Summer may be reaching its end but performing arts season is approaching, which means there will be plenty of opportunities to catch a concert or play in Long Beach.

Some of our leading local art institutions are rounding out their 2023 seasons and many, including the International City Theatre, have announced programming that will carry into 2024.

This week the Post is publishing a complete list of what’s on the schedule, and how to get tickets.

Click here to read about upcoming concerts.

Now, on to plays and shows:

INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE

Actors Michael Polak and Suzzane Spoke performing in the International City Theatre production of “Exit Wounds” by Wendy Graf. Photo by Kayte Deimoa.
  • Aug. 23 – Sept. 10 – “Exit Wounds”: Already on stage now is a drama that delves into the life of a family trying to cope in the aftermath of a horrific crime committed by a family member.
  • Oct. 8 – Nov. 5 – “Deathtrap”: ICT performs Ira Levin’s famed work, “Deathtrap,” Broadway’s longest-running comedy thriller about a washed-up playwright who concocts a devious plot to rise to the top again.
  • Feb. 16 – March 3 – “Marilyn, Mom & Me”: ICT opens its 2024 season with the world premiere of “Marilyn, Mom & Me,” by Luke Yankee. The show, written and directed by Yankee, is a comic drama that explores a never-before-seen side of Marilyn Monroe through her relationship with Yankee’s mother, Broadway star Eileen Heckart, who played Monroe’s best friend in the 1956 film “Bus Stop.”
  • May 3 – May 19 – “What the Constitution Means to Me”: Written by playwright Heidi Schreck, this play is a Pulitzer-prize finalist that explores gender and racial bias in the U.S. with healthy doses of humor, humanity and hope.
  • June 14 – June 30 – “The Outsider”: A comedic political satire about a flawed gubernatorial candidate who seems destined to fail.
  • Aug. 23 – Sept. 8 – “The Double V”: This drama, written by playwright Carole Eglash-Kosoff, is based on the true story of the historical effort to allow Black men and women to serve in the U.S. military during World War II.
  • Oct. 18 – Nov. 3 – “Murder on the Links: A fun adaptation of Agatha Christie’s intricate murder mystery, “Murder on the Links,” from the 1920s. The story features popular characters Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings as they try to solve the mystery behind the death of a wealthy businessman in France.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

CARPENTER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

The Peking Acrobats will be performing live at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on Jan. 24, 2023. Photo by Tom Meinhold Photography courtesy The Carpenter Center.
  • Sept. 30 – A.I.M by Kyle Abraham: The lauded contemporary dance company returns with new choreography and numbers to songs by Nina Simone.
  • Oct. 7 – Superstars of Magic: An evening of comedy and illusion featuring five magic acts from award-winning Las Vegas illusionists.
  • Nov. 11 – Amy Sedaris: An entertaining Q&A with actress and comedian Amy Sedaris, best known for her Emmy-nominated series “At Home with Amy Sedaris,” and more recently her role as Peli Motto in Disney’s “The Mandalorian.”
  • Dec. 8 – Versa-Style Dance Company: A beautifully orchestrated evening of dance by a company that has made waves for blending Los Angeles’ hip-hop with street dance styles.
  • Dec. 9 – Paula Poundstone: Stand-up comedian Paula Poundstone returns to the Carpenter Center for an evening of laughs with her observational humor.
  • Jan. 14 – The Doo Wop Project: This new show features Broadway talent performing fresh renditions of classic Doo Wop hits and some contemporary favorites from Adele to Garth Brooks.
  • Jan. 20 – Henry Winkler: Actor and comedian visits the Carpenter Center to share humorous anecdotes and inspirational lessons from his 40-year career in acting.
  • Jan. 27 – The Peking Acrobats: A celebration of Chinese culture, dancing and acrobatics by the famed performance group.
  • Feb. 3 – Les Ballets Trockadero: This comedic, all-male ballet company returns for its 50th year on stage with all the amazing athleticism and parodies of classical ballet favorites.
  • May 8-9 – Lucie Arnaz: Singer, actor and daughter to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Lucie Arnaz explores her career with performances of some of Broadway’s most memorable tunes.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

LONG BEACH PLAYHOUSE

Ben Trotter, Skylar Alexis, and Courtney Johnson performing a 1950s reimagining of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” now on stage at Long Beach Playhouse. Photo by Michael Hardy Photography.

