The kids are heading back to school, the tourists are thinning out, and it’s time to get back to our real lives and stop dieting. We now start the slow crawl toward (cue sleigh bells, jolly elves and get ready to drop the giant dreidel) the holidays! Just to ensure that we can all have our calendars marked for upcoming autumnal events, here’s the list.

If you’re headed north to New York—ah, Autumn in New York (cue the Norman Luboff chorus, and where the hell are the French horns when you need them???) always ushers in a few new entries to the Broadway scene, a transfer from the West End and a revival or two.

This season is no different. In the "new" category is Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll opening November 4. Fresh from the success of his Coast of Utopia trilogy at Lincoln Center, he delves into the period from 1968 to the Velvet Revolution of the 90s to "debate communism and the transformative power of music." If it’s Stoppard, it’s going to be interesting theatre.

In the "It-used-to-be-a-movie" category we have the much anticipated (cue the violin and the horses!) Young Franken-stein. The question we all want to know is—"Can Mel Brooks and Susan Stroman do it again?" I’m unfortunately in the camp that thought the stage version of The Producers wasn’t as good as the original film, so I’ll be interested to see where this production goes and if it sets another record at the Tony’s. The scariest thing about this show? The top ticket price is $450. That beats Frau Blucher any day!

There’s always an entry in the "It-used-to-be-a-Cartoon" slot as well, and The Little Mermaid will arrive December 6. Get your tickets now if you want to have Crabs for Christmas! The book for the new show is being written by Doug Wright who won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for I Am My Own Wife. Should be interesting to see what he does with the show.

The revival to watch this season is Pygmalion opening October 18 and starring Jefferson Mays as Henry Higgins. Savvy theatre-goers will remember Mr. Mays as the Tony-winning performer of the afore-mentioned one-man show, I Am My Own Wife. Jefferson used to be a regular at Center Stage in Baltimore and his Peter Pan is something to be remembered fondly. Another revival you may want to see is Kevin Kline starring in Cyrano de Bergerac opening November 1. The lovely Roxanne will be played by Jennifer Garner.

For those of you who want something to do locally, I can guarantee you a plethora of events and none will cost $450— not even if you attended everything I’m about to mention!

The Riverfront Theatre, home of the Second Street Players in Milford 302-422-0220, SecondStreetPlayers.com) will present Deathtrap September 21-23, and 28-30. Ira Levin’s thriller is always a treat and a reminder why the play has lasted.

Their holiday show will be the under-appreciated Bock and Harnick musical, She Loves Me. Hard-core aficionados in the crowd need no further information (yes, Barbara Cook starred as Amalia and Jack Cassidy was brilliant as Kodaly…) but for the rest – it’s the same plot as the Jimmy Stewart film The Shop Around the Corner or the Judy Garland/Van Johnson musical In the Good Old Summertime or the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan film You’ve Got Mail. It’s a jewel of a show and my friend David Button (who just happens to be directing) confides that it will be a sensational production. The show runs November 23-25, 30 and December 1 & 2. If you’re in the Milford area, and have an interest in theatre, give the theatre a call and see when the auditions are. You’ll be glad you did.

The Southern Delaware Choral Society and the Mid-Atlantic Symphony will present (cue the Angels, and fire the French horn players if they were out getting drunk) The Messiah on Dec. 8 at Eagles’ Nest Church in Milton.Maestro Julien Benichou will give the downbeat at 7:30. Bring your copy of the masterpiece so you don’t get lost in the middle of the Hallelujah Chorus like you did three years ago.

Now, come on…go get that calendar and start writing these dates on it! You’re not really going to sit around and watch TV all winter, are you?

Clear Space Productions, Company-in-Residence at Cape Henlopen High School (1270 King’s Highway in Lewes) presents Six Rooms—a compilation of six one-act plays by Tennessee Williams—September 20-22 at 7 p.m. and September 23 at 2 p.m. The following Sunday, September 30 at 2 p.m. will be the premiere of the New Artist Concert Series featuring mezzo-soprano, Tera McCredie. A Lewes native, McCredie returns to her hometown to perform a wide range of selections from opera to Broadway. She has a spectacular accompanist as well—someone I’ve known for his entire life.

The 2nd Annual New Works Festival features music by writers from literally all over the world who submitted new songs, short musicals and full-length musicals for the competition. The weekend will feature three completely different shows presenting the winners in a "reading" format—an evening of songs that tell a story on Friday, November 17; an afternoon of short musicals at 2 p.m. Saturday, November 18 and the full-length musical, Pablo (based on the early life of Picasso) the evening of November 18 at 7 p.m.

The original musical, Scrooge! plays December 6, 8, 9 at the Little Theatre, then tours to the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts in Dover on December 13 and 14 for its third consecutive year. Open auditions for both Scrooge! and the New Works Festival will be held on Saturday, September 15 from 5-8 in the Little Theatre at Cape Henlopen High. You can come there right after Pride! For information call 302-644-3810 or visit ClearSpaceProductions.org.

In Georgetown at Possum Hall the Possum Point Players proudly present their production of Pirates of Penzance. Try saying that sentence 10 times with a mouth full of crackers! The Gilbert and Sullivan operetta runs October 5, 6, 12 and 13 at 8 p.m. and the 7 and 14 at 2 p.m. I have a ton of friends in the show and have heard that Pirate Boot Camp whomped the show into great shape. The Head Possum himself, Jim Hartzell, is at the helm.

Their holiday selection this year will be Miracle on 34th Street—the 1950s radio version. The show runs November 30, December 1, 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. and December 2 and 9 at 2 p.m. For tickets call: 302-856-4560 or visit their website at www.PossumPointPlayers.com.

Milton Theatre (110 Union Street, 302-684-3400, MiltonTheatre.org) will present Dracula on October 12-13, 19-20, 26-27 with matinees on the 14, 21 and 28. An encore performance of Fay Jacobs’ musical salute to the 200th anniversary of Milton will occur later this fall, though no official date has been set. I promise I’ll let you know! The show features Eliose Ullman, Tim King, and Eric Peterson, and has been described as "intelligent and insightful" and "touched the heart of every Miltonian." Could you ask for more?

Well, there’s more! Nuncrackers, the holiday version of Nunsense plays November 30, December 1, 2, 14-16 and it’s always good to check in to see what’s going on with the Little Sisters of Hoboken—or "Little Sisters of Henlopen" in Fay’s production for Henlopen Theatre Project earlier this summer. The intervening weekend is the 9th Annual John Milton Celebration of Poets and Poetry. If you’ve never been to this historic theatre, then it’s time you took a drive.

If you decide that you can’t possibly sit in a theatre this fall, then (cue the Wicked Witch Theme, and give up on the horn players) put the Sea Witch Festival on the calendar. With all of these terrific theatre companies in the area there’s just not a reason to sit at home wondering what to do—ever!