Philadelphia Weekly

Bristol Riverside Theatre wraps up its season with the off-Broadway smash musical Altar Boyz (May 14-31). A spoof on the boy band craze, the story focuses on five angelic lads who form a musical group that’s a hit among the bingo-playing set in Ohio. But when the boys hit the big time in NYC, temptation beckons. Will the heavenly fivesome succumb to rampant sex and sin in the Big Apple? Packed with amusing and catchy tunes, the production is directed by the show’s original choreographer Christopher Gattelli.

The Philadelphia Theatre Company stages the Philly premiere of the Tony Award-winning musical Grey Gardens (May 22-June 28). Adapted from the cult documentary, Gardens is the story of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy’s eccentric cousin and aunt who party with high society in the Hamptons before falling into seclusion in their ramshackle mansion. Oddly compelling and wonderfully human, the production stars Barrymore Award-winner Kim Carson.

Philadelphia Theatre Workshop concludes their season with the world premiere of Kathy Anderson’s comedy The Meatpackers Book Club (May 30-June 14). The plot follows a group of co-workers at a meatpacking plant who, when not hacking animal carcasses, read and discuss the literary merits of novelists Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

The InterAct Theatre Company tackles the issue of gay adoption in local playwright Michael Whistler’s new drama Little Lamb (May 29-June 28). Commissioned by InterAct as part of their ambitious 20/20 New Play Commission program, Lamb is the tale of a gay, mixed-race couple who adopt an African-American child. The family’s happiness is tempered when the birth mother raises concerns about the placement of her child with a gay couple.

People’s Light & Theatre Company (PLTC) is staging two new productions this summer. First up on the company’s mainstage is one of the best plays of the past decade, John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Doubt: A Parable (June 3-28).

In July on PLTC’s Steinbright Stage is Deborah Zoe Laufer’s domestic comedy End Days (July 8-Aug. 2). The story focuses on an unusual family. Mom is an ex-Jew, now born-again Christian. Dad is a chronic depressive who can’t seem to change out of his pajamas. Their daughter is a goth atheist who is being wooed by the family’s neighbor, a nerd with an Elvis fixation. If that isn’t strange enough, there’s a visit from Jesus and Stephen Hawking.

The Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival (PGLTF) returns for a seventh season. Opening the festival is the Philly premiere of Jon Hartmere and Damon Intrabartolo’s Bare: A Pop Opera (June 11-26). The show centers on Peter and Jason, a pair of teen lovers who are trying to forge a lasting romance in their senior year at a Catholic high school. Also at PGLTF is Paula Vogel’s And Baby Makes Seven (June 17-26). An innovative work about a family with three imaginary children and a newborn on the way, Baby explores the possibilities of theater while redefining family. Closing out the festival’s major productions is Tom W. Kelly’s Friends Are Forever (June 19-27), which concerns a group of friends who discover that romance and friendship are closely linked.

Philadelphia Theatre Company and improv troupe Second City team up to present the world premiere revue The Second City (July 8-Aug. 2). The satirical show about Philadelphia is developed in part by 1812 Productions Artistic Director Jennifer Childs and features comic sketches lampooning such Philly institutions as the Mummers, Eagles coach Andy Reid and Betsy Ross.

Shakespeare in Clark Park returns this summer with The Comedy of Errors (July 29-Aug. 2). Fast-paced and open to interpretation, Shakespeare’s tale of mistaken identity focuses on twin brothers. Add an exorcist, a couple of dubious merchants and one seriously pissed-off wife and you have a highly accessible comedy that even Bard-loathers can love.

Altar Boyz May 14-31. $34-$42. Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol. 215.785.0100. brtstage.org

Grey Gardens May 22-June 28. $10-$70. Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard sts. 215.985.0420. philadelphiatheatrecompany.org

The Meatpackers Book Club May 30-June 14. $15-$20. Walnut Street Theatre, Studio 5, 825 Walnut St. 215.316.1361. philadelphiatheatreworkshop.org

Little Lamb May 29-June 28. $15-$28. The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. 215.568.8079. interacttheatre.org

Doubt: A Parable June 3-28. $26-$48. People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern. 610.644.3500. peopleslight.org

End Days July 8-Aug. 2. $26-$48. People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern. 610.644.3500. peopleslight.org

Bare: A Pop Opera June 11-26. $10-$20. The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. 215.627.6483. pgltf.org

And Baby Makes Seven June 17-26. $10-$20. The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. 215.627.6483. pgltf.org

Friends Are Forever June 19-27. $10-$20. The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. 215.627.6483. pgltf.org