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Boston Globe

Explore R.I.'s dynamic summer theater offerings, from classics to new works

Academy Players 180 Button Hole Drive, Providence. ' The Wedding Singer. ' Set in New Jersey in the 1980s and based on the popular 1998 film of the same name, a wannabe rock 'n' roller finds his true self when he finds true love. Aug. 14-24 Arctic Playhouse 117 Washington St., West Warwick. ' Laughter on the 23rd Floor .' This ensemble comedy about a harried writing staff was inspired by playwright Neil Simon's youthful experience as a staff writer on Sid Caesar's 1950s hit TV program 'Your Show of Shows . ' May 15-June 1 'Harvey.' This chestnut features Elwood P. Dowd, who has a six-foot rabbit that nobody else can see for a best friend. It won the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for drama, beating 'The Glass Menagerie.' Tennessee Williams was robbed. Aug. 28-Sept. 14 Burbage Theatre 59 Blackstone Ave., Pawtucket. Get Globe Rhode Island Food Club A weekly newsletter about food and dining in Rhode Island, by Globe Rhode Island reporter Alexa Gagosz. Enter Email Sign Up ' The Legend of Georgia McBride .' Casey has just been fired from his gig as an Elvis impersonator in a run-down, small-town Florida bar. When the owner brings in a B-level drag show to replace his act, Casey finds that he has a whole lot to learn about show business – and himself. May 15-June 8 Advertisement Contemporary Theater Company 327 Main St., Wakefield. ' Noises Off .' The ultimate farce, this play follows the making of a play amid a confused late-night rehearsal, a backstage backstabbing, and a performance where everything that can go wrong does. June 20-July 26 ' A Midsummer Night's Dream .' This Shakespeare comedy is a dreamy charade where mortals mingle with pixies and all sorts of absurdities are commonplace. Here, this reverie takes place under the stars and on the banks of the Saugatucket River. July 6-Aug. 3 ' The Last 5 Years .' Jason Robert Brown's intensely personal chamber musical is a simple story about a singular event: the failed marriage between Cathy and Jamie. Their respective timelines careen in opposite directions until they cross and converge. Aug. 8 - Sept. 14 Gamm Theatre 1245 Jefferson Blvd., Warwick. ' Angels in America (Part I) .' This Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning masterpiece is set in 1980s New York City at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Part II will open in September. May 29-June 15 Granite Theatre 1 Granite St., Westerly. ' Kiss Me, Kate .' Passions run high in Cole Porter's 1948 backstage musical comedy as the leading lady and her ex-husband actor/director battle onstage and off in a production of Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew . ' July 11-Aug. 3 Newport Playhouse 102 Connell Highway, Newport. Advertisement ' Just a Dinner .' Single and in their 50s, Candace and Oliver prepare to enter the internet dinner dating scene. Much to the chagrin of their adult children. May 14-June 18 ' It's Your Funeral .' This funeral home farce finds the new owners breaking into the business amid bad news from a doctor, threats from their shady silent partners, and a surprise visit from a former bookie. June 25 -Aug. 7 Theatre by the Sea 364 Cards Pond Rd., Wakefield. A ' Always… Patsy Cline .' This jukebox musical follows the country music icon's longtime friendship with a fan from Houston. The story is oversimplified and the down-home humor is an acquired taste, but the work is heartfelt and the music is country classic. May 28-June 21 ' Waitress .' Adapted from the low-budget 2007 film, the story is a blue-plate special. It offers marginally nutritious fare about a talented pie-maker trapped in a troubled marriage with an unexpected pregnancy while working at a small-town diner. It comes with a side of gorgeous songs by Grammy-winning composer/ lyricist Sara Bareilles. June 25-July 19 ' Hairspray .' Based on the high-camp, low-budget 1988 cult film, this Broadway musical offers the light-weight story of a heavy-set girl with big dreams against a backdrop of the civil rights movement in 1962 Baltimore. July 23-Aug. 16 ' Heartbreak Hotel .' This biographical musical chronicles Elvis Presley's rise to fame, featuring over 40 of his iconic hits and a pedestrian script that explores his journey from humble beginnings. Aug. 20-Sept. 14 Trinity Repertory Company 201 Washington St., Providence. ' Blues for an Alabama Sky .' In the summer of 1930 in Harlem, New York, the creative euphoria of the Harlem Renaissance has given way to the harsher realities of the Great Depression. This play looks at the lives of five characters trying to hold onto their idealism amid racism and sexism. May 29-June 29 West Bay Community Theater 25 Dillon Ave., North Kingstown. ' Chicago ' – In Concert. A dazzling, satirical look at fame, justice, and the media machine, set in 1920s Chicago and performed at the NK Town Beach Bandshell, 10 Beach St., Wickford, R.I. August 16 Wilbury Theatre Group WaterFire Arts Center, 475 Valley St., Providence. ' American Idiot .' In 1994, Rolling Stone magazine dismissed the underground band Green Day as 'cheeky monkeys who came to raid the bar and disappear.' Raid they did, but disappear they did not. In 2004, the boys produced the Grammy Award-winning anti-hero concept album, 'American Idiot , ' which was turned into a 90-minute punk rock opera that opened on Broadway in 2010. May 29-June 15 See you at the theater. Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who formerly wrote for the Austin Chronicle. Connect with him .