The colder months are the perfect time to head indoors and experience all the culture that Boston has to offer
Despite some adjustments made for COVID-related safety reasons, there’s still a good mix of national touring musicals and local productions on tap for the next few months. Two new shows hitting Boston soon for the first time are Pretty Woman: The Musical (January 18–30) at the Citizens Bank Opera House and the life story of one of Boston’s own, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, which mounts the stage at the venerable Emerson Colonial Theatre February 22–March 6. Speaking of the Colonial, the venue also welcomes the one-man-show version of A Bronx Tale with creator Chazz Palminteri on March 13 and the hip-hop musical Freestyle Love Supreme March 18–April 2. Local troupes are busy as well, with the South End’s SpeakEasy Stage Company returning from winter break February 11–March 5 with Duncan McMillan’s acclaimed People, Places & Things, the story of an actress struggling with sobriety, and Lynn Ahren’s beloved musical Once on This Island March 11–April 16. Also in the South End, check out Huntington Theatre Company’s production of Lydia R. Diamond’s adaptation of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye January 28–March 26. The HTC also presents Heidi Schreck’s Broadway smash What the Constitution Means to Me at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre in the Theatre District February 22–March 20. ArtsEmerson also welcomes several intriguing options to the Theatre District, including the Miriam Makeba biographical musical Dreaming Zenzile (pictured) February 23–27. In the Back Bay, Lyric Stage Company showcases Mr. Parent, Melinda Lopez’s world premiere saga of a real-life public school teacher, through February 6, and the so-called “love letter to Shakespeare” The Book of Will February 25–March 27, while Cambridge’s American Repertory Theater premieres the timely, environmentally themed Ocean Filibuster February 18–March 13.
Beginning January 15, the City of Boston is requiring all patrons for indoor performances wear masks and show proof of vaccination. Cambridge has a mask mandate as well for all indoor spaces. Additionally, the American Repertory Theater is requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the performance be presented.
