). Thursdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Adults, $16; seniors, $15; students, $12.

Yesterday’s Royal. Canal 13 Street, Sylvan Beach. 762-4677.
The interactive-mystery spoofers Acme Mystery Co. also hops over to
Sylvan Beach with a tittering trio of dinner-theater shows presented on
Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m.: Homestyle Homicide (June 30, July 14), The Strange Case of Sheik Yerbuti (July 28, Aug. 4) and The Sound of Murder (Aug. 11, 18, 25, Sept. 1). After Labor Day, a performance of A Tomb with a View
will be presented on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The $29.99 tab includes
dinner (prime rib, chicken saltimbocca or scallops royal) and show,
plus tax and gratuity.

—Compiled by Bill DeLapp