‘Tomfoolery’ Opening Sept. 12 at TAP

(From left) Joel Kopischke, Bradley Halverson, Carmen Risi, Ryan Cappleman and Bob Boles enjoy the first day of rehearsals for Tomfoolery. Submitted.

Third Avenue Playhouse is gearing up for Tomfoolery, to be performed Sept. 12 through Oct. 20, with a special pay-what-you-can preview on Sept. 11. 

It’s a hysterical revue of the witty, wicked and thoroughly twisted world of famed satirical songwriter Tom Lehrer. Through concerts, TV appearances and now-classic recordings, the Harvard-educated math professor delighted millions during the 1950s and ’60s with his dry, cynical but good-humored attacks on the A-bomb, racism, pollution, pornography, the military, the Boy Scouts and mathematics. Nothing is sacred.

Tomfoolery features such Lehrer favorites as “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” “When You Are Old and Grey,” “The Masochism Tango,” “The Old Dope Peddler” and “The Vatican Rag,” plus an unforgettable Gilbert and Sullivan-esque recitation of the table of elements and his own inimitable concert patter.

Tomfoolery is performed Wednesdays through Saturdays, 7:30 pm; and Sundays, 2 pm. To learn more and purchase tickets, visit thirdavenueplayhouse.com.