Summer theater on Long Island

The summer theater season at our local venues is heating up (along with the weather). Well-priced summer fun (some of it free) is available throughout the area, both indoors and out. So leave Manhattan to the out-of-towners and check out the many summer theater offerings nearby, which won’t empty
the wallet.
Well-crafted presentations abound. From revivals to modern comedy, there is something for everyone this summer, ranging from classic musicals to musical revues, Shakespeare, and off-Broadway wackiness.
It’s always fun to watch theater outdoors this time of year. Lynbrook-based Plaza Theatrical Productions continues its summer tradition of presenting free productions at parks and libraries, along with performances at its home base in Bellmore, The Showplace at Bellmore Movies. Plaza’s founder Kevin Harrington (a Molloy College alumnus) continues to direct his well-received shows – a treasured staple of the local summer theater season – throughout the area.
Plaza’s main production is “Annie Get Your Gun,” the rousing musical about sharpshooter Annie Oakley. It, of course, features that fabulous Irving Berlin score, including “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “Falling in Love is Wonderful” and “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better.” The show visits Eisenhower Park’s Lakeside Theatre on Friday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m. It can also be seen at Westbury Manor, on Wednesday, July 21, and at The Showplace in Bellmore, on Monday, July 26.

Plaza Productions’ summer schedule continues with “Goin’ Hollywood,” a fast-paced fully-staged musical revue that recalls the excitement of by-gone Hollywood musicals. Relive such golden oldies as “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “The Trolley Song,” “You Made Me Love You,” and “That’s Entertainment,” on Friday, July 30, at 7:30 p.m. at Freeport’s Nautical Mile, and Thursday, Aug. 12, at 7:30 p.m., at Rockville Centre’s Village Green. It is also staged at Westbury Manor on Wednesday, Aug. 4 and Aug. 18, at noon.
Harrington’s troupe also has something for the kids. On the boards this summer is the beloved fairytale, “Sleeping Beauty.” A sleeping princess, a spell-bound prince, and more fairies than you can shake a stick at are all part of this musical favorite. It’s being performed throughout July and August, at the Bellmore Theatre, and at various outdoor locations, including East Rockaway’s Memorial Park, on Friday, Aug. 20, at 7:30 p.m.
Of course, it wouldn’t summer without some Shakespeare. Look to Arena Players, which presents its annual summer production in the Vanderbilt Museum’s cobblestone courtyard, set against the magnificent backdrop of the historic Vanderbilt Mansion in Centerport. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the enchanting comedy, is the featured production this season. Performances are offered Friday and Sunday, now through Aug. 29. Theatergoes are encouraged to picnic on the majestic lawns overlooking the Long Island Sound before the show.
Those who enjoy Broadway musicals (and that’s probably most everyone) can sample some of Broadway’s best moments when Neil Berg’s “100 Years of Broadway” visits Eisenhower Park on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7:30 p.m. Described as “a Bruce Springsteen concert for the Broadway set,” the revue revives the greatest show-stoppers of the last century. Revel in well-worn favorites by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, and Andrew Lloyd Webber, among others.
Indoors, Arena Players presents “Ancient History” by David Ives. The romantic comedy about a mid-thirties pair, one who is Jewish and the other a lapsed Catholic, opens this weekend, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 8. BroadHollow Theatre Company offers the mega-hit “The Producers,” at its venue at Elmont Public Library, now through July 25. That is followed by “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers,” a lively stage version of the riproaring MGM film, Aug. 7-22. Its BayWay Arts Center in East Islip presents the musical “Why Do Fools Fall In Love, July 24-Aug. 8. The kids will enjoy some classic tales, presented on the Elmont stage. “Cinderella” is performed on Tuesday, July 20, at 10 a.m., and on Aug. 2, at 12:45 p.m. “The Jungle Book” can be seen Thursday, Aug. 12, at 12:45 p.m., and “Alice in Wonderland” is offered on Tuesday, July 27, at 10 a.m.
In Merrick, Nassau Arts Center (also known as The Stage) is doing “The Peacock Season.” Otis Bigelow’s charming comedy of manners – and murder – runs through Aug. 8.
Nearby at Hofstra University, Alfred Uhry's “The Last Night of Ballyhoo,” opens this weekend. The bittersweet comedy, set in 1939 Atlanta, follows an upper-class Jewish family coping with budding romances, the rumblings of World War II, and, above all, Ballyhoo, the biggest social event of the year. A number of local actors are featured in the production, including two up-and-coming young actresses from Rockville Centre, Molly Bier (who plays Lala Levy) and Christina Corsaro (who can be seen as Sunny Freitag). It runs through Aug. 1. Next up at Hofstra, is “Annie,”
Aug. 14-29.
Long Island’s professional theater company, the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport, is entertaining audiences with “Damn Yankees,” the beloved musical comedy inspired by our national pastime, through Aug. 29.
Then there’s the return to Long Island of the off-Broadway hit: ”Menopause The Musical,” about four women who share their ups and downs through a collection of 25 re-lyricized baby boomer songs. It can be seen through Aug. 29 at Port Washington’s Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street.

Where to go...

Plaza Theatrical Productions, varied locations and times. (516) 599-6780 or www.plazatheatrical.com.

Arena Players at Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Rd., Centerport; Second Stage Theatre, 294 Rte. 109, East Farmingdale. (516) 293-0674 or www.ArenaPlayers.org.

BroadHollow Theater Company’s Bayway Arts Center, 265 E. Main St., East Islip; BroadHollow Theatre, 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont. (631) 581-2700 or www.broadhollow.org.

John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport. (631) 261-2900.

Nassau Arts Center, 2222 Hewlett Ave., Merrick. (516) 868-6400.

Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 717-3900 or www.menopauselongisland.com.

Hofstra University’s Monroe Lecture Center Theater, California Ave., South Campus; John Cranford Adams Playhouse, South Campus, Hempstead. (516) 463-6644.