BWW Summer Stages: Colorado Features a Cornucopia of Variety and Talent!

Even though Colorado features absolutely gorgeous weather and plenty to do outdoors, there are still several excellent productions all over the state to take advantage of with friends, family or an intimate date night. Below are some of the highlights of another fantastic theatrical summer season in Colorado...

Shrek the Musical - Boulder's Dinner Theatre (Now - Sept. 6th)

Shrek the Musical brings the hilarious story of everyone's favorite ogre to life all summer long. In a faraway kingdom turned upside-down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre - not a handsome prince shows up to rescue a feisty princess. Throw in a donkey who won't shut up, a villain with a SHORT temper, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there's one on hand...and his name is Shrek. With music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, this entertaining, family-friendly musical comedy features a terrific score, with 19 songs including "Travel Song" and "I Think I Got You Beat." www.bouldersdinnertheatre.com

Creede Repertory Theatre Summer Season (Now - Sept. 19th)

Multi-talented and nationally acclaimed Creede Repertory Theatre presents another jam packed summer of classics, musical comedy, touching dramas and a touch in improvisation and insanity. The 2014 season includes the classic musical, Annie Get Your Gun; David Ives comedic hit, The Liar; Paul Zindel's quirky drama, The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild; Joe DiPietro's heartwarming comedy, The Last Romance; Michael Hollinger's intriguing mystery, Hope and Gravity; Pants on Fire, a totally made up musical for kids; and Boomtown, an explosive improv comedy. www.creederep.org

Peggy Jo and the Desolate Nothing - Buntport & Square Product Theatre (Now - June 21st)

Buntport Theater Company completes their 13th season the a collaboration with Square Product Theatre, a true story about a cross-dressing bank robber, told by unreliable sources. Peggy Jo Tallas started robbing banks in the 1990's, ostensibly to help pay for her mother's medical expenses; But she must have just liked robbing banks. Dressed in a fake beard and cowboy hat, she managed to elude law enforcement for years, as they were looking for a man they called Cowboy Bob. Peggy Jo and the Desolate Nothing creates some of Peggy's adventures, leading up to a stand-off in the suburbs of Tyler, Texas. www.buntport.com

John and Jen - Cherry Creek Theatre Company (Now - June 22nd)

A truly original musical that examines the complexities of relationships between brothers and sisters; and parents and children set against the background of a changing America between 1950 and 1990. This is the story of Jen and her relationships with the two Johns of her life: her younger brother, who was killed in Vietnam, and his namesake, her son who is trying to find his way in a confusing world. John & Jen is a tour-de-force for two actors, taking them from childhood, through adolescence and beyond. www.cherrycreektheatre.org

SCAPIN - Open Stage Theatre in the Park, Fort Collins (Now - June 28th)

The games of skilled liars fascinate us. When paired with wild, physical humor, they represent the work of Molière at his best. Scapin - servant, clown and expert schemer - dabbles in the drama of the family he serves. As he conspires to bring two pairs of young lovers together, his scheming builds until his bag of tricks bursts at the seams with uproarious results. Inspired by the classical clowning of Commedia dell'Arte and the hilarity of traditional French farce, playwrights Irwin and O'Donnell resurrect this timeless masterpiece with a twist of modern comedy and a dash of contemporary language.

https://www.facebook.com/events/530091123767322/

Lobby Hero - Vintage Theatre (Now - July 6th)

Lobby Hero is about Jeff, a luckless young night doorman in a Manhattan high-rise trying to get his life together after being thrown out of the navy. He is as clumsy in life as he is in his affections for the rookie cop Dawn. However, she only has eyes for Bill, the cop on the beat who knows his way around the rules. When Jeff's supervisor and mentor William comes to him with a moral dilemma, Jeff's loyalty is put to the test. www.vintagetheatre.com

WICKED - Denver Center Attractions at the Buell Theatre (June 3rd - July 5th)

Back by "popular" demand, Wicked is back. Every time it plays Denver, it breaks box office records. Winner of over 50 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, Wicked is "Broadway's biggest blockbuster" (The New York Times). Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One - born with emerald green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good makes for an instant musical classic! www.dcpa.org

Second City's American Mixtape - Garner Galleria Theatre/DCPA (June 4th - June 29th)

Chicago's comedic troupe, Second City brings us their American Mixtape which makes musical mirth out of missed love connections, political partisanship and a host of other afflictions that are far better to laugh at when put to song. www.dcpa.org

The Graduate - The Edge Theatre (June 6th - June 29th)

Benjamin Braddock, recent college graduate and prodigal son, returns home and promptly becomes embroiled in an affair with the wife of his father's business partner, Mrs. Robinson. BUT...he soon finds himself falling in love with her daughter, Elaine. The Graduate was a hit on the West End and a popular show on Broadway. http://www.theedgetheater.com

