'Mean Girls,' 'Blithe Spirit,' 'A Few Good Men' among season's theater offerings

It’s time once again for opening nights and standing ovations as Western Pennsylvania theater companies get ready to raise the curtain on a new season of stage productions.

Besides the classic familiar favorites — “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Les Miserables,” “Chicago” and more — that veteran theatergoers look forward to revisiting, more recent shows like “Legally Blonde the Musical,” “Mean Girls” and “The SpongeBob Musical” will be vying for audience approval.

While the much-anticipated return of “Hamilton” isn’t due in Pittsburgh until the 2020-21 season, according to Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, there’s plenty of time to check out some of these shows:

Actors Artists of Fayette County (Geyer Performing Arts Center, 111 Pittsburgh St., Scottdale): “Guys and Dolls,” Sept. 12-15; “Rocky Horror Show,” Oct. 17-20; “Leading Ladies,” Nov. 7-10. 724-887-0887 or geyerpac.com

Apple Hill Playhouse (275 Manor Road, Delmont): “Blithe Spirit,” Sept. 26-Oct. 6. 724-468-5050 or applehill playhouse.org

City Theatre Company (1300 Bingham St., South Side): “Cambodian Rock Band,” Sept. 14-Oct. 6; “One Night in Miami,” Nov. 9-Dec. 1; “Downstairs,” Jan. 11-Feb. 2; “Cry it Out,” Feb. 29-March 22; “PerkUp PerkUp,” April 4-May 10; “F*CK7THGRADE,” May 9-­ 31; “The Santaland Diaries,” Nov. 29-Dec. 22. 412-431-4400 or citytheatrecompany.org

MORE FALL ARTS

• Classical: Musical offerings run the gamut
• Concerts: Western Pa.’s fall concert lineup hits every genre
• Opera: Pittsburgh Opera's season lineup spans centuries
• Dance: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Dance Council mark 50 years

Geyer Performing Arts Center (111 Pittsburgh St., Scottdale): “Little Women,” Nov. 21-24; “White Christmas,” Dec. 12-15. 724-887-0887 or geyerpac.com

Greensburg Civic Theatre (951 Old Salem Road, Greensburg): “Jekyll and Hyde The Musical,” Oct. 17-19; “Disney Frozen Jr.,” Dec. 20-21; “The Sunshine Boys,” Feb. 20-22; “Miss Nelson is Missing,” March 20-21; “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” April 30-May 2. 724-836-8000 or gctheatre.org

Mountain Playhouse (Jennerstown): “5/31/1889: The Flood,” Sept. 17-29; “Million Dollar Quartet,” Oct. 1-13. 814-629-9220 or mountain playhouse.org

PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh (Benedum Center, 237 Seventh St., Pittsburgh, unless otherwise noted): “Disney’s The Lion King,” Sept. 4- 29; “The Office! A Musical Parody,” Oct. 18-19, Byham Theater; “Mean Girls,” Oct. 29- Nov. 3; “A Bronx Tale,” Nov. 19-24; “Les Miserables,” Nov. 26-Dec. 1; “The Illusionists: Magic of the Holidays,” Dec. 26-29, Heinz Hall; “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Dec. 31-Jan. 5; “Miss Saigon,” Feb. 4-9; “Cats,” Feb. 25-March 1; “The Band’s Visit,” March 10-15; “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical,” April 7-12, Heinz Hall; “Escape to Margaritaville,” May 12-17. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org

Pittsburgh CLO (at Greer Cabaret Theater unless noted): “One-Man Star Wars Trilogy,” Sept. 11-29; “Forever Plaid,” Oct. 31-Dec. 29; “A Musical Christmas Carol,” Dec. 6-22, Byham Theater; “The Book of Merman,” Jan. 30-March 8; “UNTITLED: A New Musical Comedy About Serious Drama,” April 3-May 3; “Puffs,” May 14-Aug. 2; “The SpongeBob Musical,” June 2-7. Benedum Center. 412-456-6666 or pittsburghclo.org

Pittsburgh Public Theater (O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh): “A Few Good Men,” Sept. 12-Oct. 13; “School Girls, or, The African Mean Girls Play,” Nov. 7-Dec. 8; “Little Shop of Horrors,” Jan. 23-Feb. 23; “American Son,” March 5-April 5; “Barefoot in the Park,” April 23-May 24; “The Cake,” June 4-July 3. 412-316-1600 or ppt.org

PICT Classic Theater (Fred Rogers Studio, WQED, 4802 Fifth Ave., Oakland): “The Woman in Black,” Nov. 7-23; “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Feb. 13-29; “Da,” April 16-May 2. 412-561-6000 or picttheatre.org

Pittsburgh Playhouse (350 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh): “Good Grief,” Oct. 18-27; “Much Ado about Nothing,” Nov. 8-17; “Adding Machine: A Musical,” Dec. 6-16; “The Wolves,” Feb. 21-March 8; “Parade,” March 13-22; “Pump Up the Volume: A New Rock Musical,” April 3-12. 412-392-8000 or pittsburghplayhouse.com

Riverfront Theater Company (Aspinwall Riverfront Park, 285 River Ave., Aspinwall): “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” Nov. 7-9 and 14-16; “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” Feb. 12-15; “Proof,” March 19-21 and 28-30. riverfronttheaterco.org

Seton Hill University (Performing Arts Center, Greensburg): “Chicago,” Oct. 25-Nov. 3. 724- 552-2929 or setonhill.edu/tickets

Split Stage Productions: “Tommy in Concert: Celebra­ting 50 Years of The Who,” Oct. 11-12, The Lamp Theatre, Irwin; “Next to Normal,” Feb. 7-15, Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. splitstage.com

Stage Right Greensburg: “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” Sept. 20-22, The Palace Theatre, Greensburg; “The Rocky Horror Show,” Oct. 25-26, The Lamp Theatre, Irwin and Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Greensburg Garden and Civic Center; “Newsies,” Nov. 22-24, The Palace Theatre; “A Christmas Story,” Dec. 13-15, The Lamp Theatre; “Cabaret,” Feb. 28-March 1, The Lamp Theatre; “Legally Blonde the Musical,” April 17-19, The Palace Theatre. 724-832-7464 or stagerightgreensburg.com

The Theatre Factory (235 Cavitt Ave., Trafford): “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” Sept. 13-22; “The Fantasticks,” Oct. 18-27; “A Christmas Carol,” Dec. 6-15; “She Kills Monsters,” Feb. 28-March 8; “Doubt: A Parable,” April 24-May 3; “Into the Woods,” July 10-19. 412-374-9200 or thetheatrefactory.org