Jan 5–21: Next to Normal This modern rock musical won three Tony Awards in 2009 for its heartbreaking, humorous, and unflinchingly authentic look at a suburban family struggling with the effects of one family member’s bipolar disorder. Not suitable for children. Fri/Sat, 8 p.m.; Sat/Sun, 3 p.m., $23. • The Center for the Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, 661 Route 308, Rhinebeck, 845.876.3080; www.centerforperformingarts.org
Jan 12–Feb. 3: On Clover Road Written by Steven Dietz, this play is set in a seedy, abandoned motel with a distraught mother desperate to be reunited with her cult-member daughter, who has been missing for more than four years. Fri/Sat, 8 p.m.; Sun, 2 p.m.; $25 adults, $22 seniors. • Elmwood Playhouse, 10 Park St, Nyack, 845.353.1313; www.elmwoodplayhouse.com
Jan 19–Feb. 4: Clever Little Lies Joe DiPietro has written a hilarious and shattering play about the ups and downs of love and marriage. When a husband returns home, a bit on edge, from a tennis match with his son, his wife knows something is wrong, and is determined to find out the truth. Fri/Sat, 8 p.m.; Sun, 2 p.m., $22. • The Ghent Playhouse, 6 Town Hall Place, Ghent, 518.392.6264; www.ghentplayhouse.org
