Sexual intrigue, Hellen Keller and urine; that’s what area theaters have to offer us during the slow month of August, the dead time between the close of the ’04/’05 season and the beginning of the new one.

In all seriousness, August still has plenty of offerings for D.C. theatergoers, as a bunch of well-received shows take final bows and a few exciting new productions make their debuts.

People can’t stop tinkering with Les Liasons Dangereuses. It’s likely, though, the Actors’ Theatre of Washington’s “all-male, yet not necessarily gay” production will fare better than Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Cruel Intentions. The much-anticipated show opens August 5 and closes September 4.

Next, the month brings another tried-and-true tale to the stage with Olney Theatre’s The Miracle Worker, the classic story of friendship and tutiledge between a young Hellen Keller and mentor Annie Sullivan. The production is the first for the Olney’s new mainstage theater; let us know what you think of the new facility. The Miracle Worker runs Aug. 10 – Sept. 11; a Pay-What-You-Can performance will be held August 9.

Four years ago in New York, Urinetown made a surprise splash off-Broadway and transitioned almost effortlessly to Broadway, thanks to its laugh-out-loud, satirical score and gleeful performances. Arlington’s Signature Theatre‘s production should prove to be much more than toilet humor; it runs from Aug. 16 – Oct. 9.

Catch the last of the Bard 37 readings, which we told you about last month; Macbeth, Pericles, Coriolanus, Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest and Henry VIII close out the $5 event.

If you like your theater with a little less structure and a little more spontaneity, Washington Improv Theater’s Jackie might be your style. The piece builds on audience suggestion to produce a different show each Friday and Saturday night through August 20.

Still Playing: Arena Stage’s Crowns and the Potomac Theatre Project’s political theatre festival close August 7; Studio Theatre Secondstage’s The Intelligent Design Of Jenny Chow, Scena Theatre’s The Persians and Studio’s Take Me Out close Aug. 14; Hairspray finishes its run at The Kennedy Center August 21, and Washington Shakespeare Company’s The Royal Hunt Of The Sun ends August 28 (check out DCist’s takes on Sun,Chow and The Persians.

Image from www.playbill.com

Filed Under: arena stage, broadway, dcist, design, fare, gay, Henry VIII, humor, improv, Improv Theater, Intelligent Design, Jenny Chow, kennedy center, new york, Olney Theatre, people, Sarah, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Scena Theatre, shakespeare, signature theatre, Still Playing, studio theatre, Take Me Out, The Intelligent Design, the kennedy center, The Persians, The Royal, the sun, the tempest, theater, theatre, washington, Washington Improv Theater, washington shakespeare company,