Harriet Harris and Jeff McCarthy check out the razor's edge in the Barrington Stage Company production of Sweeney Todd. Photo by Kevin Sprague

By Helen Epstein

For Stephen Sondheim fans there’s the Barrington Stage Company production of Sweeney Todd that runs till July 17. I’m waiting for Yasmina Reza’s Art , which is directed by Henry Wishcamper and runs from July 22 through August 7.

For Shakespeare lovers, there’s Shakespeare & Co‘s fabulous new production of Richard III directed by Artistic Director Tony Simotes, running from July 2 through September 5. Simotes last directed the extraordinary actor John Douglas Thompson as Othello. The formidable cast of Richard includes Tod Randolph, Jason Asprey, Nigel Gore, Elizabeth Ingram, and Rocco Sisto.

Combing the Hair (La Coiffure), c. 1896, by Edgar Degas. Oil on canvas, 114.3 x 146.7 cm. The National Gallery, London. Bought, 1937 (NG 4865). © National Gallery, London / Art Resource, NY

For theatergoers who like to search for culture in out-of-the way places, take a chance on the tiny, picturesque Chester Theatre Company in Chester, MA. From July 14 to August 22, the company will present Arlene Hutton’s Nibroc Trilogy (Last Train to Nibroc, See Rock City, Gulf View Drive), a three-play exploration of the extraordinary social changes sweeping the U.S. between 1941 and 1953 told through the experiences of two young Kentuckians who meet, fall in love, and develop their own special kind of family.

For visual arts mavens, there’s the new Clark Institute show, Picasso Looks at Degas, which runs through September 12.

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Helen Epstein’s work, including her award-winning profile of art historian Meyer Schapiro, is now on Kindle.