OPENING
ALWAYS . . . PATSY CLINE | Becky Barta stars as the country queen in this musical biography a work based on a series of letters Cline exchanged with a fan. The show has all the atmosphere of a genuine Patsy Cline concert, but it's no one-woman show; director Joy Hawkins portrays Patsy's pen pal, Louise. | Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main Street, Stoneham | 781.279.2200 | July 8-25 | Curtain 7:30 pm Thurs | 8 pm Fri | 4 pm + 8 pm Sat | 2 pm Sun | $48; $42 seniors; $20 students
BURNING THE BARN | In its second-ever production, Vagabond Theatre Group stages the world premiere of a work by local playwright Bea Wissel: "Lexi, after surviving a fire that severely damages their antique home, struggles to find herself amid the debris and insincerity of her estranged sister, two concerned strangers, and her adulterous husband." James Peter Sotis directs. | Boston Center for the Arts, Plaza Black Box Theater, 539 Tremont St, Boston | 617.426.5000 | July 14-17 | Curtain 8 pm Wed-Fri | 2 + 8 pm Sat | $22
THE COLOR OF DESIRE | Grant Shaud of Murphy Brown, Scott Cohen of Gilmore Girls and Alma Cuervo star in this staged reading of Nilo Cruz's most recent play, in which an American businessman and a young actress grapple with the rapidly changing landscape of '60s-era Havana. Carey Perloff directs for the Cape Cod Theatre Project. | Falmouth Academy, 7 Highfield Drive, Falmouth | 508.457.9696 | July 15-17 | Curtain 8 pm | $20 suggested donation
CONNI'S AVANT GARDE RESTAURANT | Dinner theater with a difference! On each of four Sundays, "eighty guests are treated to a five-course, locally sourced, seasonal dining experience, with food carefully prepared by the performers themselves and served with charismatic flourish by self-proclaimed geniuses of the avant-garde theater." In between bites, "the audience follows the story of the company's aging diva, Muffin Character Hanshake" — who here is played by Rachel Murdy, creator of the roles of Mr. Oberon and Mia in The Donkey Show in New York. | Oberon, 2 Arrow St, Cambridge | cluboberon.com | July 11–August 1 | Curtain 6:30 pm [6 pm doors] Sun | $65 includes meal and complimentary table wine
CYRANO | Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater continues its 2010 Harbor Stage season with Jo Roets's adaptation of Edmond Rostand's play about the poetic soul whose outsized schnoz prevents him from paying direct address to his lady love, and what happens after Cyrano hires Christian to deliver his addresses to Roxanne. Robert Kropf has the title role; Brendan Hughes directs. | Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Harbor Stage, 15 Kendrick Ave [next to the Town Pier], Wellfleet | 508.349.WHAT | July 8–August 7 | Curtain 8 pm Wed-Sun | $15-$31
CYRANO DE BERGERAC | Apollinaire also does Cyrano this season — this time, it's outdoors, free, and available in Spanish on Fridays and Sundays. (English performances are Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.) Each of the five acts will be performed in a different location in the park, so bring your walking shoes along with your blanket and picnic basket. Danny Bryck stars; Danielle Fauteux Jacques directs. | Mary O'Malley Park, Commandant's Way, Chelsea Waterfront | 617.887.2336 | July 14–July 31 | Curtain 7:30 pm | Free
