Sadly, the prolific American playwright A. R. Gurney died in June at the age of 86. Elements Theatre Company’s “Sylvia” is a fitting tribute to the man who liked to poke fun at the anxieties and foibles of the upper-middle class. “Sylvia” is an unusual love story. It centers around a stray dog named Sylvia (played by a younger adult female), who chooses her new owner Greg, as he dozes in a New York City park....

Everyone experiences the feeling. Wouldn’t it be nice to be a kid again? Attending the Cape Cod Theatre Company’s production of “Peter Pan and Wendy” brings out the child in all of us. By sheer osmosis, surrounded by that special sound of laughter and joy of children in the audience, you’ll feel the years just melt away. The power of live theater is alive and well at this home of the Harwich Junior Theatre. Pe...

Feminists unite! George Bernard Shaw, the Nobel Prize-winning playwright, heard your voices before your time had come. Is it a matter between two men to debate the passions of romantic love versus the complacency of a dignified marital relationship? Or might the woman in question learn to speak for herself? Is it her right to choose her own destiny? "Candida" at the Monomoy Theater formalizes the discussion of...

That first time you see your child shine it takes your breath away. It’s also the time you realize that this human being you brought into the world is a person, a person who can achieve incredible things. Billy Elliot’s father is drowning; drowning in grief over his wife’s death and drowning in worry because of the imminent coal miners’ strike. Jackie Elliot is trying so hard to give his sons, Tony and Billy, ...

There's something about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a person, as the variously attributed saying goes. A visit to Emerald Hollow Therapeutic Riding Center in Brewster goes a long way to proving exactly that. The mission of Emerald Hollow Therapeutic Riding Center is to enrich the lives of children and adults on Cape Cod with special needs through individualized equine assisted activities ...

Monomoy Theater Company under Francesca James' engaging direction sizzles in delightful, harmonious musicality retelling Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones' fetching tale, "110 in the Shade". Gonna be another hot day in a grassy, Western prairie town, home to the Curry family.  The drought has set in on the plains while impacting more than a few hearts.  H.C. Curry is deeply worried for his unmarried daughter Lizzie...

This year, the annual Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) will take place on Aug. 5 and 6, and local riders are getting in shape for the event. Cyclists from across the country will be participating in the bike-a-thon, which ranges from 25 to 192 miles, depending on the route. Among those riding this year are Chatham residents Paul Potash and Al Etre and Harwich residents Jennifer Hastings, Melissa Morse and Steven Conne...

“If I can fool a bug, I can certainly fool a man,” said the spider. Just as Mija is determined to save her pig from a slaughterhouse death in the new movie “Okja,” Charlotte the spider is resolute to save Wilbur, the Zuckerman pig, also from becoming a ham. By writing words in her web over Wilbur’s stall in the barn, “Charlotte’s Web” draws attention to Wilbur and makes him the talk of the county. Though my fa...

Seeing the world premiere of a play is not an everyday experience. It can be exciting, especially when the brand-new work is well-written and timely. Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater is known for cultivating new plays by giving playwrights the time and space to workshop their ideas, and WHAT’s stellar world-premiere comedy “The Empaths” is a testament to that process. The irreverent play is co-written by John ...

Over the years, I’ve seen “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” three times. After each performance, I’ve left the theater humming one of the show’s many silly, but catchy tunes. The Academy of Performing Arts’ current production of “Legally Blonde” was no exception. The movie “Legally Blonde” was a box office hit starring Reese Witherspoon in 2001. It spawned a musical, which opened in 2007 on Broadway and ran for a...

CHATHAM – For the past decade, the Monomoy Regional High School Animal Welfare Club (begun at Chatham High School) has been rescuing cats and dogs from abusive owners, neglect and homelessness. The club works exclusively with Pleasant Bay Animal Hospital to provide the best healthcare possible to rescued pets. Paula McMahon, the club’s advisor, says that the public is generally uninformed about what to do if t...

Gavin McNicholl elevates the hilarity to Monomoy Theater's presentation of Georges Feydeau's 1907 French farce "A Flea in Her Ear" in his duel comedic roles of Parisian aristocrat Victor Chandebise and the sad-sack look-a-like bell boy Poche at the Frisky Puss Hotel. Adapted by David Ives for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2006, the University of Hartford Players, with local guest stars Bernard Cornwell an...