Five don’t-miss theater choices around the Midwest

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The Muny Opera in St. Louis

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Updated: June 23, 2011 12:18AM

Midwesterners can enjoy good theater year-round.

Good theater outdoors, however, is another matter.

Summer stock fans know that the season for alfresco performances is short — and special.

Take advantage of it at these five not-to-miss summer stock venues in the Midwest.

Spring Green, Wis.
American Players Theatre

Wisconsin’s woods are the magical backdrop for world-class performances that draw more than 100,000 playgoers each summer to tiny Spring Green. American Players’ Up-the-Hill Theatre is the country’s second-largest outdoor theater — a picturesque 1,148-seat hilltop amphitheater — devoted to classics. In the last 30 years, its roster of playwrights has included Shakespeare and Chekhov, Shaw and Wilder. James Bohnen, former artistic director for Chicago’s Remy Bumppo Theatre, directs this summer’s production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.”

Season: June 4 to Oct. 16

Curtain: Weekdays 7:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 3 and 8 p.m., Sunday 6 p.m.

Tickets: $40-$65. Tickets are 20 percent off if you buy them by June 3; (608) 588-2361, americanplayers.org.

Eat & Drink: Picnic basket for four ($52) or other selections from Hubbard Street Diner available through box office or online. Ditto with Fat Jacks Barbeque, La Fortuna Pizza on Fridays and, come October, specials from Chili Finale.

Stay & Play: springgreen.com and americanplayers.org. Click “plan your visit,” then “discounts and promos.” Weekday performance packages include prime seats and lodging for two in Spring Green for $169-$209 a person.

From Chicago: 185 miles

Ann Arbor, Mich.
Shakespeare in the Arb

Months before Kate Mendeloff raises a tour guide flag to signal playgoers to follow her into the Nichols Arboretum for another scene of “The Winter’s Tale,” she held auditions for actors and a flock of lambs. A devoted proponent of environmental theater, Mendeloff has directed productions at Shakespeare in the Arb for more than 10 years. One year, she arranged for a horse to gallop into the horizon. For a production of “The Tempest,” she secured a boat on the Huron River. The final act of “TWT” is set at a sheep-shearing festival. To create that ambience, Mendeloff decided that she needed to “cue sheep.”

For seating, the lawn-only hierarchy dictates blanketeers down front and lawn-chair sitters at the rear.

Season: June 9-12, 16-19, 23-26

Curtain: 6:30 p.m.

Tickets: $10-$18, available only on day of performance at the Washington Heights entrance to the Nichols Arboretum, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor; mbgna.umich.edu.

Eat & Drink: Swing by Zingerman’s Deli at 422 Detroit for takeout and eat your pre-performance picnic by the peony garden in the Arb.

Stay & Play: Stroll down Main Street to see what Bob Seger was singing about and to discover why the American Planning Association named it one of the country’s “10 Great Streets”; visitannarbor.org.

From Chicago: 241 miles

Danville, Ky.
Pioneer Playhouse

The stage at Pioneer Playhouse hasn’t changed one bit since a teenager named John Travolta stood in its spotlight, or when future “Six Million Dollar Man” Lee Majors played to full houses at the now 61-year-old amphitheater. The New York press lauded Pioneer as the “King of Summer Stock” back in the ’50s. Today’s artistic director, Holly Henson, intends to keep it that way. She says Pioneer is known as a mid-century summer theater experience that serves up a comedic mix onstage and Southern cooking on the buffet. It’s Kentucky’s oldest outdoor theater, a historic landmark and an extraordinary example of what can be built from recycled U.S. Army surplus and old movie sets. On June 10, “The 39 Steps” kicks off the season.

Season: June 10 to Aug. 30

Curtain: 7:30 p.m. for dinner; show starts at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets: $9-$28; (866) 597-5297, pioneerplayhouse.com.

Eat & Drink: Southern-cooking buffet or vegetarian meals can be ordered in advance.

Stay & Play: Wine tasting at the Old Crow Inn features local wine from the Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery, both in Danville; betterindanville.com.

From Chicago: 384 miles

New Salem, Ill.
Theatre in the Park

There’s a lot going on at Theatre in the Park in New Salem — even before the play begins. Kari Catton, the theater’s executive director, says the pre-show programming helps to ready the audience for the performance. Vocalists and musicians may open the pre-show, but the last 20 minutes is a conversation with the director. For the July 23 production of “Shenandoah,” the Prairie Aires are scheduled to play string instruments. Two dramas serve as bookends for the summer lineup that features a trio of musicals. Before the season closes on Aug. 27, 34 performances will be presented at this 535-seat amphitheater about 20 miles from Springfield.

Season: June 3 to Aug. 27

Curtain: 8 p.m.

Tickets: $7-$12; (217) 632-5440, theatreinthepark.net.

Eat & Drink: Picnic tables and concessionaire on site. If you spend the weekend in Springfield, drop by the Lime Street Cafe for food and live jazz.

Stay & Play: Miss skyscrapers? Check out the 30-story Hilton Springfield for spectacular views of the capitol building. The hotel is within walking distance of most Abraham Lincoln historic sites; visit-springfieldillinois.com.

From Chicago: 272 miles

St. Louis
The Muny

A musical tradition at the Muny started in 1917 with a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Aida.” Today, the country’s oldest and largest (11,000 seats) outdoor musical theater honors its heritage by presenting Broadway musicals. It also continues its custom of providing free seats: 1,500 complimentary spots are set aside in the last nine rows for each performance. Get in line; gates open at 7 p.m. The name “Muny” is neither a surname nor an acronym; it’s a popular handle for the Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis, which was responsible for the theater’s incorporation in 1919. The 2011 season opens June 20-26 with a Muny premiere production of “Legally Blonde the Musical,” one of seven productions that will be presented before “Bye Bye Birdie” waves farewell in August.

Season: June 20 to Aug. 14

Curtain: 8:15 p.m.

Tickets: $10-$68; (314) 361-1900, muny.org.

Eat & Drink: The Muny’s Cafe One offers boxed meals and the Culver Pavilion restaurant provides an al fresco buffet. Reservations required, (314) 361-1900, ext. 330.

Stay & Play: Check out the Gateway Arch Riverfront docks for paddleboat river cruises on the Mississippi River; explorestlouis.com.

From Chicago: 296 miles

Mary Lu Laffey is a local free-lance writer.