Theater doesn’t take the summer off.

There’s lighthearted fun to be had inside a – mercifully – air-conditioned theater this sweltering season. If you’re craving the theatrical equivalent of a “beach read,” you can find it in the CLT. But there’s serious drama on stage, too. No matter what you crave, Charlotte theater companies and touring productions are ready to entertain and enlighten you.

A few weeks ago, we asked you what you wanted to see out of upcoming batches of The Biscuit. One thing we heard loud and clear: Share more about local theater.

We couldn’t agree more.

So, take your seats, and unwrap any candy or lozenges and read on to learn more about the theater we’re most eager for this summer and fall. 

MAIN IMAGE: An earlier performance of “La Bestia” | CREDIT: Nouveau Sud

Charlotte Squawks: NC-17
Through June 26 at Booth Playhouse
Tickets begin at $24.50 | Purchase online 

The good thing is we don’t have to wait for this first one. It’s already here!

Yup, it’s the 17th year Mike Collins and company have poked fun at Charlotte and its world-class ambitions. Nothing is sacred, and everyone – from Pat McCrory to Mr. Jenkins (of Morris-Jenkins Heating and Air Conditioning fame) – is a likely target. It’s a variety show filled with local political commentary, song and dance and sketch comedy. Consider it Charlotte’s version of the “Not Ready for Primetime Players.”  

Photo Credit: Blumenthal Performing Arts

Guys and Dolls
June 17-26 at Dale F. Halton Theater at Central Piedmont Community College
Tickets begin at $10 | Purchase online
Or, call the box office at 704.330.6841.

Did we mention light-hearted? Frank Loesser’s confection of a musical comedy fits the bill. The action, set in New York City, pairs a gambler with a missionary and a showgirl trying to clean up her act with a low-down craps game manager. This is the show that gave the world “Luck Be A Lady,” which Frank Sinatra turned into a hit. 

LA BESTIA: A Circus Journey
July 2 & 3 at Booth Playhouse
Tickets begin at $10 | Purchase online

We wrote about Carlos Cruz’s latest fantasia nearly a year ago. He and his Nouveau Sud Circus Project performed the first iteration of their new work of innovation, acrobatics, music and spoken word last July. Now, they’re back with a reimagined version, based on audience feedback.

Funded through the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) 2021 National Theater Project Creation & Touring Grant, this is a show for all ages and an homage to the Latinx community. Cruz hopes to begin a dialogue about the reality of immigration around the world, but particularly in the United States. “Migrants … risk their lives to come here, but we tend to immediately put that ‘illegal’ label onto migrants in the Latinx community,” he said. 

Photo Credit: Nouveau Sud

Celeste Barber – Fine, Thanks Live Tour
July 7 at Ovens Auditorium
Tickets start at $44.50 | Purchase online

Hailed as the “Australian Queen of Comedy,” Barber owes her considerable celebrity to her parody Instagram account. Tongue-in-cheek photos of her scantily clad self in provocative poses lampoon the swimsuit models that threaten to overtake Instagram. (Note: Barber is not a swimsuit model, and therein lies the humor. And her message.) She’s amassed 9 million followers. In 2019, she released her best-selling book, Challenge Accepted, and was also seen on the Showtime Special of the same name. 

Tosco Music Beatles Tribute
July 23 at Knight Theater
Tickets begin at $21.50 |  Purchase online.

So, this is a musical event, rather than theater, but it’s deserving of your consideration. Tosco Music, which started in John Tosco’s living room in the ‘80s, has been presenting this annual community Beatles Tribute event for 17 years. It’s a show for all ages, and – of course – includes singalongs to the songs we all know by heart. Get your tickets early, because it consistently sells out. This is part of FabFest – Charlotte’s Beatles Festival that includes The Fab Four on Friday night and a full day of live music, speakers and activities on Saturday. See FabFestCharlotte.org for more details. 

