OPENING
BAD DATES | Elizabeth Aspenlieder stars in Theresa Rebeck's one-woman comedy about a single mom's lackluster love life and rotten dating luck. Theresa "balances the pressures that come with a new career as a fashionable New York City restaurateur, raising a teenage daughter, and even a too-close-for-comfort relationship with the Romanian mob — and does so without neglecting to find the perfect pair of shoes." Eric Tucker directs. | Shakespeare & Company, Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, 70 Kemble St, Lenox | 413.637.3353 or shakespeare.org | August 4–September 12 | Curtain this week: 8 pm Wed | $15-$48
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT | American Idol finalist Anthony Fedorov stars in the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice adaptation of "the Biblical story of Joseph, his devoted father, his jealous brothers, and his incredible series of adventures." The score's style spans multiple genres, from country to calypso to rock, plus Elvis-inspired songs sung by an Egyptian pharaoh. Jayme McDaniel directs and choreographs; Eric Alsford handles the music direction. | North Shore Music Theatre, 62 Dunham Road Beverly | 978.232.7200 or nsmt.org | August 3-22 | Curtain 7:30 pm Tues | 2 + 7:30 pm Wed | 7:30 pm Thurs | 8 pm Fri | 2 + 8 pm Sat | 2 pm Sun | $35-$65
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW | Harvard-Radcliffe Summer Theatre takes on Richard O'Brien's 1973 musical, which he later adapted into the 1975 cult film Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devotees of the movie will be surprised to hear more singing from Rocky and an extra song for Brad in the stage play, but almost all of the callbacks will still apply. Roy Kimmey is the scandalously sweet transvestite Dr. Frank N. Furter; Matt Stone directs; Chris Gummerson is the music director. | Harvard-Radcliffe Summer Theatre, Loeb Experimental Theater, 64 Brattle St, Cambridge |www.hcs.harvard.edu/hrst| July 30–August 13 | Curtain 8 pm Thurs-Sun + midnight Fri [August 6] | $10; $6 students
THE TASTER | Tina Packer directs the world premiere of Joan Ackermann's play within a play about a man translating an ancient, obscure play about a king and his beloved food taster. Characters pass between the present and the mediæval as the translation process provides the depressed scholar with an enlightened message about service to others. Rocco Sisto, Maureen O'Flynn, Tom O'Keefe, and Robert Biggs make up the cast. | Shakespeare & Company, Founders Theatre, 70 Kemble St, Lenox | 413.637.3353 or shakespeare.org | July 29–September 4 | Curtain this week: 7:30 pm Thurs [July 29]-Sat | 2 pm Tues | 7:30 pm Wed | 2 pm Thurs [August 5] | $15-$43
VIOLET | Joe DeMita directs this F.U.D.G.E. Theatre Company staging of a 1997 musical set in 1964 in the Deep South, with music by Jeanine Tesori and libretto by Brian Crawley. Violet (Shawn O'Brien), a young woman with an unfortunate facial scar, sets off on a journey to find a televangelist who she believes will heal her disfigured face. Then she meets a young black soldier named Flick (Kaedon Gray) who helps her come to terms with being someone who looks different. | Arsenal Center for the Arts, Black Box Theater, 321 Arsenal St, Watertown | 781.245.0500 or fudgetheatre.com | July 30–August 7 | Curtain 8 pm Thurs-Sat | 2 pm Sun | $20
