Summer theater in Philly: Riverdance, Shakespeare, Simon, & more

It will be a song-and-dance summer in our region, from the Lehigh Valley to the Shore, with dramatic gems studding the landscape. Below are some standout song-and-dancefests, summer Shakespeare - including four gentlemen of Verona (see below) - plus summer Neil Simon, summer Noël Coward, and more.

Riverdance (June 14-19, Academy of Music)
The 20th-anniversary world tour comes through Philadelphia, looking back at the show's history, and adding costumes, lighting, projections, and a brand-new number, "Anna Livia" (embodiment of the River Liffey flowing through Dublin), featuring the female dancers in a hard-shoe number. (240 S. Broad St.; $20-$110; 215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org).

The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
Situated in Central Valley, the festival has offerings for all. The Laurents/Bernstein/Sondheim/Robbins masterwork West Side Story (June 15-July 3) combines a love story with a tribal tragedy; in Julius Caesar (June 22-July 17), Brutus agonizes between decision and action; in The Taming of the Shrew (July 13-Aug. 7), Petruchio gets Kate to kiss him and then some; in Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit (July 21-Aug. 7), dear, departed wife Elvira tries to trash her husband's marriage to current spouse Ruth; and in Love's Labour's Lost (July 27-Aug. 7), some guys swear off women for three years . . . yeah, right. (610-282-9455, pashakespeare.org)

If/Then (June 21-26, Academy of Music)
Philadelphia premiere and first national tour. Elizabeth moves to New York, becomes Liz - and we see the two pathways her life might take from here. A deep Broadway cast and crew. (215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org).

Sex With Strangers (June 29-July 29, Cape May Stage)
Laura Eason's two-hander about a writer and a novelist who land in bed and . . . um, bingo? Yes, no, and maybe. A comic drama about letting go of the past and embracing the future. (609-770-8311, capemaystage.org)

The Harassment of Iris Malloy (June 15-July 10, People's Light)
A political play for a political moment. Zak Berkman's drama about a president and a single mother in an Atlantic City hotel room, betting they can make a killing in contemporary jackpot culture. (610-644-3500, peopleslight.org).

Chapter Two (June 16-July 10, Montgomery Theater)
Neil Simon's play about second chances, in which recent widower George is encouraged by brother Leo to start dating again. It doesn't go so well - and then he meets Jennie Malone. (215-723-9984, montgomerytheater.org).

The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron? (July 13-17, Montgomery Theater)
Author/actor Robert Dubac plays five hysterical boneheads in search of an answer to the question "What do women want?" They give some of the worst advice you've ever heard - and heard all the time. (215-723-9984, montgomerytheater.org)

The Producers (July 15-Aug. 7, Broadway Theatre of Pitman, Pitman, N.J.)
Washed-up Broadway producer Max Bialystock teams up with timid accountant Leo Bloom in a get-rich-quick scheme to put on what they hope to be Broadway's biggest flop ever. (43 S. Broadway, Pitman, N.J.; $28; 856- 384-8381, thebroadwaytheatre.org).

Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash (July 20-Aug. 14, People's Light)
His music and reputation have grown apace since Cash departed, and this show will remind you just how good the songs really are. (610-644-3500, peopleslight.org).

... And here's why we said four gents from Verona: two different productions of one of Shakespeare's earliest plays.

Two Gentlemen of Verona (July 27-31, Clark Park)
In the open air of West Philly, we are whisked to the world of Valentine and Proteus - and, of course, Launce and Crab. (215-764-5345, shakespeareinclarkpark.org)

Two Gentlemen of Verona (Aug. 5-7, Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater, Classical Acting Academy)
And here are two more gents. Each summer, PST presents an immersion in classical acting techniques for young professional actors. The results have often been pretty great. This year, the academy culminates in a staged reading of Shakespeare's play. (215-496-8001, phillyshakespeare.org).

Barefoot in the Park (Cape May Stage, Aug. 3 - Sept. 9)
Neil Simon has become a mainstay of summer theater everywhere; this New York-centric romcom is one of his most durable works. Straightedge lawyer, free-spirit wife, and their nutty neighbors and pals. (609-770-8311, capemaystage.org)

See more summer picks from our critics: philly.com/artsguide

jt@phillynews.com
215-854-4406