Westchester Fall Arts Preview: Theater

The best stage plays and performances happening around the county this fall will take you through Halloween chills and Yuletide cheer.

September 25 – November 30

South Pacific

Westchester Broadway Theatre Elmsford

(914) 592-2222; www.broadwaytheatre.com

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If ever there were a reason to spend some enchanted evening over at the Westchester Broadway Theatre, it’d be to see its production of the 10-time Tony-winning South Pacific. The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic features some of the most enduring musical numbers, from “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” to “There Is Nothing Like a Dame.” The production runs from September 25 to November 30, then takes a break before returning for another stint from December 31 to January 25, 2015. 

October 10 – October 25

The God Game

Whippoorwill Hall Theatre, Armonk

(914) 271-2811; www.hudsonstage.com

The Hudson Stage Company is movin’ on up to a new theater, the Whippoorwill Hall Theatre at the North Castle Public Library. See the show in their new digs when the Company presents The God Game by Suzanne Bradbeer. The play deals with everyone’s two favorite topics—God and politics—when an agnostic senator is asked to appear more religious to join the ticket of a conservative presidential candidate. 

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Photo by Joan Marcus

September 28

Martha Clarke’s Chéri

The Performing Arts Center, Purchase 

(914) 251-6200; www.artscenter.org

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Chéri isn’t just a straight play—it’s just as much a dance piece as it is theater, if not more so. The words, adapted from French author Colette’s novellas, come courtesy of Tina Howe, the award-winning
playwright behind Painting Churches and Coastal Disturbances. But choreographer Martha Clarke takes over, telling the story through ballet dancers Herman Cornejo and Alessandra Ferri. When it
debuted this past winter, the New York Times’ Charles Isherwood called it “a dramatically muted but gorgeously danced new work.”
 

October 29 – November 1

The Turn of the Screw

Boscobel House and Gardens Garrison, NY

(845) 265-9575; www.hvshakespeare.org

Despite the name, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival isn’t just about Shakespeare. This Halloween, it’s presenting the ghostly The Turn of the Screw, written by Jeffrey Hatcher and based on the Henry James story. To get the chill out of your bones, a reception follows each performance. 

November 22 – November 30

A Christmas Carol

Yorktown Stage, Yorktown Heights

(914) 962-0606; www.yorktownstage.org

Charles Dickens gets a little help from a local: North Salem’s Alan Menken wrote the score for this musical version of A Christmas Carol. Not only will it get you into the holiday spirit, it’ll prime you for when Menken’s musical television show, Galavant, debuts mid-season.   


It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Everyone knows that Halloween is the best time to be a Westchesterite. Besides the vibrant foliage and the apple-cider donuts, Westchester goes all out for the holiday with its theatrical seasonal displays. The perennial favorite Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze returns to Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson with more than 5,000 carved, illuminated pumpkins in tow. This is the 10th anniversary of the county’s landmark event, so expect them to pull out the stops. While the Blaze is good for (almost) all ages, those seeking an event that’ll get the pulse racing should head to the Horseman’s Hollow at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, where the Headless Horseman presides over a walk-through trail of grisly scenes. If that seems too scary, listen instead to master storyteller Jonathan Kruk tell Irving’s Legend in the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow, where the tale partially takes place. Or, learn about the man who created it all with Washington Irving: The Legend Behind the “Legend” at Irving’s home, Sunnyside, in Tarrytown. If the home of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow doesn’t interest you, switch instead to the famous Dark Shadows location; Lyndhurst in Tarrytown plays host to Jay Ghoul’s House of Curiosities, where long-dead members of the “Ghoul” family give spooky tours of the gothic castle. 

Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, Horseman’s Hollow, Irving’s Legend, and Washington Irving: The Legend Behind the “Legend”: Historic Hudson Valley (914) 631-8200; www.hudsonvalley.org. Jay Ghoul’s House of Curiosities: Lyndhurst (914) 631-4481; www.lyndhurst.org

Our Westchester Home Builders Awards take place on April 4!

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Forum is March 14!

Unveiled: A Boutique Bridal Brunch is February 25!

Our Best of Westchester Elimination Ballot is open through March 6!

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