Baltimore’s Young Victorian Theatre Company will perform Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado in July, reprising their 2012 performance, pictured here. Photo courtesy of Young Victorian Theatre Company

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If you’re stage-struck year-round, you’ll have plenty of theatrical offerings in the upcoming months to keep you entertained.

Baltimore’s Arena Players, the oldest continuously operating African-American community theater in the United States, will put on the popular Fats Waller musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’ from June 8 to July 1 (Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 4 p.m., and Saturday, June 16, also at 3 p.m.).

The show brings to life the world that Fats Waller lived in and largely represented: Harlem in the 1930s, the Golden Age of places like The Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom, the honky-tonk dives along Lenox Avenue, of rent parties, of stride piano players, and the new beat, swing.

For musicals, general admission is $25; $20 for students and seniors. For plays, general admission is $20; $15 for students and seniors. Arena Players is located at 801 McCulloh St. For more information, visit http://www.arenaplayersinc.com or call (410) 728-6500.

ABBA in the news

Mamma Mia! inspired by the songs of the Swedish group ABBA, opens on June 15 and runs through Sept. 9 at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia.

The popular musical weaves together some of ABBA’s most beloved numbers, such as “Dancing Queen,” “Voulez Vous” and the title number, into a somewhat forced storyline about fathers, daughters, wives and errant husbands on an idyllic Greek island.

Tickets range from $45.50 for children to $64, including all-you-can-eat dinner or brunch. Certain performances also offer a discounted price for patrons 65 plus. See tobysdinnertheatre.com or call (410) 730-8311.

Coincidentally, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, a second movie based on the play, is set for release this summer. And ABBA has recently announced that, after a 35-year pause, it will soon start recording songs again.

Old favorites

Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre once again offers a summer season of diverse programming, including Avenue Q, from June 15 to July 1, on the Mainstage; Disney’s The Little Mermaid, from July 20 to Aug. 5; Laughter on the 23rd Floor, from June 16 to July 1, in the Cabaret; Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, from July 21 to Aug. 6; and Disney’s The Lion King, Jr. (a 60-minute version of Lion King), from July 6 to 15. For complete ticket information, call (443) 840-2787 or visit http://www.ccbcd.edu/cockpit.

The Young Victorian Theatre Company (Young Vic), Baltimore’s Gilbert & Sullivan troupe, brings The Mikado to town this summer, on July 14, 15, 19, 21 and 22. The Mikado is a fast-paced musical comedy that was written as a parody of the Victorian era’s political elite and class system.

It originally opened on March 14, 1885, in London, where it ran at the Savoy Theatre for 672 performances. The show is set in Japan, which allowed Gilbert to satirize British politics and customs more freely by disguising them as Japanese.

The Mikado will be performed in the Sinex Theater at Roland Park Country School, 5204 Roland Ave. For more information and ticket purchases, call (410) 323-3077, email mailto:boxoffice@yvtc.org, or visit yvtc.org. Tickets are $40.

For rock ‘n roll buffs, in Smokey Joe’s Café ArtsCentric brings to life the songs of Leiber and Stoller, widely credited as the inventors of the musical genre with such hits as “Hound Dog” and “Lucky Lips.” In this idealized ‘50s setting, you’ll certainly be humming along to nearly 40 of the popular songs of the early days of rock ‘n roll.

Smokey Joe’s Café runs from May 25 to June 10. General Admission is $30. Performance location is at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 811 Cathedral St. For more information and ticket purchases, call (410) 205-5130 or visit http://www.artscentric.net.

Bringing Shakespeare to life

The Baltimore Shakespeare Factory continues its 2018 series with Shakespeare’s Macbeth, from June 29 to July 22, and King John, from July 27-Aug. 19. Macbeth, Shakespeare’s masterpiece of murder, fate and ambition, will be performed in the Great Hall Theater at St. Mary’s Community Center, 3900 Roland Ave., on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Tickets for opening night are “pay what you want.”

Presented for the first time in Baltimore, King John is Shakespeare’s rarely performed thriller about a hapless king facing threats from outside and within. King John will also be performed at St. Mary’s Great Hall, on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Pre-show entertainment for both productions begins 30 minutes before show time.

Baltimore Shakespeare Factory, whose motto is “Bard to the bone,” produces five shows each year, expanding its outreach into the community, offering education programs for local students, and lectures and workshops for people of all ages.

General admission tickets are $24. Tickets for teachers, artists, students and patrons 55 and older are $19. For tickets and more information, call (410) 662-9455 or visit http://www.BaltimoreShakespeareFactory.org.