On chilly Cape Cod where I grew up, the onset of spring brought not just the promise of warmer weather but the anticipation of summer theater: Broadway tours at the Cape Playhouse, musicals at the Cape Cod Melody Tent, plays for and by kids at the Harwich Junior Theater. And there was a bonus: In the summertime you could spend intermission outdoors, sipping cool drinks under the stars. Summer theater, like the season itself, was a transient pleasure, and that made it all the sweeter.
But in Tampa Bay? We essentially have summer theater all year long. And right now, a good month or so before the actual first day of summer, the theater season is at its height and the conditions are ideal. You’ve not only got multiple shows to choose from, but the weather’s just right for a glass of wine with a view of the river before you head into the Straz; a pre-show dinner at one of the restaurants in Stageworks’ Channel District courtyard; cupcakes and conversation in freeFall’s breezeway; or a picnic in the park with American Stage. It may not be summer quite yet, but going to the theater could be the perfect way to start the season early.
Here’s a rundown of what’s happening on professional theater stages now and into the next few months.
The Amish Project. A one-woman show that turns a difficult subject — the mass murder of children in an Amish schoolhouse — into a transcendent and on occasion even funny piece of theater. American Stage, 163 Third St. N, St. Petersburg, through May 12, americanstage.org.
Hamlet Another show worth catching this weekend before it closes, starring one of the area’s best young actors, Jack Holloway, in one of Shakespeare’s toughest roles. Tampa Repertory Theatre at HCC Studio Theater, E. Palm Ave. and 14th St., Ybor City, Tampa, through May 12, tamparep.org.
Of Mice and Men A well-cast production of Steinbeck’s classic saga of friendship, intolerance and the bond between gentle giant Lenny and his protector, George. Stageworks Theatre, 1120 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, through May 19, stageworkstheatre.org.
The Odd Couple Two much-loved ’Burgers — Studio@620’s Bob Devin Jones and jazzman Nate Najar — play the titular roommates in Neil Simon’s much-loved comedy. Guess which one’s Oscar. The Studio@620, 620 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg, May 9-12, 16-19, studio620.org.
American Idiot The hit Broadway musical based on Green Day’s Grammy-winning multi-platinum album. Straz Center, 1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa, May 17-19, strazcenter.org.
Behind the Gates Jobsite tackles a clash of cultures in Jerusalem. Jobsite Theater at the Straz Center, through May 26, jobsitetheater.org.
Jon & Jen A poignant two-person chamber musical that follows the relationships of a woman between her brother and her son through 40 years of change. freeFall Theatre, 6099 Central Ave., through May 26, freefalltheatre.com.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee And you thought spelling was a grind. Not in this thoroughly wacky outdoor musical romp. American Stage in the Park, Demen’s Landing, St. Petersburg, through May 26, americanstage.org.
7 Homeless Mammoths Wander New England The best title of the year, with an equally intriguing premise. It’s billed as an “academic sex comedy” in which the threatened closing of a natural history museum leads to personal and public turmoil, not to mention “simulated sex between prehistoric college students and contemporary lesbians.” American Stage, May 29-June 30.
TampaWorks 2013 An evening of eight short plays by local playwrights celebrating the Tampa Bay area. Stageworks Theatre, June 6-9.
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents Based on the novel by Julia Alvarez and addressing issues of assimilation and identity, the play looks at more than 30 years in the lives of four sisters and their experiences in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. Stageworks Theatre, June 20-July 7.
West Side Story “Something’s coming, something good … Maybe tonight?” Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 N. McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater, June 21-23, rutheckerdhall.com.
The Lonesome West The darkly comic sensibilities of Martin McDonagh (The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Pillowman) once again grace the Jobsite stage with this play about two feuding brothers in a small Irish town and the priest who tries to reconcile them. Jobsite Theater, July 10-Aug. 4.
My Name Is Asher Lev Aaron Posner’s popular adaptation of the Chaim Potok novel about a young man’s struggle between his Hasidic upbringing and his desire to be an artist. American Stage, July 17-Aug. 25.
Spring Awakening Duncan Sheik’s brash, invigorating musical adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s late-19th-century shocker about teen sexuality rocked Broadway. Now let’s see what those inventive folks at freeFall will do with it. freeFall Theatre, July 18-Aug. 18.
Art Yasmina Reza’s Tony-winning play about three men whose friendship is sorely tested by their differing tastes in art. American Stage, Aug. 7-Sept. 8.
This article appears in May 9-15, 2013.