Auburn Public Theater, 8 Exchange St., Auburn. 253-6669. auburnpublictheater.org. Summer shows include the return of the squabbling kitchen ladies (ahem) for The Calamari Sisters’ Clambake (June 9-12, 17-19, 23-26), the irreverent comedy ’Til Death Do Us Part: Late Night Catechism 3 (July 14-16, 21-23, 28-30) and more laughs with stand-up comic Brad Zimmerman’s show My Son, The Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy (Aug. 4-6, 11-13, 18-20). Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m., Sundays and select matinees, 2 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance, $38 at the door.
Bristol Valley Theater. 151 S. Main St., Naples. (585) 374‑6318, bvtnaples.org. This 200-seat theater in a former church has been presenting both durable evergreens and offbeat efforts since 1986. This season includes the raunchy puppets of Avenue Q (June 16-26), the middle-ager romantic comedy Shooting Star (June 30-July 10), the Peter Pan musical prequel Peter and the Starcatcher (July 14-24),Larry Shue’s absurdist comedy classic The Foreigner (July 28-Aug. 7), the world premiere comedy Cookie Fight (Aug. 11-21) and the horror chestnut Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Aug. 25-Sept. 4). Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m., with additional 2 p.m. matinees throughout the summer. Adults, $33; seniors, $31; students, $17; ages 18 and under, $12.
Capitol Theater. 220 W. Dominick St., Rome. 337‑6453, romecapitol.com. This 1,700‑seat theater, built in 1928, will bring two musical offerings for its Summerstage season: the Rodgers and Hammerstein evergreen Carousel (July 14‑16) and the retro Jazz Age charms of Thoroughly Modern Millie (Aug. 4-6). Thursday through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Adults, $17; seniors, $16; children and students, $12.
Central New York Playhouse. Shoppingtown Mall, 3649 Erie Blvd. E. 885-8960, cnyplayhouse.com. The troupe that keeps the lonely mall’s lights on continues its season with the patriotic musical 1776 (June 17-19, 23-26, June 30-July 2), the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice rock opera Evita (July 22-24, 28-31, Aug. 4-6) and the Steve Martin one-act comedies Wasp and Other Plays (Aug. 19-21, 25-27) Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Tickets range from $17 to $25.
Cortland Repertory Theater. Dwyer Pavilion, Little York Lake, off Route 281, Preble. (607) 756‑2627, (800) 427‑6160, cortlandrep.org. Another card of surefire hits coordinated by artistic director Kerby Thompson should lure patrons to the tiny pavilion adorning the Little York Lake shoreline: the broad comedy of Ken Ludwig’s The Fox on the Fairway (June 8-12, 14-18); turf defense is examined in the Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim musical drama West Side Story (June 22-26, June 28-July 2, July 5-9); hopeful hoofers get winnowed down during a Broadway audition in the award-winning A Chorus Line (July 13-17, 19-24, 26-30); a resurrection of Agatha Christie’s rarely produced mystery Cards on the Table (Aug. 3-6, 9-13); the catty cooking-show comedy of The Kitchen Witches (Aug. 17-21, 23-27); and the retro musical spoofery of The Marvelous Wonderettes (Aug. 31-Sept. 4, Sept. 6-10). Tuesdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; select Wednesday and Friday matinees, 2 p.m. Tickets range from $27 to $34. The company’s annual children’s show will be Pinocchio, running at 10 a.m. on July 14, 16, 22 and 23. Tickets are $7.
Glimmerglass Festival. Route 80, Cooperstown. (607) 547‑2255, glimmerglass.org. The company mounts acclaimed productions at the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake. The repertory season includes Puccini’s La Boheme (July 8, 17, 24, 26, 28, Aug. 1, 6, 9, 11, 13, 19, 22, 27); Stephen Sondheim’s bloodthirsty black comedy Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (July 9, 18, 22, 30, Aug. 4, 6, 13, 15, 21, 23, 26); Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie (July 16, 25, 29, Aug. 7, 12, 16, 20, 25); and the Salem witch trials are recalled in an operatic version of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (July 23, 31, Aug. 2, 5, 8, 14, 18, 20, 27), all presented with projected supertitles. The theater is eight miles north of Cooperstown and two miles south of the junctions of routes 20 and 80. Thursdays and Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays through Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m. Tickets range from $26 to $144.
Hangar Theater. 801 Taughannock Blvd. (Route 89), Ithaca. (607) 273‑ARTS, hangartheatre.org. The 42nd summer season of professional theater takes place in a renovated airplane hangar located in picturesque Cass Park, an area with picnic grounds, a marina and other recreational facilities. Hangar’s four-play roster includes the regional premiere of the kitchen comedy memoir I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti (June 16-19, 21-25), which includes the onstage creation of a three-course meal; the Tony Award-winning urban musical In the Heights (June 30-July 3, July 5-10, 12-16); Wendy Wasserstein’s classroom drama Third (July 21-24, 26-30); and the season wraps with Nick Payne’s unusual romantic drama Constellations (Aug. 4-7, 9-13). Tuesdays through Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 3 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7:30 p.m.; with select 2 p.m. matinees on Wednesdays. Tickets range from $22 to $46.
The Hangar’s Lab Company of director and actor interns will stage a free late-night series of eight cutting-edge one-act plays at “The Wedge” — originally named after a small overhang in the theater lobby, but now presented under the Hangar’s tent. The shows take place 15 minutes after the main show ends on select summer dates. And Kiddstuff, the Hangar’s children’s theater series, presents four new programs: Journey to Oz (June 23-25), The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (July 7-9), Louis Braille: The World at Your Fingertips (July 14-16) and Disney’s My Son Pinocchio Jr. (Aug. 11-13) on Thursdays through Saturdays at 10 a.m. and noon. Tickets are $10.
