Summer musical theater returns to Muhlenberg College and an historic music jam session is recreated at PA Shakespeare Festival.

Muhlenberg College presents “Seussical,” June 12 to June 27 and PA Shakespeare Festival stages “Million Dollar Quartet,” June 10 to June 28.

“Seussical” marks the return of the summer music season at Muhlenberg for the first time since 2019.

The Covid pandemic forced Muhlenberg’s Summer Music Theatre series into hiatus. The 2020 season would have been the 40th for the series, which began in 1981.

Muhlenberg College theater professor James Peck directs “Seussical,” the Dr. Seuss-inspired musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

Peck, who directed musicals for the Muhlenberg summer series and was to direct “Legally Blonde” for the 2020 season, says he is excited to be back.

“I’m thrilled that Muhlenberg is bringing back summer musical theater productions for the Lehigh Valley community, especially for our many longstanding summer patrons,” says Peck. “These shows provide vital opportunities for our students and enrich the cultural life of the region beyond measure.”

“Seussical” brings to life many favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie and Jojo, a little boy with a big imagination. The colorful characters transport audiences from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos.

“At its heartbeat, it’s really a play about people who are outsiders to the society that they are a part of, but those societies desperately need their voices,” Peck says.

“It’s about the guts that it takes and the beauty that it yields when people stand up for what they think is right. And really, what they think is right is treating others with kindness and decency,” says Peck.

Choreographer Noel Price-Bracey says children will love “Seussical” and that the show explores themes that will resonate with audiences of all ages.

“The story is for a family audience, but there’s so much more to it,” says Price-Bracey, a professor on Muhlenberg’s dance faculty.

“This story is about standing up for those whose voices aren’t loud enough to be heard. I think it’s beautiful, the idea that every time you dive back into a kids’ story, you realize the commentary that’s being made and what it means to be approaching it in this way,” Price-Bracey says.

During the run of the show, Muhlenberg will host “Seussicamp,” a performing arts camp for students in sixth to eighth grades. The two-week program has instruction in acting, voice and dance. There will be a final showcase open to the community.

“Seussical,” 7 p.m. June 12, 19, 26; 2 p.m., 7 p.m. June 13, 20, 27; 14, 21; 10 a.m., 7 p.m. June 18, 25; Muhlenberg College, Baker Theatre, Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance, 2400 Chew St., Allentown. 484-664-3333; https://muhlenberg.edu/summerartsSuessical

PA Shakespeare Festival is presenting the jukebox musical inspired by an impromptu jam session by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

“Million Dollar Quartet” takes place Dec. 4, 1956, when the four musicians visited producer Sam Phillips at his Sun Studio in Memphis, Tenn. Phillips, known as the “Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” oversees an unplanned recording session.

The musical, with a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, is inspired by the true story of the recording session that brought together the four music icons, who were in their 20s on the verge of stardom, for an all-night jam session.

The actors in the PA Shakespeare Fest production are musicians and play instruments for some 20 hit rock ‘n’ roll songs, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Who Do You Love?” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “I Walk the Line” and “Hound Dog.”

“Million Dollar Quartet,” which played on Broadway in 2010, was nominated for three Tony Awards and won one Tony.

Jim Helsinger directs the PA Shakespeare Fest production.

Dominique Scott, who plays Jerry Lee Lewis, is the show’s music director.

The cast includes John Gardiner (Sam Phillips), Jeremy Sevelovitz (Carl Perkins), Nick Voss (Elvis Presley), Chance Michael Wall (Johnny Cash), Chuck Zayas (Jay Perkins), Mike Lucchetti (Fluke) and Shannon Mullen (Dyanne). Understudies are Jonathan Acorn, Adam DelMedico and Sophia Twohig.

Talk-backs are held after the June 18 and June 25 shows.

There’s an audio-described and open-captioned performance for the blind or visually-impaired and the deaf or hard-of-hearing June 20.

“Epilogues,” a free discussion and a behind-the-scenes look at the show at 10 a.m. June 20, will allow audience members to gain deeper insight and ask questions.

“Million Dollar Quartet,” 7:30 p.m. June 10, 11, 12, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26; 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. June 13, 17, 27; 2 p.m. June 14, 21, 28; 6:30 p.m. June 16, 23, PA Shakespeare Festival, Main Stage Theatre, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, DeSales University, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley. 610-282-9455, https://pashakespeare.org/

“Curtain Rises” is a column about the theater, stage shows, the actors in them and the directors and artists who make them happen. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com