From spirited comedies to award-winning dramas and Broadway legends, here’s a sampling of what will be brightening Boston stages in the coming weeks.

 

                               

“Thirst”
Through March 17, Lyric Stage Company

In Ronan Noone’s latest play, a story’s unraveling on the other side of the kitchen wall in Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.” Two Irish immigrants share their gloomy chores alongside a resilient American chauffeur with a troubled past. Tensions rise, high-spirited humor and harsh cynicism boil over, and the trio confront abandoned dreams and heart-breaking misfortunes. Underneath it all, hope is not as far away as it seems. Put the kettle on. lyricstage.com

 

                      

 

“Titanish”
Through March 17, Greater Boston Stage Company

Colossal disaster looms! A bawdy combination of “SNL,” “Airplane!” and “Titanic,” this epically silly, quasi-musical spoof of everyone’s favorite sea-faring film is sailing toward every comedic iceberg on the horizon. Near, Far, Wherever You Are, you’ll definitely want to hop onboard. greaterbostonstage.org

 

 

                              

“The Minutes”
Through March 24,

Umbrella Arts Center

The smallest towns hide the biggest secrets. Award-winning playwright Tracy Letts’s new
play is part biting comedy, part Hitchockian mystery, and at its dark heart. an unflinching allegory about small-town politics and real-world power. With both funny and jaw-dropping revelations, Letts takes a hard look at the growing movement to deny or rewrite some of the most unpleasant truths about America’s past. theumbrellaarts.org

 

“Exception to The Rule”
March 7 - 17, Modern Theatre

Delve into the lives of six black high schoolers navigating detention at one of the city’s most challenging schools. The late-afternoon lockdown looms through diminishing daylight and the absence of an authority figure. “Exception” plays with time, leaving the audience questioning the duration of its characters’ detention while underscoring the neglect that poor schools suffer by drawing parallels between detention and incarceration. frontporcharts.org

 

                           

“Tarzan”
March 8 - 17, Franklin Performing Arts Company

Washed up on the shores of West Africa, an infant boy is taken in and raised by gorillas who name him Tarzan. He struggles to navigate a jungle, thick with emotion, discovering his animal upbringing clashes with his human instincts. Based on Disney’s epic animated musical adventure, with a score by rock legend, Phil Collins, this re-imagined, immersive, concert production of “Tarzan: The Broadway Musical” stars Broadway’s original Tarzan, Josh Strickland. fpaconline.com

 

“Cost Of Living”
March 8 - 30, SpeakEasy Stage

Winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize, this wry and quietly observed drama intertwines the stories of four lonely souls to examine the forces that bring people together and the way we all need each other. It’s about the complexities of caring and being cared for, and the realities of navigating the world for people with and without disabilities. speakeasystage.com

 

The Magic Of Ireland:  A St. Patrick’s Day Concert

March 9 - 10, Reagle Music Theatre

Reagle Music Theatre captures the allure of Ireland with a holiday concert headlined by Ciarán Sheehan (Broadway’s “Phantom of the Opera”) and Boston favorites Kathy St. George, Jennifer Ellis, and Rick Sherburne. With traditional Irish melodies, comedy, poetry, and more, the cast also features The Harney Academy step-dancers showcasing the precision and grace of Irish dance. reaglemusictheatre.org

 

                               

“Girl From The North Country”
March 12 - 24, The Emerson Colonial

It’s 1934 in Duluth, Minnesota. We meet a group of wayward travelers whose lives intersect in a guesthouse filled with music, life, and hope. Written and directed by celebrated playwright Conor McPherson, the show integrates 20 legendary Bob Dylan songs as they’ve never been heard before, from “Forever Young” to “Like A Rolling Stone.” This Tony Award-winner “lights up the night with the radiance of divine grace.” emersoncolonialtheatre.com

 

                            

Alan Cumming is Not Acting His Age

March 15, Sanders Theatre

Alan Cumming returns with an intimate, new cabaret evening of story and song celebrating and combining his puckish, eclectic spirit with a joyful and mischievous exploration of that most communal of concerns: Aging! With multiple theatrical honors, Cummings has been acclaimed for his Broadway performances as the Emcee in “Cabaret.” celebrityseries.org

 

                                

“The Cher Show”
March 15 - 17, Boch Wang Theater

Superstars come and go. Cher is forever. This is the Tony Award-winning musical of her story, with 35 smash hits, 6 decades of stardom, 2 rock star husbands, a Grammy, an Oscar, an Emmy, and enough Bob Mackie gowns to cause a sequin shortage. Do you believe? bochcenter.org

 

                          

“A Gentleman’s Guide

to Love and Murder”

March 15 - 30, Company Theatre

The distant heir to a family fortune sets out to speed up the line of succession by employing a great deal of charm and a healthy dose of murder. This very proper Tony Award-winning musical set in England’s Downton Abbey-era has been called a witty “knock ‘em dead hit!” companytheatre.com

 

“Driving in Circles”
March 21 - April 6,

Boston Playwrights Theatre

This darkly funny, solo-ish, folktronica musical explores how we recover from trauma. The show chronicles the main character’s winding journey to metabolize, heal, and love as an adult who experienced childhood sexual abuse. A cross between a rock concert, confessional monologue and stand-up comedy, the production crafts a kaleidoscope of past and present, memory and meaning. bu.edu/bpt/

 

                              

Patti LuPone: A Life In Notes

April 2, Symphony Hall

Spend a dazzling evening with Broadway legend and three-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone (“Evita,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Company,” “Gypsy”). In this personal musical memoir, LuPone, backed by her band, shares the indelible songs that have defined her life on and off stage. Everybody rise! celebrityseries.org

 

                           

“Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812”
April 18 - 20, Cutler Majestic Theatre

Young and impulsive, Natasha awaits the return of her fiancé from the front lines. When she falls under the spell of the roguish Anatole, it’s up to Pierre, a family friend having an existential crisis, to pick up the pieces of her shattered reputation. This award-winning, electro-pop, Broadway opera is based on a scandalous slice of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” emersonstage.org