Labor Day weekend is here, but it doesn’t mean summer’s over, even though school is back in session. In fact, some of the best days of the year are in September and October, and that stands for theater, too.
The R-rated “Green Day’s American Idiot” plays at Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth, N.H., through Sept. 27. The two-time Tony Award-winning hit musical is based on the Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album and boldly takes the American musical where it’s never gone before.
This high-octane show includes every song from Green Day’s album, “American Idiot,” as well as several songs from its follow-up release, “21st Century Breakdown.” Johnny, Tunny and Will struggle to find meaning in a post-9/11 world. When the three disgruntled men flee the constraints of their hometown for the thrills of city life, their paths are quickly estranged when Tunny enters the armed forces, Will is called back home to attend to familial responsibilities, and Johnny’s attention becomes divided by a seductive love interest and a hazardous new friendship. An energy-fueled rock opera, American Idiot, features little dialogue and instead relies on the lyrics from Green Day's groundbreaking album to execute the story line.
Visit https://tinyurl.com/4m8bbnb4 for tickets.
Mel Brooks turned 100 on June 28 and is still going on much like Dick Van Dyke.
Ogunquit Playhouse on Route 1 in Ogunquit, Maine, presents Brooks’ “The Producers” through Sept. 26. Jason Kravits takes on the legendary Max Bialystock alongside Dan DeLuca as the delightfully neurotic Leo Bloom in Brooks’ record-breaking musical smash. When a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and a timid tax auditor realize they can make more money with a flop than a hit, the ultimate show business scheme is born. Packed with laugh-out-loud humor, show-stopping numbers, and irresistible theatrical mayhem, Kravits and DeLuca bring incredible chemistry and Broadway-caliber talent to the iconic comedy duo. Visit https://tinyurl.com/2e4p4weu for info and tickets.
Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist play “Rhinoceros” is being performed through Sept. 27 at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, starring John Turturro. Everything seems normal one Sunday morning … until it’s not. One by one, friends and colleagues transform into rhinoceroses, and Berenger is forced to decide: will he follow the crowd or stand his ground? As resonant as when it premiered in the wake of the Second World War, “Rhinoceros” reminds us of the importance of holding on to our humanity amidst mounting pressures to conform.
Ionesco’s landmark play is staged in a new adaptation by A.R.T. based on Derek Prouse’s seminal translation. Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (“one of the most imaginative forces working in theater,” according to Broadway.com) directs her final production at the Loeb Drama before the ART moves to its new home in Allston. Tickets are scarce for the show, but you can try to get one if you try at https://tinyurl.com/4cf34b4s.
Nancye Tuttle’s email is [email protected].
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