Thank god for the Capital Fringe Festival. The event, now in its second year, makes sure that our July isn’t totally barren when it comes to edgy, exciting theater. We’ll be giving you a more detailed report on what the Fringe has to offer this year (hint: Avenue Q and Harry Potter parodies, Chocolate Jesuses and an operatic Lysistrata are among the choices), but here’s what the less fringified theaters around here will be up to this July.

What good is sitting alone in your room? Signature Theater has a cabaret series that extends throughout July (the Sondheim one sounds particularly enticing).

If Jesus Christ Superstar didn't provide your gospel-themed musical theater fix last month, head over to Olney for their take on Godspell (July 5).

In short there's simply not a more congenial spot for checking out Camelot than Wolf Trap, natch (July 10).

Nothing deserves the musical treatment quite like marijuana: Studio Theater offers its take on the cult classic Reefer Madness (July 11).

American Century Theater is restaging a 1938 musical revue known as Hellzapoppin'. Back in the day, audiences loved it and critics hated it. Who will be a fan of this incarnation? (July 13).

MetroStage has not one, not two, but Three Sistahs for us (July 26).

Still playing
The July 15 weekend marks the end of two Studio Theater productions, Souvenier and the witty Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, as well as Woolly's original Dead Man's Cell Phone, Signature's wildly entertaining Witches of Eastwick, WSC's naked Macbeth, and Landless's premiere, Yours Truly Jack The Ripper; Theater J's Pangs of the Messiah closes July 22; Rorschach's world premiere Birds and Shakespeare Theater's emo-tastic Hamlet bow July 29; You've got until August to see Brooklyn Boy at Olney or Phantom at the Kennedy Center.