Any theatre lover should, at one point or another in their lives, especially if you’re on the West Coast, make the trek to Ashland to take in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This organization is chock full of creative talent and is bringing classic work into the 21st Century, while at the same time featuring modern and up and coming pieces of performing art. And while the three shows I took in, The Three Musketeers, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night, are each at different levels of maturity, it’s a treat to see so much talent both on and off stage come together to move us all forward.

Tacoma Musical Playhouse’s The Music Man is the perfect summer musical. Directed by Harry Turpin, The Music Man captures all of the nostalgia fans of the show would hope for, and at the same times acts as a showcase for some of the amazing talent that we have in the Puget Sound region. Led by the wonderful Mauro Bozzo as Harold Hill, this show has a lightness to it and a joy that is sure to stay with its audiences long after the curtain drops.