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Boston's Best Fall Theater Preview

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Every season, Boston is host to countless theater productions. Among them are always a few gems that theater fans should try to make the time for. This fall, Christmas elves, fairy tales and more are coming to the stage. From the biggest to the smallest venues, Boston's stages are busy cooking up productions for people of all ages.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella"
Boston Opera House
539 Washington St.
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 259-3400
www.bostonoperahouse.com

Sep. 30 - Oct. 11

While initially written for television, Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" was long ago adapted for the stage. The Tony Award-winning musical features many of the songs people know and love from the television special starring Julie Andrews, such as "In My Own Little Corner" and "Ten Minutes Ago." Get ready for a talented production of one of the world's most beloved, if a little footwear-centric, love stories. There will be more than a dozen showings, but it never hurts to get tickets ahead of time.

Related: Boston's Best Dinner Theater

"Elf: The Musical"
Wang Theater
270 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 482-9393
www.citicenter.org

Nov. 17 - Dec. 6, 2015

Buddy the Elf is coming to Boston this fall to kick up a little excitement for Christmas. Based on the extraordinary film, this musical follows Buddy, a human who accidentally made his way to the North Pole with Santa as a baby. He might not have grown up as a human, but he's learned he is not truly an elf, so he is on a quest to find his biological father. But nothing in the North Pole prepared him for New York City. Come to realize the true meaning of Christmas—caroling and candy—this fall at the Wang Center.

"Mr. Joy"
Paramount Center
559 Washington St.
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 824-8400
www.artsemerson.org

Sep. 22 - Oct. 18

"Mr. Joy" is an unusual one-woman show that also has a cast of characters. Every person involved in this story about an attack in Harlem and the impact one shoe repair man has had on the community is played by Tangela Large. Each of them is different and distinct under her care. Her performance carries the play that theatergoers find both optimistic and heart-wrenching.

"A Confederacy Of Dunces"
Huntington Theatre
264 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 266-7900
www.huntingtontheatre.org

Nov. 11 - Dec. 13, 2015

John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces" is a novel about a grown man, Ignatius J. Reilly, who is at once brilliant and ridiculous. He is lazy, overweight and delusional, but also well-read and interesting. In this production, based on the popular novel, Ignatius is played by the great Nick Offerman of "Parks and Recreation" fame. He brings the character to life amidst the backdrop of New Orleans in the 1960s. Expect to laugh through this bright new play, written for the stage by Jeffrey Hatcher.

"Appropriate"
SpeakEasy Stage Company
539 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 482-3279
www.speakeasystage.com

Sep. 12 - Oct. 10

"Appropriate" is a collection of all our favorite American literary/theater clichés blended into one. There's a plantation, an apparent history of Southern racism, a death in the family, resentful family members and even a bit of hoarding. Separately, or even in a different mix, these pieces tell a familiar tale. However, "Appropriate" whistles its own tune. Its characters don't necessarily find themselves, no mysteries are solved and reconciliation does not look to be par for the course.

Related: Boston Area's Best Indie Movie Theaters

Shelly Barclay is a professional freelance writer and amateur author. She writes on a variety of topics from food to mysteries. She loves to share the culture and rich history of her birthplace and home, Boston, with the rest of the world. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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