Fall A&E Guide: For Atlanta playhouses, the show must go on

After the pandemic paused live performances for more than a year, Atlanta’s irrepressible theater community is back where it belongs — onstage. The season promises familiar Broadway material, mediations on the classics, and taunt contemporary dramas. Many playhouses will reopen with enhanced safety measures and (in some cases) mask mandates, so check for updates before showtime.

“Red Speedo.” Freddie Ashley directs Lucas Hnath’s unsettling portrayal of championship swimming as a dangerous shark pool, where performance-enhancing drugs and product-endorsement ambitions can tangle Olympic dreams. Through Sept. 5. $20-$40. Actor’s Express, 887 W. Marietta St., Atlanta. 404-607-7469, actors-express.com.

“Mother Goose.” The titular feathered mama has gone missing, but cohorts Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo-Peep and others go on a wild goose chase to try to find her in this singalong for ages 2-8. Though Sept. 26. $15. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. NW, Atlanta. 404-873-3391, puppet.org.

“Hamilton.” After postponing last year, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s glorious biography of founding father Alexander Hamilton brings its ominous hip-hop thump to the Fox for a second Atlanta engagement. Aug. 22-Sept. 26. $80-$229; $399 for VIP seats. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 855-285-8499, foxtheatre.org.

“Song and Dance.” Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1980s novelty features a first act told entirely in song, followed by a second act using movement as the idiom. In a win for community building, the production kicks off a collaboration with Central Gwinnett High School’s new School of the Arts with three faculty members working on the show: co-director Lilliangina Quinones, cellist Noah Johnson and set designer Michael Tarver. Aug. 28-Sept. 12. $30-$40. Aurora Theatre, 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. 678-226-6222, auroratheatre.com.

“The Sound of Music.” Before heading to Broadway to star in a revival of “The Music Man” next year, Marietta native Shuler Hensley directs the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic about those famously musical Von Trapps. Sept. 10-26. $40-$100. City Springs Theatre, Byers Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs. 404-477-4365, cityspringstheatre.com.

“An Iliad.” Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson’s modern adaption of the Homeric tale features solo performer Lee Osorio and live music. Sept. 15-Oct. 10. $15-$50. Theatrical Outfit, 84 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta. 678-528-1500, theatricaloutfit.org.

“Hands Up.” Commissioned after the fatal 2014 police shooting of Black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, this evening of seven one-acts may ring even truer today. Oct. 8-31. $25-$45. Alliance Theatre, Hertz Stage, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-733-5000, alliancetheatre.org.