14 theater productions to see this fall

This fall is chock full of theater productions that tackle everything from love to memory loss to friendship. In addition to the often-told tales of the canon, like Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” presented by the American Repertory Theater, there are also diverse stories on offer that feature improvisation, alternative endings and deep dives into how the decisions one makes today can echo for generations. Here are 14 productions to watch this season.

Rudy Pankow, the actor who portrays the somewhat hot-headed JJ Maybank in the Netflix show “Outer Banks,” and Emilia Suárez from Hulu’s “Up Here” star as doomed lovers in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Everyone knows how this story ends for the pair whose families are warring, but the American Repertory Theater aims to reframe the classic tale. Diane Paulus, the A.R.T.’s artistic director, shared in a previous WBUR interview that the production aspires to convey a narrative about the couple’s feelings. “In many ways, they are determined to not repeat the path of their parents or the generations that came before them,” Paulus said. Celebrated Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui heads up movement for the cast, Broadway actor Terrence Mann stars as Friar Laurence and Paulus directs. [Read Jacquinn Sinclair’s review of the show here.]

Tensions mount and unlikely connections are made when a construction crew locks horns with the clientele of the yoga studio next door and a gay Latino yoga teacher, Julián, in “The Hombres.” The comedy, written by playwright Tony Meneses, is a co-production of Gloucester Stage Company and Teatro Chelsea that centers on the intimacy and complexity of male friendships. The show, set in New Jersey, is directed by Armando Rivera, the co-artistic director of Teatro Chelsea. “This play strikes to the heart of Latin machismo and tries to answer the questions of ‘How do Latino men show love between each other? Can we?’,” Rivera shared in a press release. Viewers of the regional premiere of “The Hombres” may find some answers. The play will be staged at Gloucester Stage through Sept. 22 and then moves to Chelsea Theatre Works Sept. 27-29. [Read Jacquinn Sinclair's review of the show here.]

Set in the Wynwood Arts District in Miami, “Laughs in Spanish” focuses on art, success and the relationship between art gallery owner Mariana and her formerly famous movie star mom. When a high-tier, high-stakes premier art show Art Basel, happens, Mariana’s mom decides to help but makes things even more challenging. The play, called “a fast-paced, cafecíto-induced comedy” from award-winning Boston playwright Alexis Scheer (“Our Dear Dead Drug Lord”), explores family, identity and joy. The show was written to be performed in English with brief sections in Spanish. Elliot Norton Award-winner Mariela Lopez-Ponce (“Don’t Eat The Mangos”) will direct.

Multiple successes have marked screenwriter and playwright Tom Stoppard’s career. His first play, 1960’s “A Walk on the Water,” was televised in 1963. Another, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” was performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 1966 and entered the repertory of Britain’s National Theatre in 1967. The play also transferred to Broadway. The Tony Award-winning Stoppard has written numerous plays, including “Jumpers,” “Travesties” and “The Real Thing.”

Stoppard’s latest, “Leopoldstadt” — named after the second municipal district in Vienna, is a more personal play that grapples with his Jewish roots and the Holocaust through the lens of two brothers with different perspectives on prosperity. The brothers’ ideas and actions impact the family for generations. Carey Perloff directs the epic production, which begins in 1899 and follows the Merzes family through 1955.

Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour, who also wrote “White Rabbit Red Rabbit” presented by ArtsEmerson in 2021, experiments with storytelling in his self-titled work. Every night, according to the show’s description, a different local VIP or guest performer will join the playwright onstage (sans rehearsal and preparation) along with a new, sealed script. This production, which has toured globally,  demonstrates how language can unite and divide. Omar Elerian directs this show at The Huntington.

In “Pru Payne,” the lead character Prudence, or Pru, is an esteemed critic known for her sharp mind. But when she faces memory loss just as she’s about to share her life in an anticipated autobiography, Pru starts to question her identity. As soon as her son notices her slip-ups, he puts her in a top-notch facility to get the best care. While there, she unexpectedly finds love as the world she once remembered starts to slip away. The play, written by Steven Drukman, centers memory, identity and connection at SpeakEasy and will be directed by Paul Daigneault.

Sci-fi fans and freedom fighters might enjoy ArtEmerson’s production of “On the Eve of Abolition.” Set in the near future, 2047, the performance uses video, puppets and miniature sets to move audiences to an existence where formerly incarcerated people, organizers, families and others work together to end the industrial prison system. The play was developed and is performed by artists and collaborators of Papel Machete, with insight and engagement from the community and abolitionist organizations. “Through partnerships with groups like Prison Radio, “On the Eve of Abolition” offers pathways to engage in real-time organizing toward the abolition of the prison industrial complex.”

