Alan Cumming coming to the Cabaret; ATI schedules ‘Sweeney Todd”

It's the time of the season for season announcements—-at least from many of the region's performing arts groups. Here are some potential highlights for those who like to look ahead.

—Actors Theare of Indiana's upcoming season will include a rare local professional production of Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street."  Look for it in January after some decidedly lighter fare, including "The Fantasticks" and the returns of "The Andrews Brothers" and  "A Year with Frog and Toad." (Fans of Sondheim can also look south to Buck Creek Players for a production of his "Assassins.")

—Indianapolis Opera has announced a season that includes two full operas at the Schrott, "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" in August and "Mansfield Park" in March. Two concerts, including one this Friday at White River State Park, round out its returning season.

—The Cabaret at the Columbia Club has what could be its strongest season yet. The talent includes Alan Cumming, Norm Lewis, Marin Mazzie, and Laura Osnes as well as Adam Kanter and Betsy Wolfe reprising their roles in a cabaret version of their Broadway show "The Last Five Years."

—The Indiana Repertory Theatre's season, announced earlier, includes repeat productions of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Fences" along with newcomers "Bridge and Tunnel," "The Great Gatsby," and a new play, "April 4, 1968," by James Still. Also in the mix, the theatrical staples "The Mystery of Irma Vep" and "The Mousetrap."