Catch Them Before They Go: Provincetown’s September Final Bows

September in Provincetown has its own rhythm. The sidewalks have a little more room, sunsets arrive earlier, and the summer calendar begins its annual disappearing act. But don’t mistake quieter for quiet. Some favorite summer performers are still onstage, while new shows and special events are already moving in. The next few weeks are less an ending than one fabulous changing of the guard.

At The Art House, The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show strips down the cult classic for two wild nights on September 18 & 19. The Skivvies bring live music, comedy, underwear, and plenty of Rocky Horror mischief to the stage—a fittingly unconventional way to send off another Provincetown summer.

Over at the Crown & Anchor, two Provincetown institutions also take their final bows September 19. Absolute Dina Martina wraps another season of wonderfully bizarre songs, comedy, costumes, videos, and whatever else inhabits Dina’s magnificently peculiar universe. Varla Jean Merman closes Unlike A Virgin the same night, ending another summer of original songs, elaborate videos, fabulous costumes, and the gloriously inappropriate comedy that has made Varla a Provincetown tradition.

The goodbyes continue at the Post Office Cabaret, where Miss Richfield 1981 finishes You Can’t Have Ice Cream When You’re Dead! on September 19. Expect songs, videos, audience participation, and another helping of Miss Richfield’s relentlessly cheerful—and occasionally questionable—life advice.

At Pilgrim House, there’s another week to catch Plasma as Bernadette Peters, continuing through September 26. The RuPaul’s Drag Race alum brings Broadway glamour to Commercial Street with an all-live-sung tribute to the legendary Bernadette Peters. It’s big voice, big theater, and plenty of diva—a perfect combination for Provincetown as summer slides into fall.

And at Red Room, September isn’t about saying goodbye at all. Summertime Sadness brings Provincetown together on September 22 for a night of music, remembrance, and community benefiting Sharing Kindness. Then the O’Neill Theater Festival arrives September 26 and continues through October 5, bringing a new round of theater to the room as summer shifts into fall.

And Provincetown isn’t done yet. More shows, more performers, and more reasons to head out in October, with Women’s Week and Spooky Bear keeping the stages—and the town—very much alive.

Summer may be leaving the stage. Provincetown isn’t.