With most plays, as far as the audience is concerned, what happens backstage stays backstage. After watching one of his own farces from the wings, English playwright Michael Frayn had an epiphany— the drama behind the drama could be very funny. The Cape Playhouse’s “Noises Off” hits the mark, maximizing Frayn’s organized bedlam and laugh-out-loud zaniness. The term “noises off” is a theatrical stage direction ca...

Embalmment and humor would seem like an unlikely pairing, but “Lenin’s Embalmers” is anything but lifeless. Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater’s production is the perfect combination of drama, political intrigue, and thought-provoking dark humor. The historical play opens in 1924, with Robin Haynes playing Lenin. He has been shot and proclaims that he wants “no graves, no monuments, and no shrines.” Tellingly, he a...

How far would you go to see your kid? Jerry Lukowski, who’s behind in his child support, would go all the way. Six unemployed steelworkers from Buffalo, N.Y. are low on cash and the future looks bleak. So when two of them, Jerry and Dave, spy their wives (or ex-wife in Jerry’s case) at a male strip club and see their enthusiastic response to the dancers, an idea is formed. Why don’t do we do a one-night-only...

CHATHAM – After a summer of keeping a watchful eye on beachgoers from Bourne to Provincetown, the Cape's lifeguards had the opportunity to show off their skills in the 45 th Cape Cod Lifesaving Competition, held Aug. 2 at Harding's Beach. Guards from each team set out in the Iron Woman contest, one of the first events of the 45 th Lifesaving Compe...

Things that go bump in the night, reflections on the immigrant experience, a look at the meaning of home and a non-fictional survey of America’s Colonial pirates are the topics of four new books by authors who will be in Chatham in coming days. Donna M. Bevans, a graduate of Harwich High School who now lives in Fort Collins, Col., will sign her novel “The Captain’s House” (AuthorHouse, 2019) on Aug. 13. Bev...

The life of a pirate is more than the perils of the sea, or the fear of the gallows; it’s filled with betrayal, greed and backstabbers. For dead men tell no tales and can’t reveal where the treasure lies. In Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island” a young lad eager for adventure finds himself in the middle of a search for the buried treasure. There are good guys, bad guys and a bad guy who’s kinda good...

What a difference 10 years can make! And yet, does 10 years make that much difference? And does such existential dither mean anything? Here’s a fun show that just asks you to enjoy the music and the talent and, if you lived in the 1950s and ‘60s, the memories (or if you didn’t, you’ll learn a little bit about what your grandparents loved.) “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” now playing at the Cape Cod Theatre Compan...

While waiting for my coffee to brew early in the morning I often look out the window into my backyard. These days it is still a bit dark when I wake and the yard is often quiet except for my friend, the song sparrow, who seems to start every day with a song, no matter what. I wish I always felt so strong and happy that I could sing in the dawn. Soon the cardinal family is up and about and the first ...

If you enjoy novels set on Cape Cod, you will love the finely-crafted debut novel “Seeking Glory: A Novel About Relationships, Loss, and Finding Your Way Home” (Outskirts Press, Inc. 2018) by Patricia Hamilton Shook. Shook is a resident of Sharon with a timeshare in Yarmouth. But her Cape Cod roots run deep. She has known the Cape since she was a child staying in her grandmother’s cottage on a street that dead...

“A Chorus Line” explores the trials and tribulations encountered by professional dancers aiming for Broadway. After securing their coveted roles, the Cape Playhouse’s professional cast had some added hardships with this production—two days without power due to the tornado; an unexpected change in musical directors; and a blackout during their rehearsal time in NYC. In the end, the ensemble demonstrated grit, resi...

It's the time of year to get out and enjoy the natural world. We're fortunate here on Cape Cod that a significant amount of unspoiled open space has been preserved. Many of these conservation parcels, both privately and publicly owned, have walking and hiking trails that are open to the public. We asked a few local conservationists and outdoors enthusiasts to tell us their favorites. It is not so easy to say...

It is hard to describe the universal power of the musical “Once.” The fact that it is the only show to have ever won an Academy Award, Grammy Award, Olivier Award and Tony Award only confirms its uniqueness. Halfway through their 93 rd season, the Cape Playhouse’s production is hauntingly beautiful, emotionally charged, and selling out fast. The 2012 Broadway musical won eight Tony Awar...