The stakes are high this fall as theaters seek to lure audiences back

‘Fat Ham,’ ‘Ragtime’ and a Broadway-bound ‘The Wiz’ are among the old favorites and provocative new works on the agenda.

Illustration by Fien Jorissen for The Washington Post

More than ever, it seems, entertainment consumers are looking for a sure thing. They want a live experience that absolutely, positively will justify the time and effort — and expense — of getting into a car or booking a Lyft or buying a train ticket to see a dearly priced play or musical.

That’s a lot of pressure to place on an evening out. The pandemic may have made us fussier and more demanding as a theatergoing culture; certainly, the explosion of streaming services over the past several years has conditioned consumers to sampling fare at their own convenience.

In this increasingly finicky era — borne out by data showing attendance has declined since the shutdowns — the stakes in what theaters decide to offer audiences grow ever higher. With all this in mind, I offer some guidance on fall productions that provide a decent chance of meeting a discerning ticket-buyer’s expectations.

John Gallagher Jr. and the cast of “Swept Away” at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California. Photo by Kevin Berne.

‘Swept Away’

Arena Stage, D.C. | Nov. 25-Dec. 30 | Find tickets

The folk-rock group the Avett Brothers ventures into theatrical waters with this original musical, inspired by their 2004 album, “Mignonette,” about a shipwreck off the coast of Africa in 1884. With financial assistance from outside producers, Arena Stage is putting on the show’s East Coast premiere in impressive fashion: The book is by playwright-screenwriter John Logan (“Red”) and the director is Broadway vet Michael Mayer (“Funny Girl”). A top-flight cast is being assembled, headed by John Gallagher Jr., a Tony winner for “Spring Awakening,” and Stark Sands, late of “& Juliet.”

Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. arenastage.org.