How does that old Irving Berlin song go again? 

There’s no business like show business
Like no business I know
Everything about it is appealing
Everything the traffic will allow
Nowhere could you get that happy feeling
When you are stealing that extra bow

As some of you may be aware, show business has been a big part of my business for a while. I wrote extensively about my love of the theatre (theater?) just last week, which served as a jumping-off point for this column, since the business of show is about to commence throughout the Upper Delaware River region “starting here, starting now.” (It’s the title of a musical revue) 

As my inbox begins to overflow with announcements, calendar reminders, save-the-dates and scads of info about upcoming shows, it reminds me that I occasionally run into folks who say things like “Gee, I wish I had known about this or that playing here or there before you wrote about already having seen it in the award-winning River Reporter.” 

Please allow me to ask your forgiveness for not attaching links and box office phone numbers for the myriad of venues. I’m relying on you to simply “let your fingers do the walking” as Barbara Fox was fond of saying; it’s a reference to an old ad campaign for using the yellow pages (say what?) but literally means “Look it up.” Sorry.

For those of you who say things like “There’s nothing to do around here,” I respond with old-timey expressions like “pish-tush” and “phooey.” But herewith, I present some of the reasons why, in no particular order. 

With more apologies to those whom I’m about to inadvertently leave out, I submit some (but not all) details about some (but not all) upcoming productions that will be popping up during the 2025 summer season. 

The Ritz Playhouse in Hawley, PA is a very cool historic building  presenting quality community theatre (argh) for more than 50 years. Word on the street is that they’ll be performing Cole Porter’s “Kiss Me Kate” and a Disney musical for the kids called “Dare to Dream Jr.,” among other offerings. Check out their dot com for more.

Over in Ellenville, NY, Shadowland Stages is gearing up for what promises to be a stellar season, starting with Judd Hirsch (yep, the guy from television’s “Taxi”) in “I’m Not Rappaport” through June, followed by a play titled “Becoming Dr. Ruth” about the famous sex therapist and incredibly colorful television personality, Dr. Ruth Westheimer. I’m excited about both, but check out their dot org (uh huh) for even more. 

What? It’s “too far away?” That’s what I used to think, but you’d be surprised. It’s only 21 miles from Camp Fox. And well worth the trip, IMHO.

Meanwhile, the Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop (SCDW) (also housed in a cool historic building, this time in South Fallsburg, NY) is putting its best community-theatre (?) foot forward this year with the Broadway musical version of “Sister Act” and another fun-sounding option for the kiddos—“Beetlejuice Jr.”—so head on over to the SCDW’s dot net (I know, it’s confusing) and check out all that it has to offer.

Speaking of musicals, the world-famous Forestburgh Playhouse (Forestburgh, NY) has been presenting professional shows in its classic barn theatre (I’m sure of the spelling) since 1947, and this year’s lineup, including “Young Frankenstein” and “The Full Monty,” which sounds amazing.

As always there will be productions for the younger set, non-musical plays and show tunes galore, but this year something fantastic is happening in celebration of the River Reporter’s 50th anniversary. There will be a special performance of Disney’s “NEWSIES” on 8/7 and the playhouse will be offering a newsworthy ticket deal for RR readers and advertisers. You might even get to meet That Dog named Gidget, so stay tuned. I think the FB Playhouse is a dot org but don’t hold me to it.

Lest we forget, there are a couple of new kids on the block, specifically Catskill Arts and Theatre Space (CATS) in residence at the Liberty Theater (it’s spelled BOTH ways on their Facebook page) but I’m unclear on the schedule so take a look at its social media, which informs us that CATS, located in Liberty, NY, is a “community-driven nonprofit bringing bold, inclusive and inspiring arts programming to the heart of the Catskills.” 

Another newcomer is Catskill Public Theater (oy) in Roscoe, NY, and I hear they’ll be popping up all over Sullivan County with their ultra-cool mobile stage this summer and a brand new play called “Woodstock Ripples,” D.L. Coburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Gin Game” and another iteration of last year’s outdoor hit, “Renegade.” Do they have a dot com/org/net? I’m too frazzled to look. 

Additionally, we have the Delaware Valley Opera Center (DVOC) in Lake Huntington, NY, which will be presenting another in their wildly successful opera for children series with “Knightly News,” among other offerings. The DVOC also houses the River Rep Theatre (uh huh) company which is “thrilled to announce their upcoming production” of Michael Ende’s beloved fantasy classic “The NeverEnding Story,” which sounds kinda cool. 

I don’t want to leave out the Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre (pretty schmancy spelling there, no?) in Hurleyville, NY; the incredible innovative presentations at the NACL in Highland Lake, NY; and who could forget the unforgettable folks that make up the Farm Arts Collective (it’s definitely a dot org) across the river in Damascus, PA? Not I, but if I don’t stop, this column will be a never-ending story, and nobody wants to see that happen. The End.

What else did I miss? You can reach me at Jonathanfox@riverreporter.com.

Ask the Google: What’s the difference between theater and theatre, or center and centre? No really, ask the Google—I’m exhausted.