In the vein of August Wilson’s century cycle, playwright Mfoniso Udofia has penned the Ufot Family Cycle that chronicles a family across three generations and nine plays. Over the next two years, The Huntington will produce all nine plays — four of which, including “Sojourners,” have been performed previously. The Huntington starts the play cycle with “Sojourners,” the Udofia family’s origin story. The cycle begins with a young Nigerian couple who shows up in Houston with big dreams of getting college degrees and heading home armed with new knowledge. But when wife Abasiama discovers that her husband has succumbed to the joy of Motown music and American culture, she has a tough choice to make. Dawn M. Simmons (“K-I-S-S-I-N-G”) will direct.

For those eager to see Romeo and Juliet live beyond their typically tragic love story, “& Juliet” holds the key. Developed by the Emmy-winning writer David West Read of “Schitt’s Creek,” “& Juliet” is a musical that explores the star-crossed lover’s romantic options after Romeo. The show — which premiered on Broadway in 2022 — abandons Shakespeare’s ending and follows Juliet on her quest for a new start and a new love on her own terms. The show’s pop song soundtrack is composed of tunes co-written by the Grammy Award-winning Max Martin, who has penned hit songs for Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Bon Jovi, among others. Some of the songs “& Juliet” viewers will hear include “Since U Been Gone‚” “Baby One More Time” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”

Actor and writer Kate Hamill “is deeply passionate about creating new feminist, female-centered classics, both in new plays and in adaptations; stories that center around complicated women,” the playwright shared on her website. Her sensibilities show up in “Emma,” a romantic comedy adapted from Jane Austen’s novel. In the narrative, Emma Woodhouse has sworn never to get married. Instead, she wants to be a celebrated matchmaker, but hijinks ensue as a result of her efforts. And even though she works to avoid it, Emma might find love after all. The show is directed by Regine Vital at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge.

Crickets, fairies and a puppet that comes to life help make “Pinocchio”  a beloved classic tale, written by Carlo Collodi in 1883. In the story, Geppetto carves a little boy out of wood and names him Pinocchio, whose nose grows when he tells lies instead of the truth. This November, the Emerson Colonial Theatre presents “Pinocchio: The Musical,” a modern interpretation of the old fable with an intergenerational cast.  Alexander Prokhorov-Tolstoy wrote the script and will direct.

On April 12, 1633, Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei went on trial for his belief that the earth rotated around the sun. By June, he was found guilty and spent the rest of his life under house arrest according to History.com. It took more than 300 years for the Catholic church to right the wrong. Galileo was also a father who sent his daughters, whom he deemed unmarriable since he didn’t marry their mother, to a convent. He corresponded with his daughter Virginia, who later changed her name to Marie Celeste after taking the veil, but none of his letters have survived.

However, Marie Celeste’s letters were found, and author Dava Sobel published a book in 1999 “Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love,” which reportedly inspired playwright Jessica Dickey. She traveled to Florence, Italy to study the letters. Dickey, captivated by the daughter’s intelligence and strength, wrote “Galileo’s Daughter.” Moving back and forth in time, this personal play examines “faith, forgiveness, and the cost of seeking and speaking truth.” The production will begin its run in the Berkshires at Shakespeare & Company’s Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre in Lenox Oct. 18-Nov. 3, then transfer to Central Square Theatre in Cambridge Nov. 14-Dec. 8. This play is A Catalyst Collaborative@MIT Production.

Staged on Broadway in April 2023, “The Thanksgiving Play” by 2020 MacArthur Fellow Larissa FastHorse focuses on a group of self-described woke white teaching artists planning a “culturally correct Thanksgiving play for children,” Fasthorse explained in an interview. But doing so is anything but easy. “They’re trying so hard to do it right,” FastHorse said, “that they do everything wrong.” The comedy, presented by the Lyric Stage Company in 2019, is the first Broadway play produced by an Indigenous woman. Moonbox’s show will be directed by Tara Moses.

Those who missed the lauded work of choreographer Ayodele Casel’s “Chasing Magic” will get a chance to experience her work this December at the A.R.T. Casel, a 2019-2020 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, returns to the theater with “Diary of a Tap Dancer,” which uses dance, song and narrative to tell the story of her life and honor the work of trailblazing women dancers who came before her. This world premiere, commissioned by the A.R.T., will be directed by Torya Beard.