From gamblers to Garland to game show host, local theater stages offer variety in August

Aug 18, 2023

The cast of "I'll Fly Away," a revue from Servant Stage Company that is touring Lancaster County through Aug. 13, performs bluegrass, folk, gospel and other genres of music.

There’s still plenty of summertime left to enjoy an afternoon or evening of summer theater.

Local stages have a variety of plays and musicals opening this month, with stories about New York gamblers, an Amish baseball player, a confessional game-show host and a mischievous monkey.

Here’s what’s opening, and continuing, on stages around Lancaster County in the month of August.

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

• When: Aug. 11-Sept. 16. Matinee and evening performances run mostly Wednesdays through Sundays, and tickets are available with a meal or for the show only.

• Details: The Frank Loesser musical about gambling men and the women they’re dating — one a missionary and one a chorus girl — brings Damon Runyon’s 1930s New York short stories to life.

• Tickets: $25 to $80, plus fees, for a meal and the show and $22 to $55, plus fees, for the show only.

• Info: Visit dutchapple.com or call 717-898-1900.

• Where: Bird-in-Hand Stage, in the Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant & Smorgasbord, 2760 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bird-in-Hand.

• When: Aug. 4-Oct. 19, with 7 p.m. evening performances Tuesday to Saturday, and select 1 p.m. matinees. The show can be enjoyed with or without a meal.

• Details: The musical tells the story of Levi Troyer, 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.

• Tickets: $18-$44 for show only; $30-$69 for a meal and a show.

• Info: Visit bird-in-hand.com/stage or call 717-768-1568.

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

• When: 2 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3; 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 4-5; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6.

• Details: Marc Summers, former host of Nickelodeon’s “Double Dare” and Food Network’s “Unwrapped,” performs in this two-person show — with games featuring audience participation — in which he talks about his life, career, family and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

• Tickets: $42-$48, including fees.

• Info: gretnatheatre.org or 717-964-3627.

'MEAN GIRLS: HIGH SCHOOL VERSION'

• Where: The Gardner Theatre at Lancaster Country Day School, 725 Hamilton Road, Lancaster.

• When: Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 4-5, and

2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6.

• Details: Presented by Popovsky Performing Arts and adapted from Tina Fey's 2004 film, the musical “Mean Girls: High School Version” finds Cady Heron negotiating her way among the groups at her new high school, including the Plastics (the popular "mean girls," led by Regina George).

• Tickets: $25 general admission, plus a $2.25 fee.

• Info: Tickets may be reserved online at lanc.news/ppaslcdsmeangirls. For more information about Popovsky Performing Arts Studios and its upcoming productions, visit ppas.ticketleap.com.

"Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland" features Ingersoll performing the songs of the film and TV star and telling stories from her life at Gretna Theatre in Mount Gretna the weekend of Aug. 24-27.

• Where: Where: Gretna Theatre, Mount Gretna.

• When: 2 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24; 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 25-26; 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27.

• Details: Performer Angela Ingersoll tells stories and, backed by a band, interprets the music of stage and screen legend Judy Garland.

• Tickets: $42-$48, including fees.

• Info: gretnatheatre.org or 717-964-3627.

‘STORIES OF DIVERSITY: FESTIVAL OF NEW WORKS’

• Where: Castagna Hall in the Fulton Theatre, 12 N. Prince St., Lancaster.

• When: Starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 12.

• Details: Three new plays, written by playwrights representing diverse voices, will be presented as staged readings throughout the day.

• Tickets: Free.

• Info: Visit thefulton.org/festival-of-new-works. For more information on the plays, see LancasterOnline at lanc.news/DiversityPlays23.

• Where: Gretna Theatre, 200 Pennsylvania Ave., Mount Gretna.

• When: One performance only, at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 5.

• Details: Curious George the monkey helps his chef friend find a faster way to make meatballs.

• Tickets: $10.

• Info: gretnatheatre.org or 717-964-3627.

• Extra performances: The “Curious George” show will also be performed at 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6, in the Children’s Garden amphitheater at Hershey Gardens (included in admission price). Info at HersheyGardens.org.

The cast of the musical "The Prom" rehearses at Ephrata Performing Arts Center. The show runs through Aug. 12.

• “The Prom,” a musical about self-involved actors coming to the aid of a Midwestern girl who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom, continues through Aug. 12 at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center, 320 Cocalico St., Ephrata. Visit epactheatre.org or call 717-733-7966, ext. 1.

• “I’ll Fly Away,” Servant Stage Company’s popular revue featuring a live folk band and vocalists performing inspirational, bluegrass and gospel favorites, continues to tour through Aug. 13 at venues including Lititz Springs Park; Locust Street Park, Columbia; and Lancaster County Christian School. Visit servantstage.org.

• “Children of Eden,” a musical that explores the family dynamics in the Bible’s Garden of Eden and Noah’s Ark stories, continues through Sunday, Aug. 6, at Susquehanna Stage, 133 W. Market St., Marietta. Visit susquehannastage.com or call 717-426-1277.

• “Disney’s Newsies,” a high-kicking musical about the New York newsboys’ strike of 1899, and based on the 1992 Christian Bale film, continues at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, Lancaster, through Saturday, Aug. 5. Visit dutchapple.com.

• “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.

• Third Space Theatre is bringing back “Mystery on Main,” a comedy murder mystery dinner-theater show for another performance. It’s from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, at the Courtyard Cafe, 349 Main St., Denver, Tickets for dinner and the murder mystery show are $70.04, which includes taxes and fees. Visit lanc.news/3rdStageMystery23.

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