By Mark Edelman

July offers audiences a wonderful smorgasbord of Broadway musicals, along with some top drawer dramas and a comedy. Enjoy the  summertime in air-conditioned comfort:

HAIR

Signature Theatre

Now thru July 7

 Your last chance to see Matthew Gardiner’s spot-on revival of everyone’s favorite hippie musical. Even if you can fry an egg on the sidewalk, “let the sunshine in” still makes for a fun-filled finale.  Tickets at http://www.sigtheatre.org

 

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE SEA

Signature Theatre

Now thru July 7

While the Age of Aquarius dawns downstairs, Signature’s intimate Ark space plays host to the DC premier of this poignant musical about a son coming togrips with his estranged father’s passing. Recreating the same cross-country trip his Haitian immigrant parents took before his birth, the music proves to the thing that bonds them as time blurs and the distance between them diminishes. Lyrical storytelling and an evocative folk score drive father and son to rediscover love, each other and their everlasting bond. Tickets at http://www.sigtheatre.org

 

IS GOD IS

Constellation Theatre

Now thru July 14

 Twin sisters embark on a journey across America to exact righteous revenge on the man who betrayed their family in this Afropunk musical adventure.  Tickets at www.constellationtheatre.org

 

FUNNY GIRL

Kennedy Center

Now thru July 14

 The musical that made Streisand a star tours the country after an extended run on Broadway. Tickets at www.kennedy-center.org

 

KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY MUSICAL

Glen Echo Park

Now thru July 14

DC’s award-winning Adventure Theatre MTC presents a new musical based on the Caldecott winning book by Mo Willems. When Trixie and her father bustle through the streets of New York City, everything is hunky dory. But, returning home, Trixie discovers that her Knuffle Bunny is gone—and she can’t tell her Dad what’s wrong. Tickets at http://www.adventureintheatre-mtc.org

 

JERSEY BOYS

Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Now thru September 1

The story of four blue-collar juvenile delinquents who became one of the greatest successes in pop music history, this show takes you behind the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Discover the secret of a 40 year friendship as they work their way from the streets of Jersey to the heights of stardom. All the Four Seasons hits, all the time. Tickets at http://www.tobysdinnertheatre.com

 

THE COLORED MUSEUM

Studio Theatre

July 3- August 11

Broadway wunderkind George Wolfe got his start writing this provocative tour of eleven “exhibits”— satiric sketches targeting  America’s most pernicious stereotypes of Black culture. Directed by Psalmayene 24, who staged an enchanting Metamorphoses at the Folger Library  Theatre, you can bet this production won’t hold back on Wolfe’s toxic narratives about the Black American experience. Tickets at www.studiotheatre.org

 

BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL

Olney Theatre Center

July 3- August 25

Before she became the legendary singer-songwriter who helped define an era, Carole King was a 16-year-old Brooklyn kid trying to sell her songs to Tin Pan Alley publishers. Then she met Gerry Goffin; together they churned out hits like “Take Good Care of My Baby,” “Up On The Roof,” and “Will You (Still) Love Me Tomorrow” for pop acts like the Shirelles and The Drifters. Did their partnership and romance survive the ups and downs of the music biz? Tickets at http://www.olneytheatre.org

 

MEMPHIS

Alexandria Little Theatre

July 20- August 10

This Tony® Award winning Best Musical by Bon Jovi sideman David Bryan tales the sobering tale of a 50s era disc jockey who falls in love with the new-fangled rock and roll songs he hears on the backstreets of this Tennessee town, along with the beautiful girl who sings them. The problem? He’s white and she’s black. Problems ensue—can love conquer all? Tickets at http://www.thelittletheatre.com

 

BACK TO THE FUTURE… THE MUSICAL

Kennedy Center

July 23- August  11

Adapted for the stage by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, the film’s creators,  this happy new stage show won London’s Best Musical Award. Once again, Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown. Now Marty’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past, and send himself… back to the future. Will he get that DeLorean up to 88mph when lightning strikes? Head to the Ken Center and find out. Tickets at www.kennedy-center.org

 

NOISES OFF

Keegan Theatre

July 27- September 1

Michael Frayn’s door-slamming farce could be the funniest play ever written. The Keegan brings back their acclaimed 2010 production that played to sold-out houses. Why be a Scrooge and stay away this time? Tickets at http://www.keegantheatre.com

 

Photo credits: Casey Likes and the Broadway cast of Back to the Future photo by Matthew Murphy.  Robert Morrison, Awa Sal Secka and Robert Cornelius in Signature Theatre’s  Where the Mountain Meets the Sea photo by Christopher Mueller. Funny Girl national tour photo by Matthew Murphy.

About the Author: Mark Edleman is a playwright who loves writing about theater. He is a lifetime member of the Broadway League and a Tony® voter.