It's Only February and Summer's Heating Up

Officially, spring doesn't begin for another 45 days or so, and summer's three months after that, but it's still not too early for announcements about summertime programming here in New York and beyond.

Just look at the announcement yesterday that the Public Theater would be presenting Hamlet and Hair in Central Park this summer. Michael Stuhlbarg and Richard Easton are lined up for the former, and Jonathan Groff, of Spring Awakening, is slated to star in the latter, the musical that opened the institution's downtown home over 40 years ago.

Another announcement yesterday came from Town Hall where we'll find a tribute to Cole Porter, on the occasion of his 117th birthday come June. KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler will be offering up A Swell Party: RSVP Cole Porter on June 9, an evening that will include such Porter hits as "It's Delovely," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "Let's Do It," "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," "Every Time We Say Goodbye," "Night and Day," "Begin the Beguine," and "Experiment."

As if this isn't enough activity in the city, today, Variety is reporting that Doug Hughes will direct Farragut North, Beau Willimon's play about a young man who is a staff member for a rising presidential candidate. No dates or theater are known yet for this Broadway-bound play, but it too is looking at sometime over the summer

Looking beyond the city, the Berkshire Theater Festival has announced its season that will include classics like Shaw's Candida and Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and new ones such as Karen Zacharias' The Book Club Play, currently being produced at the Round House in Bethesda MD, and Matthew Wilkas and Mark Setlock's The Pageant Play, which will be getting its world premiere at BTF.

Nearby, in Pittsfield, Barrington Stage Company will be offering up revivals of things like Noel Coward's Private Lives and a return of William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's "Spelling Bee" (which began its life with the theater).

A note from the Weston Playhouse in Vermont has alerted me to the fact they've set their season. They've got two musicals on tap: Les Miserables and The Light in the Piazza and plays like Nilaja Sun's No Child… and John Patrick Shanley's Doubt.

I'm already starting to plan the swing through New England, but making sure I leave enough time for things here in New York too.

Have a great weekend!

Andy

Quick links:
Public Theater - www.publictheater.org
Town Hall - www.the-townhall-nyc.org
Berkshire Theatre Festival - www.berkshiretheatre.org
Barrington Stage - www.barringtonstageco.org
Weston Playhouse - www.westonplayhouse.org