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Summer arts preview: Top 12 theater picks

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Summer is the season for musicals, and San Diego’s theater outlook doesn’t disappoint, with a full slate of song-filled shows. But plenty of promising nonmusical plays are on the way, too, including works by both the Bard of Avon and that bard of comedy, Steve Martin. Some highlights of the summer stage scene:

“American Rhythm”

This encore musical revue, which premiered at Lamb’s some 16 years ago, is a trip through a century’s worth of American music. June 10 to Aug. 7. Lamb’s Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. $28-$78. (619) 437-6000 or lambsplayers.org

“Macbeth”

The nationally renowned Brian Kulick directs the Bard’s masterful “Scottish play,” which returns to the Old Globe for the first time in a decade and opens the summer Shakespeare Festival. June 19 to July 24. Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, Balboa Park. $29-$98. (619) 234-5623 or theoldglobe.org

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“The Last Tiger in Haiti”

The rising playwright and University of California San Diego grad Jeff Augustin sets this new piece in Haiti, the place of his own family heritage. It centers on a group of restaveks (or child slaves) struggling to survive in the earthquake-rattled country. June 28 to July 24. La Jolla Playhouse’s Mandell Weiss Forum, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, Playhouse/UC San Diego Theatre District. $25 and up. (858) 550-1010 or lajollaplayhouse.org

“Sense and Sensibility”

Paul Gordon, a Tony Award nominee for “Jane Eyre,” created this adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel about two sisters faced with a difficult future in late-18th-century England. Barbara Gaines of Chicago Shakespeare Theater commissioned the show and directs it. July 6 to Aug. 14. Old Globe’s Shiley Stage, Balboa Park. $31-$104. (619) 234-5623 or theoldglobe.org

“Ruthless! The Musical”

Leigh Scarritt and Delicia Turner Sonnenberg direct this off-Broadway hit, which celebrates great moments from “Gypsy,” “Valley of the Dolls” and much more via an all-female cast of characters. July 10 to Aug. 7. Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Rolando District. $20-$30. 858-598-7620, moxietheatre.com

“Ain’t Misbehavin’”

NCRT caps its season with this boisterous musical celebration of Fats Waller and the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and ‘30s, featuring such songs as “Honeysuckle Rose” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.” Yvette Freeman directs. July 13 to Aug. 7. North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. $42-$53.(858) 481-1055, northcoastrep.org.

“Gypsy”

Cygnet’s production of the much-loved musical will feature the largest cast the company has ever put onstage. Artistic chief Sean Murray directs the story of the ultimate stage mom and her daughters’ successes and struggles. July 14 to Sept. 4. Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town. Ticket prices TBA. (619) 337-1525 or cygnettheatre.com

“Junk: The Golden Age of Debt”

Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar’s latest work, directed by Tony winner Doug Hughes, dives into the world of high finance and low deeds in the go-go days of the 1980s. July 26 to Aug. 21. La Jolla Playhouse’s Mandell Weiss Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, Playhouse/UC San Diego Theatre District. $25 and up. (858) 550-1010 or lajollaplayhouse.org

“Meteor Shower”

In this Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015, photo, curator and actor-comedian Steve Martin poses for a portrait in a gallery for the exhibit "The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris" at The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. (Photo by Casey Curry/Invision/AP)
In this Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015, photo, curator and actor-comedian Steve Martin poses for a portrait in a gallery for the exhibit “The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris” at The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. (Photo by Casey Curry/Invision/AP)
(Casey Curry/Invision/AP)

Two years after the Old Globe premiere of his musical “Bright Star” (now on Broadway), Steve Martin returns with another brand-new play — this one an adult comedy about two married couples who gather to watch a celestial event. July 30 to Sept. 4. Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Balboa Park. $29-$84. (619) 234-5623 or theoldglobe.org

“Beautiful”

Still running on Broadway, this touring musical tells the story of Carole King’s life and career through the masterful singer-songwriter’s own tunes, including such hits as “You’ve Got a Friend” and “I Feel the Earth Move.” Aug. 2-7. San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. About $22-$147. (619) 570-1100 or broadwaysd.com

“Love’s Labor’s Lost”

Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall (making her Old Globe directing debut) is best-known for choreographing such hit musical revivals as “Wonderful Town” and “Anything Goes.” But she returns to Shakespeare with this early Bard comedy. Aug. 14 to Sept. 18. Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, Balboa Park. $29-$98. (619) 234-5623 or theoldglobe.org

“Titanic”

Moonlight stages the Maury Yeston/Peter Stone musical about the ill-fated ocean liner — a show that’s been little-seen (particularly in its full version) since its original 1997-99 Broadway run. Aug. 17 to Sept. 3. Moonlight Stage Productions at the Moonlight Amphitheatre, Brengle Terrace Park, 1200 Vale Terrace Drive, Vista. $10-$55; 760.724.2110, moonlightstage.com

“Cabaret”

The latest revival of the John Kander/Fred Ebb classic, which had a recent Tony Award-winning run on Broadway, hits San Diego with its saucy mix of politics and sex in 1930s Berlin. Aug. 23-28. San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. Ticket prices TBA. (619) 570-1100 or broadwaysd.com

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