Boston theater heats up this fall

Fanatical baseball fans, fish, and being home to lots and lots of college students are all things Boston are known for. Oh, and more fish. However, while it may not be New York, the Boston theater scene also has a lot to offer, and you would be remis not to experience it first hand.

And for all you newbies to the scene, you are in luck: this fall looks to have an incredible theater season. From avant-garde student productions, to traveling Broadway shows, there should be a play for everyone somewhere in the Boston area.

Unfortunately, one of the downsides of the Boston theater scene is that some of the better productions take place outside the city and therefore outside the realm of public transportation. However, for those venturing to take the commuter rail, or who possess automobiles, the North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) recently opened Pacific Overtures, a rarely performed, but magnificent musical by Steven Sondheim, of Into the Woods, and A Little Night Music fame, both of which were put on at Tufts in the past two years.

The musical, which is a co-production between the NSMT, the Cincinnati Playhouse, and the Alliance Theatre Company of Atlanta, features an entirely Asian-American cast and depicts the days following Japan's first contact with America via Admiral Perry in the mid 1850's. A lovely marriage of Sondheim's melodies and Kabuki influences makes this a production not to be missed. Pacific Overtures is playing at North Shore Music Theatre, 62 Dunham Road, Beverly (978-232-7200), through September 14.

Incidentally, there are several other Sondheim productions in the Boston area, including a MIT Musical Theater Guild production of Into the Woods playing through Sept. 13 at Kresge Little Theater, 48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge (617-253-6294).

The Boston Center for the Arts, located in the middle of Boston, and easily accessible by T, is one of the best places to see theater ranging from traditional to risqu?©, like the Theater Offensives 12th Annual Festival of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Theater which plays from Sept. 6 through the 27.

For those on who prefer shows on the more classical end of the theatrical spectrum, The Animus Ensemble will present Tereus in Fragments: A Lost Play of Sophocles from Sept. 11 through the 21. The play is an imaginative new interpretation of Sophocles' tragedy about the nature of human suffering. For tickets or information about the BCA call their box office at (617) 426 - ARTS.

More for the big blockbusters? This fall Boston will be home to some of Broadway's biggest hits. Currently The Producers is wrapping up its summer run at the Colonial Theater in Boston's Theater District. Mel Brooks' hilarious tale of two producers trying to make money by engineering a horrendous Broadway flop is not to be missed by any cost. It certainly deserved the numerous Tony awards it won and was infinitesimally funnier than an infinite number of kicks to the crotch, someone else's of course.

Next on the agenda is Hairspray. The musical adapted from John Water's cult film of the same name, and the current hot ticket in New York, will move into Boston on Oct. 7. The musical features some big girls, even bigger hair, and a whole lot of dancing and while maybe not as funny as a kick in the crotch, it is certainly more fun.

Finally, from Nov. 5 through Dec. 7, there will be a limited five week only production of Les Miserables, a Broadway classic adapted from the Victor Hugo novel about the French Revolution and the triumph of the human spirit. Make sure you get tickets in advance, as Les Mis is always a popular draw. Incidentally, all tickets for these traveling Broadway shows can be purchased from TicketMaster.

Keep in mind though that these are just some of the highlights of the fall season in Boston. For while Tufts own students do offer some amazing theater productions themselves, sometimes the more avid theater fan needs to get off campus into the great shows that are Boston theater. And whether it is grass roots or huge sparkling production you're looking for, you should be able to find a show tailored to their liking this fall.