Mainstage Theatre:

  • Sept. 23 – Oct. 21 – “Frankenstein 1930”: Currently on stage is an amplified version of Mary Shelley’s classic tale. Written by Fred Carmichael in the 1930s promises greater suspense and depth of characters.
  • Nov. 4 – Dec. 2 – “Emma”: Jane Austen’s famed novel comes to life with this adapted play by Michael Bloom. A romantic comedy at heart, the story surrounds Emma Woodhouse and her defiant attitude to never marry, despite the social pressures of the time.
  • Dec. 9 – 23 – “A Christmas Carol”: Back for its 12th year at the theater, catch the perennial favorite retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale.
  • Jan. 13  – Feb. 10 – “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”: This adaptation of Agatha Christie’s book follows the characters of former policeman Hercule Poirot and on-leave soldier Arthur Hastings as they work to solve a murder in the English countryside.
  • Feb. 24 – March 23 – “Ben Hur”: This comedic play-within-a-play follows a theatre troupe as they attempt to recreate the epic of “Ben Hur” with only four actors.
  • April 6 – May 4 – “Hamlet”: The Long Beach Playhouse takes on William Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy.
  • May 18 – June 15 – “Detroit ’67”: Set to the vibrant music of the time, this historical drama by Dominique Morisseau peers into the explosive period of Detroit history—the 1967 Detroit race riots.
  • June 29 – Aug. 3 – “The Addams Family”: This musical rendition of the most famous gothic family dives into the idea of what might happen if Wednesday Adams fell in love with a sweet, normal guy. Hint: hijinks ensue.

Studio Theatre:

  • Sept 2 – 30 – “As You Like It”: Currently on stage is a 1950s New York City reimagining of William Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy.
  • Oct. 14 – Nov. 18 – “Rent”: Long beach Playhouse brings to life all the magic and angst of one of Broadway’s most beloved pop musicals about a group of young artists struggling to survive and create under the shadow of economic displacement and the AIDS crisis.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

MUSICAL THEATRE WEST

Courtesy flyer to Musical Theatre West’s upcoming production of “The Sound of Music.”

Oct. 20 – Nov. 5 – “The Sound of Music”: Musical Theatre West brings to life Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved musical about a whimsical, free-spirited postulant who changes the lives of an Austrian family. Expect all the breathtaking songs, dance numbers and set designs that have made Musical Theatre West one of the best places in Long Beach to see live musical theater.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

LONG BEACH SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

Long Beach Shakespeare Company actors Anastasia Cabaj as Hermoine, Robert Williams as Leontes and Claire Voilleque as Jailer performing “The Winter’s Tale” at the Helen Borgers Theatre. Photo by Aura Rico.

Sept. 2 – 16 – “The Winter’s Tale”: Known for performing an extensive variety of Shakespeare’s works, The Long Beach Shakespeare Company performs one of the playwright’s lesser-known works, “The Winter’s Tale.” The story unfolds after a paranoid king wreaks havoc on his family with repercussions that reverberate for decades. The play has been considered by scholars to be either a comedy or a romance and serves as a cautionary tale about the destruction jealousy, pettiness and vanity can have on relationships as well as the power of forgiveness.

Oct. 6 – 8 – Long Beach Shakespeare Company’s Poetry Weekend: As an ode to the master of wordplay and prose, the company will be celebrating poetry with three days of live readings and performances from the company and guest poets.

Oct. 13 – 15 – “The Screaming Woman and the Monkey’s Paw” Radio Show: This double-feature radio show is performed by company actors with live foley sounds. “The Screaming Woman,” is a 1948 radio play based loosely on Ray Bradbury’s haunting short story of the same name. The Long Beach Shakespeare Company will also perform “The Monkey’s Paw,” a horror story based on the play by W.W. Jacobs.

Oct. 20 – 22 – “Ghost Party and Sub-Basement” Radio Show: This live-acted radio show with foley brings to life two spooky stories. The first, “Ghost Party” is a 1937 radio play about a bizarre dinner party. The second, “Sub-Basement” is a 1943 supernatural drama about the discovery of a dead body beneath a city building.

Oct. 27 – 29 “War of the Worlds” Radio Show: The 1938 radio show reimagining of  H. G. Wells’s novel about an alien invasion will be performed again by the Shakespeare Company.

Nov. 24 – Dec. 10 – “The Gift of the Magi”: The Shakespeare Company ends its 2023 run of fully staged theater shows with “The Gift of the Magi,” a play based on the sentimental short story by author O. Henry where an impoverished husband and wife struggle to buy each other Christmas gifts.

Dec. 15 – 17 – “A Christmas Carol” Radio Show: Hear the Orson Welles’ produced 1939 radio rendition of “A Christmas Carol,” performed with actors and live foley.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

THE GARAGE THEATRE

Actor Paul Knox will perform the lead role in the upcoming production of “Thom Pain” at The Garage Theatre. Photo by Maria Guererro.

Sept. 8 – Oct. 7 – Thom Pain (Based on Nothing): A one-man show written by playwright Will Eno where audiences hear from a man who has endured a lot of hardships in his life. Though seemingly modest in scope, the play was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005 and continues to captivate audiences for its wordplay and theatrical inventiveness.

Nov. 10 – Dec. 16 – “Terror at the Pike (Or: How Come There Aren’t Any Waves in Long Beach)” – This Long Beach play, written by a Long Beach playwright and performed for the first time in Long Beach returns to close out The Garage Theatre’s 2023 season. The melodrama is set at The Pike in Long Beach in the 1920s and borrows from local history to tell the fictional story of two roller coaster operators.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.