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Bob Malone, owner and guardian of Priscilla Beach Theatre, was excited about the opening of “Bright Star” last week – the first production of the season. The show, a story of love, loss, and redemption co-written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, was sold out for some time. But don’t worry, theater goers, there is more to come.
Malone raved about the theater at 800 Rocky Hill Road, a classic summer stock barn that has served as a training ground for many well-known actors over 88 years. Some of the recognizable names include Paul Newman, Sandy Dennis, Jean Seberg, Rob Reiner, and Jennifer Coolidge. Actors and crew live on the campus for a couple of months for an intensive summer theater experience. And performances are still presented in the building that started as a barn in 1875 and was converted to a summer theater in 1937 by Dr. Franklin Trask.
“It’s our little sandbox,” said Malone. “All these great actors come and make theater magic – and there’s nothing like live theater.”
This summer’s lineup, as usual, features crowd-pleasing shows.
“Shrek, the Musical,” for adults and kids alike, will open on Wednesday, July 2, and run through Saturday, July 19. Malone said although it was inspired by the animated films, it’s a “legit show for adults.”
A “golden era classic” of Broadway – “Hello, Dolly!” – will take over from Thursday, July 31, through Saturday, August 16. The comedy follows the charming Dolly Levi, a matchmaker, as she stirs up romantic chaos.
Finally, “Man of La Mancha” will close out the season with the inspiring story of Don Quixote, who dreamed “The Impossible Dream.” Performance will run from Wednesday, September 10, through Saturday, September 20.
After the final curtain call, Malone said, “Like true summer stock, we shut the barn down.”
You can buy tickets for here or call the box office at (508) 224-4888. But don’t waste time – they go fast.
Monday, June 2
“Jane Austen Wrecked My Life,” a film about a lonely bookseller who wants to pursue writing to help her love life, is showing at Plimoth Cinema at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave. “Fall is Coming,” a quiet, dark mystery about a French family, is also screening. Both films show at 4:30 and 7 p.m., and continue at least through Thursday, June 5. Tickets are $12.50, $11 with a club card, $10 for seniors or members, and $8.50 for seniors with a club card.
Adults are invited to learn about museum-grade mineral specimens at a presentation in the Fehlow Meeting Room at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., from 6 to 7 p.m. They will include petrified wood, meteorites, amethyst, ore minerals, and a large variety of gemstones including emerald, rare quartz specimens, and turquoise. Registration is encouraged, and you can do so here.
Wednesday, June 4
The Teen Craft Club will create pebble art in the Craft Room at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., from 6 to 7 p.m. This event is for ages 12 to 18. Registration is required and you can do so here.
Thursday, June 5
The Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra will present “An Evening with Executive Director Kara McEachern,” at 7 p.m. at the Spire. McEachern will sing, accompanied by pianist Eric Brown. The program will showcase songs that have shaped McEachern’s artistry and personal story. “It’s a chance to share a part of myself while raising vital funds for an organization I deeply believe in,” she said in a press release. The fundraiser will benefit the orchestra’s mission to inspire, engage, and enrich the community through live orchestral music, education, and outreach. Tickets are $100 and include the performance and a post-concert reception with the artist. Buy tickets or make a donation here, or call 508-746-8008.
Friday, June 6
Total Strangers with the Fey Family will perform at the Spire at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m. The show will be a trip through the musical history of the local family, featuring original songs by Tom Fey (T-bird) and his children. Tickets are $29.20 and $32, and you can buy them here.
First Fridays Plymouth is back, from 5 to 8 p.m. It’s an open invitation to take part in the downtown arts and culture scene. The Plymouth Center for the Arts, 11 North St., will have art on display, as well as an origami demonstration and music from the Louise Adams Acoustic Duo. Check out The Art Shoppe, 84 Court St., to see and buy art, enjoy complimentary refreshments, and make a butterfly craft. Tour the historic Spooner House, 27 North St., or visit the Howland House, 33 Sandwich St. You can also hear local musicians, starting early with Just 2 Guys, who will rock out from 4 to 6 p.m. in front of See Plymouth’s headquarters, 4 North St., and Raspberry Jam playing in front of Vinyl Lunatics, 65 Main St. Find out what other businesses are participating here.
Saturday, June 7
Join Dr. Patrick Browne, executive director of the Plymouth Antiquarian Society, for a free Burial Hill tour titled “Patriots & Loyalists: Plymouth’s Political Rivals,” from 1 to 2 p.m. The group will meet at the top of the hill for this one-hour tour. Wear appropriate shoes, as there might be some steep and grassy slopes. Registration isn’t required, but the tour could be canceled in the event of bad weather. Check the society’s Facebook page if you’re in doubt.
The Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Bark in the Park Festival” will have a new home at Stephens Field, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will feature more than 40 pet-friendly vendors, activities for people and pets, and adoptable dogs, there will also be live music by local musicians. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., licensing will be available for owners who bring their pets’ rabies vaccination paperwork. (All dogs in attendance must be vaccinated and friendly.) Pastor Paul Jehle will conduct a blessing of the animals from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. At 12:30 p.m., check out the Plymouth County Sheriff Department’s K-9 demonstration. Just Around the Corner Pet Sitting will announce the America’s Hometown Hound winner at 12:45 p.m. Area 4H demonstrations will take place at 1:15 p.m. And don’t miss the Doggy Costume Contest starting at 2:30 p.m. Find out more here.
The second annual Plymouth Pickle & Fermentation Festival will take place at 127 Camelot Drive, home of Independent Fermentations Brewery, from 12 noon to 5 p.m. Rose Forbes and Paul Nixon, co-owners of the brewery, will host a variety of fermenters and brewers, as well as other vendors. The festival is free, but there will be workshops for a fee – on salsa making, chocolate, cheese, and sourdough bread. There will also be fermentation demos, a sauerkraut “mob,” a science corner, and music from The Shady Roosters and Thee Associates. You can find more detailed information here.
Hone your gardening skills at a Companion Planting Workshop from 10 a.m. to noon at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave. In 1621, the Wampanoag showed the English settlers the benefits of companion planting corn, beans, and squash. The workshop will teach many other techniques of companion planting that can help boost your garden. General admission tickets are $16.74, and museum members’ tickets are $11.49. You can buy them here.
Carolyn Wonderland, a singer/guitarist player from Texas, will perform at the Spire at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m. Her music is a mix of original songs and reinventions of some of her favorites, from electric blues to ballads, and from country to Tex-Mex. Wonderland, who formed her first band at age 17, spent the last three years as the first woman lead guitarist in John Mayall’s Blues Breakers. Her latest album is “Truth Is.” Tickets are $32.80 and $36, and you can get them here.
“Menopause, the Musical 2: Cruising Through the ‘Change’” will be playing at Memorial Hall for two shows at 4 and 7:30 p.m. This is the sequel to “Menopause the Musical,” and shows the four women getting into “high jinks on the high seas” with lots of laughs and good vibes. The soundtrack includes parodies from the hits of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Tickets are $43.75 and $77. You can buy them here.
Sunday, June 8
Poetry The Art of Words (PTAOW) – a poetry reading series at Plymouth Center for the Arts, 11 North St – will feature poets Elaine Sorrentino and Stephen Haven starting at 1:30 p.m., with doors opening at 1:15 p.m. There will also be an open mic session, and a sign-up sheet will be available near the entrance. Pembroke-based Sorrentino, communications director at South Shore Conservatory, recently released a book of poems, “Belly Dancing in a Brown Sweatsuit.” Haven will be reading from his fourth book of poems, “The Flight from Meaning,” which was a finalist for the International Beverly Prize for Literature. The event is free (though a suggested donation of $5 is appreciated).
Monday, June 9
The Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra Golf Tournament tees off at 1 p.m. at Southers Marsh Golf Club. The tournament will raise funds to support the orchestra’s mission to inspire, engage, and entertain the public through music. Included in the ticket price are a boxed lunch, 18 holes of golf with two mulligans, golf carts, putting and hole contests, a 19th hole reception, a goodie bag, a buffet dinner, and fellowship with other patrons of the orchestra. Tickets are $185, and you can get them here.
Thursday, June 12
Peter Zheutlin will give an illustrated book talk at Book Love, 7 Village Green South in the Pinehills, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Zheutlin – who is a Plymouth Independent columnist – has written two books, one fiction and one nonfiction, about his grandaunt, Annie Londonderry, who made a bicycle trip around the world from 1894 to 1895. She was the first woman to do so – a Jewish mother from the West End of Boston who left her husband and three small children for 15 months to make the trip. The books are titled “Spin” and “Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry’s Extraordinary Ride.” Tickets for the talk are $7.81, and you can get them here.
Plymouth County Mosquito Control and town entomologist Blake Dinneas will give a short presentation on tick and mosquito safety from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Plymouth Public Library’s Manomet Branch, 12 Strand Ave. The presentation aims to help people prepare for the warmer weather. No registration is necessary.
Singer/songwriter Steve Earle will perform at the Spire at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m. Earle, whose songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, and The Pretenders, among others, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. In 2023, he was honored by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music. Earle has also acted in films and TV (including “The Wire” and “Tremé”) and has written a novel (“I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive.”) South Carolina singer/songwriter Elias Hix, whose songs reflect his Southern rural upbringing, will open the show for Earle. Tickets are $109, and you can get them here.
Saturday, June 14
A Chess Tournament will take place at Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The format is four or five rounds (depending on the number of sign-ups)with each round being a 20-minute game (where each player gets 20 minutes to complete the game). There are two sections: age 14 and younger, and an open section. Participation is limited to 16 players in each section. For more information, contact Bill Petrillo of the Plymouth Public Library Foundation at 774-766-7689.