There’s nothing quite like a Lake Tahoe sunset in summer, experienced from one of its many beaches. Tahoe’s crystal waters mirror a sherbet sky of oranges, pinks, and violets with the purple Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance. If “all the world’s a stage,” then setting a play at the coastline of Lake Tahoe at sunset is just about the best venue you could imagine. For 50 years, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival has been taking the Bard literally, combining breathtaking views of one of life’s sublime moments with joyous, affecting theater.
“It’s utter magic,” Charles Fee, producing artistic director of Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, says of producing live theater on the lake. “After many years of producing plays outdoors, you realize you get two experiences. To be able to do these plays, 35 feet from the lake shore, with the giant granite rocks emerging straight out of the water behind us. And as the sun sets, that incredible starlit sky suddenly opens up and then bathes us in moonlight. There’s nothing like it.”
This summer, the company’s season has a big twist: It’s not Shakespeare. In an exciting first, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival presents “Little Shop of Horrors,” the cult classic musical from the legendary team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who also gave us Disney’s “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “The Little Mermaid.” From June 30 and all summer until it closes Aug. 20, revelers can enjoy a side-splitting singalong performance of the beloved musical on the shores of Sand Harbor at Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. Part sci-fi send-up, part campy horror musical, “Little Shop of Horrors,” directed this summer by internationally acclaimed Victoria Bussert, has been delighting audiences for more than 40 years. But never has the musical been performed in such a dynamic, glorious setting, replete with a no-holds-barred production.
“Our production of ‘Little Shop’ is an absolute delight,” says Fee, who notes that the Festival’s production of the hit musical is on its second run, but its first in Tahoe. Fee leads the celebrated company of artists who produce and perform live theater productions in several cities across the United States. Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival features professional actors, directors, and designers from the best theater companies in the country. “Our actors are coming from New York, L.A., Cleveland, Boise, and other cities across the country – and they’re fabulous – a brilliant company,” Fee gushes.
As the producing artistic director of three independent, professional, regional theater companies, Fee helms programming at Great Lakes Theater (Cleveland, OH), Idaho Shakespeare Festival (Boise, ID), and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (Incline Village, NV). Sharing productions with three theater companies offers huge advantages for the artistic and economic scope of their productions, which are necessary to produce musicals like “Little Shop of Horrors,” according to Fee.
“To build our professional plays, with union actors, union designers, union directors, plus all of the bells and whistles that come with large-scale productions, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to create,” Fee explains. “Producing plays in multiple locations allows us to not only justify the expense, but allows the productions to get better and better the more we perform them.”
Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Little Shop” spares no expense and, having been previously performed at Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Great Lakes Theater, Fee says, Lake Tahoe will be getting the wildest, best-rehearsed version of a musical that requires diligence and copious prep to produce. “‘Little Shop’ is a play that requires a very specific set—the flower shop. And these wonderful, amazing puppets performed by our fabulous puppeteer. This set and puppets are extremely difficult to move and change. So the way we were going to get real sharp for Tahoe was to do it on its own, before, and then bring the best production to Tahoe.”
For the uninitiated, seeing a production at Sand Harbor at Lake Tahoe is an all-encompassing experience for the mind, body, and spirit. Fee suggests attendees arrive early to enjoy a glass of wine or an ice-cold martini on site at Shakespeare Kitchen, take a leisurely walk around the beachfront for 15 or so minutes of calming lake views, then set up early on the giant sand dune and watch the kids, dogs, and squirrels frolic about before showtime. Delicious food options like mahi tacos and charcuterie plates are also available at Shakespeare’s Kitchen. Everyone is encouraged to bring whatever they need to enjoy the performance, whether it be a picnic dinner or their own adult beverage.
The play environment is family-friendly and date-friendly, a rare combo that draws people of all ages to the shores of Tahoe for this unbeatable summer experience. If you want to class it up, there are fancy Adirondack Chairs and Café Table seats up front. If you’re looking to chill, there’s plenty of space farther back. Just don’t forget your sweater. It may grow chilly after the sun goes down!
“The audience parties with us every night,” Fee says. “Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival is a place where you can be entertained in any fashion you’d like. It’s unbelievably fun for everybody.”
While this year’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors” is undoubtedly the draw, the surrounding Lake Tahoe region offers those interested in attending the musical a plethora of other activities, enough to easily fill a week-long vacation. (Fee says he brings his family to Tahoe every summer as a kind of “working vacation.”)
Lake Tahoe is one of the most pristine alpine resort regions in the world, with unparalleled beauty that teems with outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and swimming against a gorgeous natural backdrop. Fee recommends walking the new East Shore Trail for stunning lake and mountain views. The lake offers paddle boarding, diving, and snorkeling to explore its record-setting clear blue waters. There’s plenty of shopping and dining in quaint Incline Village, too, plus lots of fun to be had at Lake Tahoe’s storied casinos, where midcentury charm meets snow village amenities. With plenty of vacation rentals, hotels, and resorts in the area, Lake Tahoe in summer is a bucket-list experience.
“You will be blown away by ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’” Fee says. “You’re going to sit down at Lake Tahoe with the sun setting with your glass of wine, and you’re going to say, why haven’t we been doing this every year?”
Start planning your escape today. Tickets are now on sale for Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival’s “Little Shop of Horrors.” We’ll see you by the lake.