Hill Cumorah Pageant. 603 State Route 21, Palmyra. 597‑5851, hillcumorah.org. Since 1937, thousands have made the trek to Palmyra for a dose of old‑time religion, presented by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This year’s passion play spectacle will feature opulent props, sets, special effects and a cast of more than 600. Although there are 8,000 seats available, the crowds often reach as high as 14,000, with plenty of room for lawn chairs and blankets. Food is available from 4 to 9 p.m. from local Lions and Rotary clubs, interpreters for the hearing‑impaired will be on the premises, and it’s handicapped-accessible. The free outdoor event begins at 9:15 p.m. July 8 and 9 and July 12 to 16. It’s about two miles north of Thruway Exit 43.
Merry‑Go‑Round Playhouse. Emerson Park, 6877 East Lake Road (Route 38A), Auburn. 255‑1785, (800) 457‑8897, fingerlakesmtf.com. As the main component of the Finger Lakes Musical Theater Festival, MGR’s crowd‑pleasing musicals in the park’s renovated carousel near Owasco Lake will include the Rodgers and Hammerstein evergreen Oklahoma! (June 8-11, 13-18, 20-22); the U.S. premiere of Tim Rice’s wartime musical drama From Here to Eternity (June 29, 30, July 1, 2, 5‑9, 11-16, 18-20); the retro George Gershwin show Crazy for You (July 27-30, Aug. 1-6, 8-13, 15-17); the musical adventure Treasure Island (Aug. 24-27, Aug. 29-Sept. 3, Sept. 5-10); and a jam session with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash fuels the rock mystique of Million Dollar Quartet (Sept. 15-17, 19-24, Sept. 26-Oct. 1). Tuesdays through Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Mondays, 2 p.m.; select Tuesday and Wednesday matinees, 2 p.m. Tickets range from $27 to $57, plus a $2 parking fee.
Theater Mack, located in the Cayuga Museum of History and Art, 203 Genesee St., Auburn, will host The Pitch, the fifth annual presentation of seven new musicals (June 16-18, 23-25, June 30-July 2, July 7-9, 14-16, 21-23, 28-30). Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.
Redhouse Arts Center. 201 S. West St. 362-2785, theredhouse.org. Before its eventual relocation to South Salina Street, the Armory Square venue will offer Disney’s The Little Mermaid: The Musical (June 9-11, 16-18, 23-25) and the repertory productions of The Wizard of Oz (July 28, 30, Aug. 3, 5, 6, 11, 13) and Bring It On (July 28, 30, Aug. 4, 6, 10, 12, 13) Tickets range from $25 to $30.
Sterling Renaissance Festival and Summer Marketplace. 15385 Farden Road, Sterling. 947-5782, (800) 879-4446. sterlingfestival.com. Still going strong in its 40th season, the festival relies on more than 600 improvisational actors, entertainers, food and craftspeople to recreate the 16th-century ambiance for this popular 35-acre, open-air resurrection of the English village of Warwicke, circa 1585. The grounds contain everything from a jousting field and dunking pond to gossiping washer-wenches, mud-soaked beggars, a village idiot and rat catcher. Artisans feature specialty stuff like pewter, custom-minted coins and leather masks. Gravity-powered rides thrill the kids, and food (such as turkey legs to satisfy your inner Charles Laughton) is available. Special treats include a Queen’s Royal Tea Party ($18.95) at 3:30 p.m. for 60 little girls of all ages, and a Renewal of Vows ceremony package deal ($149.95) on July 9 and 10 for 50 couples who will get hitched by the Queen. The festival runs Saturdays and Sundays only, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine: July 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31, Aug. 6, 7, 13, 14. Adults, $27.95; children ages 5 to 12, $16.95; ages 4 and under, free.
Syracuse Shakespeare Festival. 476-1835. syrsf.org. Executive director Ronnie Bell’s troupe presents its Shakespeare in the Grass venture at the Thornden Park amphitheater, off Ostrom Avenue and Madison and South Beech streets, with a pay-what-you-can mounting of the Bard’s Coriolanus (June 17-19, 24-26), followed by a free production of The Taming of the Shrew (Aug. 12-14, 19-21). Theatergoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and picnic ingredients, although food vendors will be on hand. Fridays and Saturdays, 5:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.
Syracuse Summer Theatre. Mulroy Civic Center’s Bevard Studio, 411 Montgomery St. 435-8000, ticketmaster.com. Former Covey Theatre Company artistic director Garrett Heater guides this new production company with its kickoff of the Kander-Ebb musical drama Cabaret (July 15-16, 22-23, 29-31), starring Sara Weiler as the hubba-hubba Kit Kat girl Sally Bowles, local favorite Bill Molesky as Herr Schulz and Heater as the depraved emcee. Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Tickets are $30.
Spaghetti Warehouse. 689 N. Clinton St. 475-1807. The Acme Mystery Company combines interactive mysteries with dinner theater items on Thursday nights. The mayhem goes on with Homestyle Homicide: The Freagan Family Reunion (June 16, 23, 30) and The Strange Case of Sheik Yerbuti (or Camel Lot) (July 7, 14, 21, 28, Aug. 4, 11, 18, 25). Dinner and show, $27.95, plus tax and gratuity; seating begins at 6:45 pm.
Also at the Spaghetti Warehouse, Magic Circle Children’s Theatre continues on Saturday afternoons with its interactive family-friendly show The Little Mermaid (June 18). Show tickets are $5; call 449-3823.
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