Ride the Cyclone
until Aug. 30 | City Lights Theater, 529 S. Second St., San Jose | cltc.org | Tickets: $47–$68
A freak roller-coaster accident turns a Canadian choir group’s field trip into a jaunt through a bizarre purgatory. According to a mechanical fortune teller, only one may return to the world of the living. They must make their case—through song!
The Revolutionists
Sept. 3–27 | 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos | losaltosstage.org | Tickets: $13–$51
In Lauren Gunderson’s comedy imagines, four historical women—playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle—are thrown together during the Reign of Terror. (Suitable for mature audiences.)
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
Sept. 11–27 | Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto | paplayers.org | Tickets: From $34.00
Eighth in line for earldon, Monty Navarro embarks on a mission to bump off his relatives—and maybe find love along the way. The same actor plays all eight doomed heirs in this Tony Award winning musical comedy.
Eureka Day
Sept. 24–Oct. 18 | City Lights Theater, 529 S. Second St., San Jose | cltc.org | Tickets: $25–$75
A mumps outbreak threatens the progressive and inclusive community at Eureka Day School in Berkeley.
Private Lives
Sept. 25–Oct 11 | The Pear Theatre, 1110 La Avenida St. Ste a, Mountain View | thepear.org | Tickets: $48
In this comedy of manners, two former lovers find themselves honeymooning with new spouses in adjoining rooms.
Once Upon a Mattress
Sept. 25–Oct. 17 | Saratoga Civic Theater, 13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga | southbaymt.com | Tickets: $20–$65
This musical comedy tells a different version of the classic fairy tale The Princess and the Pea. Swamp princess Winnifred competes with other princesses to pass the Queen’s tests and win the heart of Prince Dauntless.
Phantom of the Opera
Oct. 7–18 | Center for the Performing Arts San Jose, 255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose | broadwaysanjose.com | Tickets: $81-464
The Phantom is back as Cameron Mackintosh presents a revitalized new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary musical.
Dracula
Oct. 7–Nov. 1 | Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View | theatreworks.org | Tickets: $44–94
The Steven Dietz adaptation tells the vampire legend with elegance and suspense.
The Addams Family
Oct. 30–Nov. 15 | Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto | paplayers.org | Ticket prices pending
In this original tale, teenage Wednesday Addams shocks her parents by bringing home a “normie” boyfriend.
Fiddler on the Roof
Nov. 15–29 | California Theatre, 345 S 1st St., San Jose | operasj.org | $50.50–$250.50
In the Jewish shtetl on the eve of upheaval, dairyman Tevye grapples with his daughters’ dreams of love while clinging to the customs that provide his world’s structural integrity.
The Who’s Tommy
Nov. 17–22 | Center for the Performing Arts, San Jose, 255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose | broadwaysanjose.com | Ticket prices pending
An all-new production reinvents the 1969 rock opera from The Who, preserving the anthems “I’m Free,” “See Me, Feel Me,” “Sensation” and “Pinball Wizard.”
The 1940s Radio Hour
Nov. 19–Dec. 20 | City Lights Theater, 529 S. Second St., San Jose | cltc.org | Tickets: $25–$75
Travel back to December 1941, as the Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade is broadcasting live from the Hotel Astor. A harassed producer copes with a cast of bumbling characters in this musical comedy.
