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SUMMER ARTS PREVIEW

10 dramas, comedies, and musicals on stages this summer

From left: DJ WhySham, Malik Mitchell, Henry Morehouse, Anderson Stinson, III, and Victoria Omoregie of Actors' Shakespeare Project's "The Bomb-Itty of Errors."Nile Scott Studios

THE BOMB-ITTY OF ERRORS A remixing of Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors” into a “hip-hop opera” that features a live DJ (DJ WhySham) and a cast of four: Malik Mitchell as Dromio of Syracuse, Henry Morehouse as Dromio of Ephesus, Victoria Omoregie as Antipholus of Ephesus, and Anderson Stinson, III, as Antipholus of Syracuse. Directed by Christopher V. Edwards. May 25-June 26. Actors’ Shakespeare Project. At Charlestown Working Theater, Charlestown. 617-241-2200, www.actorsshakespeareproject.org

WICKED This back story to “The Wizard of Oz” hasn’t lost its potency over the past two decades, as it chronicles the complicated friendship between green-skinned outcast Elphaba (Lissa deGuzman) and the outwardly superficial Glinda (Jennafer Newberry). The terrific score by Stephen Schwartz still glows, stirs, and delights, with gems like “For Good,” “What Is This Feeling?,” “The Wizard and I,” “I’m Not That Girl,” “Dancing Through Life,” “Popular,” and, of course, the roof-raising anthem of empowerment that is “Defying Gravity.” June 8-July 24. Broadway In Boston. At Citizens Bank Opera House. www.broadwayinboston.com

A BEAUTIFUL NOISE A pre-Broadway premiere of a biomusical about singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, featuring hits like “Sweet Caroline” (that Fenway Park standard), “Cracklin’ Rosie,” and “America.” Playing Diamond will be Will Swenson, a 2009 Tony Award nominee for his portrayal of Berger in the Diane Paulus-directed revival of “Hair.” Written by Anthony McCarten (”Bohemian Rhapsody”) and directed by Michael Mayer (”Spring Awakening”), with a supporting cast that includes Mark Jacoby, Robyn Hurder, and Linda Powell. June 21-July 31. Emerson Colonial Theatre. 888-616-0272, www.emersoncolonialtheatre.com

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Jennafer Newberry (left) and Lissa deGuzman in "Wicked."Joan Marcus

B.R.O.K.E.N CODE B.I.R.D SWITCHING In this world premiere of Tara L. Wilson Noth’s drama, an attorney (DeAnna Supplee) mourning the death of her baby daughter agrees to represent a Black teenager (Justin Sturgis) accused of murder. As she battles to prove his innocence, the attorney is “forced to confront the devastating truth about marriage, race and the woman she has chosen to be,” according to press materials. Directed by Kimille Howard. June 23-July 9. Berkshire Theatre Group, Unicorn Theatre, Stockbridge. 413-997-4444, www.berkshiretheatregroup.org

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A WALK IN THE WOODS In Lee Blessing’s Cold War drama, which was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 1987, an American arms negotiator (Allyn Burrows) and his Soviet counterpart (Jonathan Epstein) decide to move their high-stakes conversations to a less formal setting, strolling through the woods near Geneva, Switzerland. Over the course of a year, a friendship develops between these two very different men. Directed by James Warwick. July 15-Sept. 4. Shakespeare & Company, Roman Garden Theatre, Lenox. 413-637-3353, www.shakespeare.org

ANNA IN THE TROPICS Two decades ago, Cuban-American dramatist Nilo Cruz became the first Latino playwright to win the Pulitzer Prize with this lyrical, life-imitating-art drama. It takes place in 1929 in a Cuban-American cigar factory in Tampa, where a charismatic lector (Alex Rodriguez) has been hired to read novels aloud to workers as they hand-roll cigars. Tensions rise as his reading of Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” inspires the workers to examine their own lives and relationships. Cast also includes Wilson Heredia (a 1996 Tony winner for his performance as Angel in “Rent”), Gilbert Cruz, Blanca Camacho, Alexis Cruz, Marina Pires, and Gabriela Saker. Directed by Elena Araoz. July 16-30. Barrington Stage Company, Boyd-Quinson Stage, Pittsfield. 413-236-8888, www.barringtonstageco.org

GARY: A SEQUEL TO TITUS ANDRONICUS In this rowdy comedy by Taylor Mac, set in the year 400 in the immediate aftermath of Shakespeare’s bloodiest play, two servants have the task of readying the mass of corpses for disposal. Isn’t that always the way, that the powerless are stuck cleaning up the messes of the powerful? Directed by RJ Tolan, with a cast that includes Layla Khoshnoudi, Lacy Allen, and AJ Clauss. July 27-Aug. 19. Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Julie Harris Stage, Wellfleet. 508-349-9428, www.what.org

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WE ARE CONTINUOUS In the world premiere of a drama by Harrison David Rivers, the close bond between a young man and the mother who has always been his strongest champion is threatened when a “life-changing secret” is revealed. Directed by Tyler Thomas. In reviewing Rivers’s earlier “Where Storms Are Born,” I was struck by the playwright’s ability to “capture a truthful human moment while delivering a sudden flash of insight that illuminates the essence of a character.” Aug. 2-14. Williamstown Theatre Festival, Nikos Stage, Williamstown. 413-458-3253, wtfestival.org

SING STREET A musical adaptation of the 2016 film, “Sing Street” revolves around a Dublin teenager who forms a band in 1982 to impress a girl with whom he is smitten. The musical will be presented in Boston before it heads to Broadway — its original destination before the pandemic intruded. Directed by Rebecca Taichman, with choreography by Sonya Tayeh, a book by Enda Walsh, and music and lyrics by John Carney and Gary Clark. Aug. 26-Oct. 2. Huntington Theatre Company in association with Sing Street LLC. At Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org

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BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY MUSICAL A jukebox musical about one of the legends of early rock ‘n’ roll, who died at age 22 in a plane crash in 1959. Matt McClure portrays Holly, while Craig Underwood plays J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ryan Reyes is Ritchie Valens (both of whom also died in that plane crash). The musical includes such Holly hits as “Peggy Sue,” “Oh Boy,” “Maybe Baby,” and “That’ll Be the Day,” as well as Valens’s “La Bamba” and the Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace.” Directed and choreographed by Marcos Santana, with a script by Alan Janes. Aug. 16-28. North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly. 978-232-7200, www.nsmt.org



Don Aucoin can be reached at donald.aucoin@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeAucoin.