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There's a lot to look forward to this summer for theater lovers.
First off, Trinity Rep and the Gamm wrap up their regular seasons at the end of the month; there's a little more than a week left to see Syringa Tree and Rock 'n' Roll.
I saw Syringa Tree this past weekend and it was marvelous. It's a rare chance to see Anna Scurria, Barbara Meek and Rachael Warren all share the stage in lead roles. They confidently and joyfully meet the challenge, as does young Brown/Trinity guest actress Tiffany Nichole Greene. This is the kind of performance Trinity does best, the kind of thing Trinity alone, of all the local theaters, can really pull off. It's a play about apartheid South Africa, with all four actresses taking more than one role to help bring us a rich story of friendship and sadness as two little girls grow up in a world of privilege, violence and change. It's in the smaller theater, an intimate production that completely caught me up in a different time and place. It also pulled the best performances I've seen from Scurria - whom I'd previously seen only in jolly washerwomen-type side roles - and Warren, who often leads but tends to seem mannered. She plays Brit well - all the accents were impressive, in fact, including the white Afrikaans and black South African. Great singing and drumming, too.
Also ending in May is Underpants at 2nd Story in Warren, which has generated a lot of buzz as a fun, quick romp. There are just a few nights left that haven't sold out.
2nd Story - with a new air conditioning system - will continue to offer locally produced plays through the summer. There are two more comedies scheduled, The Late Christopher Bean and The Foreigner.
Also premiering air conditioning along with the theatrics this summer will be the Leeds Theatre on Providence's East Side, with a line-up of new plays by well-established writers as part of Brown's Playwrights Rep program. First up is Dog Park by Radio Free Emerson writer Paul Grellond.
Finally, that venerable tradition, Shakespeare in the park, returns to Providence this summer with newly regrouped The Rhode Island Shakespeare Theatre, led by Bob Colonna. They're putting on a site-specific production of Henry VIII in Roger Williams park at 8 p.m. on June 12-13, 19-20 and 26-27. Best of all, it's free. Bring a chair or blanket for the quintessential breezy summer theater experience.