Shakespearean satire, Jimmy Buffett’s music and a ‘Big Fish’: Curtains up on September theater productions | Entertainment

As summer turns to fall, local theaters are celebrating a new season by opening a variety of plays and musicals.

A Shakespearean satire, a spin-off of a 1950s classic play, a musical featuring Jimmy Buffett’s music, the story of a dad who spins tall tales and a theatrical concert filled with the tunes of famous girl groups will fill stages around Lancaster County this month.

Here’s what’s opening, and continuing, on those local stages during September. Note that some individual ticket prices will have processing fees added when they’re ordered in advance.

 ‘SOMETHING ROTTEN!’

• Where: Fulton Theatre, 12 N. Prince St., Lancaster.

• When: A mix of evening and matinee performances, Wednesdays through Sundays, Sept. 15 to Oct. 8.

• Details: In 1590s England, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are trying to write a hit play to compete with the fame of “The Bard.” A soothsayer tells them they’ll find success in penning a musical instead — but the title is mistakenly changed in translation. The results are a hilarious production filled with singing, dancing, over-the-top characters and knowing theater references.

• Tickets: $33-$92.

• Info: thefulton.org or 717-397-7425.

‘BIG FISH’

• Where: Warwick High School, 301 W. Orange St., Lititz.

• When: 7 p.m. evening shows and 2 p.m. matinees Fridays through Sundays, Sept. 8-24.

• Details: Servant Stage Company is presenting this musical based a 1998 novel and a 2003 Tim Burton film. The musical is the story of Edward Bloom, whose life — based on the fantastical tales he has told his son — is told in flashback as he is dying. At his bedside, his estranged son must try to sort out truth from fiction as he reconciles with his dad.

• Tickets: All Servant Stage shows are pay what you will, but ticket reservations are requested.

• Info: servantstage.org.

‘CLYBOURNE PARK’

• Where: Ephrata Performing Arts Center, 320 Cocalico St., Ephrata, in Grater Memorial Park.

• When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday from Sept. 7-16, with an 2 p.m. Saturday matinee on Sept. 16.

• Details: Act I of this Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play, a spin-off of Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 masterpiece, “A Raisin in the Sun,” picks up the story of the white family who sold their Chicago-area home to the Black Younger family amid racial tension in the neighborhood. The second act takes place 50 years later. The play is filled with both humor and drama and tackles the issues of race and gentrification.

• Tickets: $35-$54, with discounts for veterans, seniors and subscribers.

• Info: epactheatre.org or 717-733-7966, ext. 1.

‘JIMMY BUFFETT’S ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE’

• Where: Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, 510 Centerville Road, Lancaster.

• When: Matinee and evening performances run mostly Wednesdays through Sundays, Sept. 22 to Nov. 11. Tickets are available with a meal or for the show only.

• Details: This jukebox musical, for Parrotheads and everyone else, features Jimmy Buffett songs including “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Fins,” “Volcano” and “Margaritaville.” The musical tells the story of romances among locals and tourists at a bar on a volcanic island in the Caribbean.

• Tickets: $25-$80 for a meal and the show and $22-$55 for the show only.

• Info: dutchapple.com; 717-898-1900.

‘GIRL GROUP GREATS’

•  Where: Prima Theatre, 941 Wheatland Ave., Suite A, Lancaster.

• When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday from Sept. 22 to Oct. 1.

• Details: The cast of four singers for this theatrical concert perform well-known hits from girl groups from The Andrews Sisters to The Supremes to The Spice Girls.

• Tickets: $58-$75.

• Info: primatheatre.org.

‘NEVERMORE: THE FANTASTIC TERRORS OF EDGAR ALLAN POE’

• Where: Outdoors at Mount Gretna Playhouse, 200 Pennsylvania Ave., Mount Gretna.

• When: Four shows a night, 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays from Sept. 21-30.

• Details: Gretna Theatre brings back this outdoor theatrical experience, in which characters step out of the shadows to make Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories come to life and interact with the audience. Vendors and food will be available.

• Tickets: $25 with a $3 fee.

• Info: gretnatheatre.org/nevermore; 717-964-3627.

‘RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA: BROADWAY VERSION’

• Where: The Good Shepherd Chapel of Lancaster Bible College, 901 Eden Road, Lancaster.

• When: Six shows Thursdays through Saturdays from Sept. 22-30. Evening shows at 7 p.m.; matinees at 3.

• Details: The Good Shepherd Players from Lancaster Bible College’s Music, Worship, & Performing Arts Department presents the classic musical about the downtrodden stepsister who is transformed when she goes to the prince’s ball.

• Tickets: $21-$25.

• Info: lbc.edu/events.

For families

‘SLEEPING BEAUTY’

• Where: Fulton Theatre, 12 N. Prince St., Lancaster,

• When: Saturdays from Sept. 23 to Oct. 7.

• Details: The Fulton’s Eichmann Family Series opens its season with a fresh, musical spin on the classic fairy tale. A talking owl, a fire-breathing dragon, an allergy-prone prince and a peculiar princess inhabit this tale of quests and shattered stereotypes, designed to run for about an hour.

• Tickets: $14-$24.

• Info: thefulton.org; 717-397-7425.

Continuing

• “Guys and Dolls,” the musical tale that brings Damon Runyon’s 1930s tales of gamblers, missionaries and chorus girls to life continues through Sept. 16 at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre. Visit dutchapple.com or 717-898-1900.

• “The Home Game”continues through Oct. 19 at Bird-in-Hand Stage, 2760 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bird-in-Hand. The musical tells the story of an Amish man who must choose between his dream of being a baseball player and his father’s wish for him to remain and work on the family farm. Visit bird-in-hand.com/stage or call 717-768-1568.

• “Ryan & Friends: Never Speechless,” featuring the musical parodies, ventriloquism and comedy of Ryan Bomgardner, continues at Bird-in-Hand Stage until Oct. 28.

• Two family-friendly shows, featuring music and magic, continue at the Magic & Wonder Dinner Theatre, 3065 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise. “Jukebox Jive,” with music from the 1950s to ’80s, runs through Oct. 21, and “Magic & Wonder: Mystery,” featuring trips to magical worlds, continues through Oct. 28. Visit magicandwondershow.com.

• “Moses,” a large-scale musical telling the life story of a seminal figure in the Old Testament, continues at Sight & Sound Theatres, 300 Hartman Bridge Road, Ronks, through Oct. 7. Visit sight-sound.com.