Photo Credit: Tosco Music

To Kill a Mockingbird
July 26-31 at Belk Theater
Tickets start at $25 | Purchase online

This production is part of Blumenthal’s Broadway Light series. We’d happily see a middle school production of Harper Lee’s novel-turned-play featuring the indelible Atticus Finch; his precocious daughter, Scout; and the mysterious Boo Radley. But we’re especially excited for Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of the beloved (and Pulitzer Prize-winning) work.

Richard Thomas (John Boy from The Waltons; Wendy’s dad, Nathan, from Ozark) plays the iconic role of Atticus. With direction by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird has become what NPR calls “one of the greatest plays in history.” 

PHOTO: Richard Thomas in a courtroom scene from “To Kill a Mockingbird.” | CREDIT: Julieta Cervantes

The Maids
Aug. 4-14 at The Mint Museum’s Van Every Theater
Tickets are $30 | Purchase online

Presented by XOXO. A dark one-act play for three actresses, Jean Genet’s play is both comic and sinister. The Maids is simple on the surface: two maids – sisters – take turns role playing as their wealthy employer. As the sisters lose themselves in the game, a murderous plan unfolds. The Maids is a return for Matt Cosper and XOXO to their absurdist roots. 

Toni Stone
Aug. 19-21, Aug. 25-27 and Sept. 1-4 at The Arts Factory
(Note: Free parking!)
Tickets range from $10 to $30 | Purchase online

Presented by Three Bone Theatre. Lydia Diamond based her play on the true story of the first woman to play major league baseball in the U.S. Stone played in the Negro Leagues. An all-female design team will bring the piece to life, and the theater company is renting the authentic, recreated wool baseball uniforms of that time period from Milwaukee Rep Theatre. Dr. Corlis Hayes directs this timely production. 

Evil Dead The Musical
Sept. 29-Oct. 30 at The Barn at MoRA
Subscriptions on sale now | Single ticket pricing not yet determined

Presented by Actors Theatre of Charlotte. This is the theatrical version of one of the most internationally banned cult films of all time. When five college pals head to an abandoned cabin in the woods, you can imagine that their fun is going to be interrupted by something evil and/or supernatural. Sure enough, their dreams of Jell-o shots and strip poker are dashed when they unwittingly unleash a force that begins (you know where this is headed) picking them off one by one. Luckily, someone has a chainsaw for a hand.

ATC heads to the great outdoors again this season – at The Barn at MoRA – for the campy fun. “Real Deadites will want to experience the Splatter Zone – a specially designated seating area that puts you in the middle of the action,” according to ATC’s website. 

Something Rotten!
Oct. 21-Nov. 6 at Theatre Charlotte
Subscriptions on sale now | Single ticket pricing not yet determined

Presented by Theatre Charlotte, this madcap musical comedy opened on Broadway in 2015 and earned 10 Tony nominations – including Best Musical. Set in 1595, the story follows the theatrically inclined Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, whose dreams of success on stage keep running up against some stiff competition – William Shakespeare. When a soothsayer says that the future of theater involves singing, dancing and acting, the brothers set out to write the world’s first musical. This will be the first show in Theatre Charlotte’s (currently-under-renovation) long-time home since a fire damaged the building in 2020.  

LOCAL/STREET 2022 Opens at The Mint Museum

Okay, this isn’t a theater experience, but it will be spectacular. And, it puts local Charlotte artists on center stage.

Last year, more than 1,000 people viewed the work of over 40 local BIPOC artists at LOCAL/STREET at The Mint Museum Randolph. The 2022 exhibition, featuring more than 60 Charlotte-area artists, opens at the Mint Uptown at a sold-out event tonight. The installation will remain on display through June 24. General admission to the Mint is required. MORE HERE.

LOCAL/STREET 2022 was curated by Carla Aaron-Lopez with support from The Mint Museum, NC Arts Council, Arts & Science Council and Charlotte Is Creative.