10 good bets for theater to see this summer, including an immersive 'Cats'

Thomas Floyd, The Washington Post

Theater simmers with inspiration during the summer months. Warm temperatures open up outdoor stages. Festival season sends artists to refreshingly remote locales. And while the spring and fall offer a spate of touted openings, the lull in between proves ripe for experimentation. Consider, for example, that Shakespeare in the Park is becoming Shakespeare in the Parks and the buzziest new show on Broadway is a farce about a cabaret-crooning Mary Todd Lincoln. So peruse our picks, and ponder rolling the dice on some of this summer’s more offbeat offerings.

American Players Theatre season

Located among rolling hills and lush landscapes two hours west of Milwaukee, the American Players Theatre campus will again host a slew of productions at its indoor Touchstone Theatre and outdoor Up-the-Hill Theatre. Among this year’s offerings: the world-premiere play “The Virgin Queen Entertains Her Fool”; Nick Payne’s ethereal romance “Constellations”; the poetic Irish memory play “Dancing at Lughnasa”; and outdoor stagings of “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “King Lear.” June 8-Nov. 10 at American Players Theatre, 5950 Golf Course Rd., Spring Green, Wis. americanplayers.org.

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