A string of musicals, tributes to recording legends, and dramas with strong female characters on tap next year

By Lucie K. Scheuer for Ashland.news

The Camelot Theatre in Talent has announced its 2026 season, featuring a string of musicals, tributes to recording artists, and dynamic plays, all with a focus on strong female characters.

The Camelot Theater, in its 44th year, has become synonymous with quality, affordable theatrical and musical productions.
In 2026, the theater will continue with its popular productions, including “Spotlight On” and “A La Carte” series, featuring burlesque and powerful script readings.

Celebrating the ‘Queen of Soul’

The season opens with a tribute to music icon, Aretha Franklin, with “Spotlight on Aretha,” featuring The Rogue Suspects, who will play the hits from the Queen of Soul’s catalog, including “Chain of Fools,” “Respect,” and “Natural Woman,” among others. The Rogue Suspects are hailed as one of the best rock groups in the valley.

Classic comedy

In February, Camelot will stage one of the great comedies of the 20th century: “You Can’t Take It With You,” by Broadway literary giants George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The production tells the tale of a young woman who brings her fiance home to meet her eccentric family is endearing and riotously funny.

Toe-tapping musical

In March, “Sugar,” which has been dubbed the “toe-tapping musical take on ‘Some Like It,” will swing into Camelot. Premiering in 1973, “Sugar” was composed by Broadway’s own Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, of “Funny Girl” fame.

Stages of life

Just in time for spring in April, the Camelot will offer “Three Tall Women,” a continuation of its American Masters Drama Series. It focuses on three stages in the life of a defiant, acerbic older woman.

Based on his adoptive mother, the play was penned by one of the most prolific playwrights of the 20th century, Edward Albee, author of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” His fascination with and exploration of the female persona carries over to this one, which opened in 1991.

Boot-stompin’ celebration

May introduces another musical tribute with “Spotlight on Garth,” celebrating country star Garth Brooks and featuring hits such as “Friends in Low Places” and “The Dance.” The Camelot calls the show a “boot-stompin” celebration of one of country music’s greatest legends.

Collaborating on a classic

The summer season heats up at Camelot with “Kiss Me Kate,” a Cole Porter production performed in collaboration with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and its production of “The Taming of the Shrew.” Camelot’s press release notes that this “Cole Porter classic brings Shakespearean wit to the musical stage.”

Honoring ‘Ole Blue Eyes’

The Camelot will bring the cool with the production of “Spotlight on Frank and Friends.”

The musical celebration of Frank Sinatra and his iconic circle, the “Rat Pack,” will kick off in early August. The production will feature hits from smooth ballads from the crooner’s early days, and during the “Rat Pack” era, along with duets Sinatra performed in later years with the likes of k.d. lang and Diana Krall.

The Camelot’s website dubs the production “a night of cool classics and classy company you won’t want to miss.”

Getting serious

In September, Camelot gets serious with “The Best We Could,” a family tragedy that is part of Camelot’s American Masters Drama Series.

The 2022 play by Emily Feldman delves into familial relationships when a daughter accompanies her father on a road trip to adopt a dog. Along the way, they encounter memories and the sadness that comes with families growing apart.

The ‘quiet Beatle’

October brings another tribute to a musical icon with “Spotlight on George Harrison.”

The Camelot dubs the production “a heartfelt journey through Harrison’s solo career, his legendary work with The Beatles, and his unforgettable collaborations with the Traveling Wilburys.”

A family treat

To round out the holiday season, the Camelot will stage a retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood.”

The production, a panto (short for pantomime), is a family-friendly theatrical style from Britain with slapstick comedy, music, and audience participation, according to the Camelot website.

Gwen Overland, writer and director, said the production “will not be a tale filled with danger and cruelty, but one of friendship, care, and joy.”

In Overland’s take on the classic fairy tale, the wolf had been “a sensitive and hurt little boy,” while Little Red Riding Hood had a “special charm” to disarm bullies.

Overland said the play will be “filled with dance, song, and hilarity, a family treat, just right for the season.”

‘A La Carte’ series returns

Along with the main stage lineup this season, Camelot will continue its A La Carte series with spring and fall Burlesque Nights, along with benefit script readings of “The White Chip” and “The Shadow Box,” supporting addiction, mental health, and end-of-life care initiatives.

The deets

Season packages, spotlight bundles, and a la carte tickets go on sale in September. Camelot members can now purchase tickets. For more information, go to camelottheatre.org or call 541-535-5250.

Ashland resident Lucie K. Scheuer is a former copy editor and staff writer with the Los Angeles Times, where her work included features, reviews and a column on films in production. Email her at [email protected].

Aug. 4: Updated story to include the production, “Three Tall Women” in April 2026.