Colorado Shakespeare Festival - University of Colorado, Boulder (June 6th - Aug. 10th)

With a classic lineup, fresh creative energy and absolute hilarity, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival offers both traditions and twists now through August 10th. This summer, enjoy the "Shakespearience" in Boulder with The Tempest, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Paul Rudnick's I Hate Hamlet, and Henry the IV Parts One and Two. www.coloradoshakes.org

Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky - CO Springs Fine Arts Center (June 12th - June 29th)

Love, music and heartache take to the open road in the Colorado premiere of the intimate, emotionally-affecting production of Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky. Floyd Duffner is a singer/songwriter has-been, still cranking out killer acoustic gems even as he lives in his old Studebaker. Clea Johnson is a spunky young Mormon woman with a voice from the heavens and stars in her eyes. A friendship develops, and the two find unlikely paths to rescue one-another. With a country-western and Rock influenced score, Floyd and Clea is a musical packed with sensational original western tunes. www.csfineartscenter.org

The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? - Springs Ensemble Theatre, CO Springs (June 12th - June 29th)

SET continues its fifth anniversary season with the classic dark comedy, The Goat or Who is Sylvia?. Martin seems to have it all: a successful career, a beautiful wife, a loving son. But that world is turned upside down when he reveals that he is in love with someone else. SomeTHING else. Morality will be challenged, taboos will be broken and lives will be changed forever in this Tony-Award winning masterpiece from one of America's greatest playwrights, Edward Albee. www.springsensembletheatre.org

Big River, the Musical - Lake Dillon Theatre Company (June 25th - Aug. 8th)

Mark Twain's timeless classic tale propelled by an award winning score from Roger Miller, the king of country music, sweeps us down the mighty Mississippi as the irrepressible Huck Finn helps his friend Jim, a slave, escape to freedom. Their adventures along the way are hilarious, suspenseful and heartwarming, bringing to life your favorite characters from the Twain's novel. This jaunty journey provides a brilliant examination of the American south, expertly intertwined into a quilt-like patchwork of American archetypes and themes that celebrates the difficult, complex landscape of a changing nineteenth-century America. www.lakedillontheatre.org

Company - Equinox Theatre @ The Bug (June 27th - July 19th)

On the night of his 35th birthday, confirmed bachelor Robert contemplates his unmarried state. In vignette after hilarious vignette, we are introduced to "those good and crazy people," his married friends, as Robert weighs and cons of married life. In the end, he realizes being alone is "alone, not alive." http://equinoxtheatredenver.dreamhosters.com/

Tarzan, the Stage Musical - The Arvada Center (July 8th - Aug. 3rd)

Based on the smash-hit Disney animated film, Tarzan swings into the Arvada Center marking its Colorado stage debut. Familiar to families over several generations, Tarzan tells the story of an infant boy orphaned in a shipwreck on the shores of West Africa. The child is taken in and raised by a tribe of gorillas. He becomes a man, thriving in this primitive environment, until the arrival of a hunting expedition and his realization of the world beyond his jungle home. Tarzan features Grammy and Oscar winning music by pop icon, Phil Collins and is suitable for audiences of all ages. www.arvadacenter.org

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - PHAMALY @ The Denver Center

(July 10th - Aug. 10th)

Phamaly Theatre Company reprises Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in celebration of

the company's 25th Anniversary, July 10 - August 10 at the Space Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. This is the irresistible family musical about the trials and triumphs of Joseph, Israel's favorite son. This classic musical blends pop, country and rock into an uplifting, techni-colored story of biblical proportions with unforgettable songs including "Those Canaan Days", "Any Dream Will Do" and "Close Every Door." www.phamaly.org

The Odd Couple - Miners Alley Playhouse (July 18th - Aug. 24th)

This hilarious play about super slob, Oscar and neat-freak, Felix became a hit 70's TV show. This award-winning comedy is one of Neil Simon's funniest plays and will leave you rolling in the aisles.

www.minersalley.com

A Streetcar Named Desire - Vintage Theatre (July 18th - Sept. 7th)

Tennessee Williams' 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama tells the story of Blanche Dubois, a faded Southern belle driven to madness by her animalistic brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski. Taking refuge from her crumbling past, the fragile yet determined Blanche arrives unexpectedly at her married sister Stella's doorstep, hoping for a better life and restoration of her senses. www.vintagetheatre.com

RENT - Ignite Theatre at the Aurora Fox Arts Center (Aug. 8th - Aug. 31st)

Rent is the rock musical by Jonathan Larson, based on Puccini's opera La Boheme. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York City's Lower East Side in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. www.ignitetheatre.com

PHOTO CREDIT: Zachary Andrews

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