Fall events guide: Theater

THEATER season has kicked off, as always, with the Fringe Festival, now in its 18th year. Between now and the holidays, the region will see a slate of performances ranging from Broadway-blockbusters like "Newsies" to dramas like Arden Theatre's take on "Great Expectations" to one-person presentations on a dizzying array of topics - including a cheeky zoology lesson by Isabella Rossellini.

If you blink you'll miss what figures to be the most talked-about one-night stand on the schedule - the musical horror story "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County" by Stephen King, John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett. Our advice: Don't blink.

Look for comic relief in Bristol Riverside Theatre's staging of the wildly popular "39 Steps" and from "Old Jews Telling Jokes," which makes its local debut in October at the Penn's Landing Playhouse.

Fringe Festival, through Sept. 21.

Annual orgy of the avant-garde continues. One show to catch near the end: ex-Eagles QB Mike Boryla's one-man-show "The Disappearing Quarterback." It opens Sept. 20 at Plays & Players (1714 Delancey Place) as part of the festival and stays for a week.

Fringe Festival, various times and locations, 215-413-9006, fringearts.com. Boryla show Sept. 20-27, $30, 866-811-4111, playsandplayers.org.

"9 to 5," through Oct. 19. Dolly Parton not only co-starred in the hit 1980 flick, she wrote the score for the Broadway adaptation of the film, about three working gals gone rogue.

Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St., showtimes vary, $20-$75, 800-736-1420, ticketmaster.com.

"The Civil War," Sept. 19-Oct. 5. Up-and-coming company presents musical look at the epochal conflict. The eclectic score incorporates folk, blues, country, rock and soul motifs.

Eagle Theatre, 208 Vine St., Hammonton, N.J., showtimesary,$28.50-$38.50, theeagletheatre.com.

"The 39 Steps," Sept. 30-Oct. 26. Theatrical staging of Hitchcock classic Alfred Hitchcock adds Monty Python-ish humor to the tale of an actor being pursued for a murder he didn't commit. The cast of four plays 150 characters, adding to the fun.

Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol, showtimes vary, $31-$46, 215-785-0100, brtstage.org.

"Old Jews Telling Jokes," Oct. 8-Nov. 30. Vintage but timeless humor carries this off-Broadway hit, created by screenwriter Peter Gethers and historian Daniel Okrent.

Penn's Landing Playhouse, 211 S. Columbus Blvd., 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, $45-$65, 855-448-7469, plplayhouse.com.

"Henry V," Oct. 22-Nov. 16. The great thing about Shakespeare is his flexibility. So what's to stop director Aaron Cromie from bringing the 15th-century play to a modern prep school?Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom St., 7 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, $25-$35, 215-496-9722, phillyshakespeare.org.

"Great Expectations," Oct. 23-Dec. 14. Charles Dickens' novel is brought to life in all of its Victorian morality and splendor.

Arcadia Stage at Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2nd St., showtimes vary, $36-$50, 215-922-1122, ardentheatre.org.

"Newsies," Oct. 28-Nov. 2. Tony Award-winning musical based on New York City newsboy revolt.

Academy of Music, Broad and Locust streets, showtimes vary, 215-892-1999, kimmelcenter.org.

"The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence," Nov. 5-23. Philly premiere of Madeleine George's 2014 Pulitzer Prize finalist. Follow a love triangle through the multiple lifetimes.

Azuka Theatre, 1636 Sansom St., showtimes and ticket prices TBA, 215-563-1100, azukatheatre.org.

"Ghost Brothers of Darkland County," Nov. 13. Supernatural Southern Gothic musical boasts a book by Stephen King, tunes by John Mellencamp (played by his band) and musical direction by T Bone Burnett.

Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St., 8 p.m., $39.50-$79.50, 215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org.

"Green Porno," Nov. 14. Isabella Rossellini shares a saucy zoology lesson on mating rituals of bugs and fish.

World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., 8 p.m., $37.50, 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.