5 theater shows to check out in the Twin Cities suburbs (and beyond)

"Follies" at Artistry in Bloom­ington: Stephen Sondheim's and James Goldman's glorious musical about two middle-aged couples reconnecting, disastrously, at a reunion of Ziegfeld-like showgirls is rarely done — it's enormous, tricky to cast and, while funny, not exactly a pick-me-up. But this company was the first to stage a Twin Cities production, in 2005. (April 14-May 6, $12-$41)

"Godspell" at Daleko Arts in New Prague: Do "Wicked" lovers know composer Stephen Schwartz's first show, based on an even more popular book, the Gospel of Matthew? Schwartz's poppy songcraft was evident from the start, with such indelible tunes as "Day by Day" and "All for the Best." (Sept. 28-Oct. 14, $12-$25, 952-314-9077, dalekoarts.com)

"Into the Woods" at Lakeshore Players in White Bear Lake: Audiences have had plenty of chances to see the fairy-tale-inspired musical, including the recent Meryl Streep movie version. But this is also the first chance to see a Lakeshore show in the new Hanifl Performing Arts Center. (April 26-May 20, $19-$25, 651-429-5674, lakeshoreplayers.org)

"Steel Magnolias" at Lyric Arts in Anoka: Half the cast of six will be making their Lyric Arts debuts, under the guidance of Twin Cities actor/director Angela Timberman, who's also working there for the first time, on a show that seems right in her wheelhouse: Set in a Louisiana hair salon, it's a bawdy comedy/drama about friendship. (June 8-24, $26-$30)

"Victor/Victoria" at Artistry: In 1995, Twin Cities audiences got the first look at the movie-based musical when its world premiere, starring Julie Andrews, was staged at the Orpheum. It had a rough time on Broadway the next year (Andrews famously declined her Tony Award nomination, saying it was humiliating that the show received no other nods) and has not been performed much since. It'll be fun to see how it has held up. (April 6-May 5, 2019)

CHRIS HEWITT