I’ve been covering Denver’s live theater scene since 2001, and it’s hard to recall another weekend as big as the one that is now upon us.

On Friday or Saturday, four of the biggest stagings of the year will open, starting with the DCPA Theatre Company’s 45th season-opener, “A Little Night Music.” Meanwhile, the Arvada Center launches the first local production of the Carole King biomusical “Beautiful;” and a new leadership era at Curious Theatre gets fully underway with one of the largest shows in its history – a high-profile Broadway comedy called “The Minutes.”

And then there is the emotional gut-punch underway in Boulder, where the venerable BDT Stage will begin a sad emigration of its own with the opening of the dinner theater’s final production (ever), “Fiddler on the Roof.”

In happier news, this will also be a big, sentimental fall for daughters. Su Teatro Managing Director Mica Garcia de Benavidez, daughter of (and presumed eventual successor to) longtime Artistic Director Tony Garcia, is directing her first mainstage production, “The Wolf at the Door.”

And ShaShauna Staton, daughter of late Shadow Theatre founder Jeffrey Nickelson, will be making her directing debut with “Cadillac Crew” at Vintage Theatre, where she is president of the board of directors. Her co-director is Orion Carrington, son of legendary local actor Dwayne Carrington.

Here are just 10 of the many plays and musicals to watch in the Denver metro area this fall, in order of opening date:

‘A Little Night Music’

• Written by: Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler

• Runs: Sept. 8-Oct. 8 in the Wolf Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex

• The story: Set at the turn of the last century, Sondheim’s romantic Broadway musical interweaves a tangled web of former and current lovers among the upper crust elite of Sweden.

• What’s the buzz: The Ravel-inspired score includes the enduring favorite “Send in the Clowns.”

• Info: 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org

‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’

• Written by: Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (music); Douglas McGrath (book)

• Runs: Sept. 8-Oct. 15 at 6901 Wadsworth Blvd.

• The story: When songwriter Carole King finally trusted her instincts and forged her own path as a singer, the once shy Jewish girl from Manhattan went on to become one of the biggest stars in the world. Featuring a tapestry (yes, I went there) of King hits including “Natural Woman,” “Up on the Roof” and “So Far Away.”  .

• What’s the buzz: This is one of the few jukebox musicals with a really good story to tell. And the performance of Arvada’s own Emily Van Fleet as King.

• Info: 720-898-7200 orarvadacenter.org

Curious Theatre’s “The Minutes”

• Written by: Tracy Letts

• Runs: Sept. 9-Oct. 14 at 1080 Acoma St.

• The story: From the author of “August: Osage County,” this scathing 2022 Broadway comedy shows the inner workings of small-town politics and real-world power, exposing the ugliness behind some of our most closely held American narratives.

• What’s the buzz: This is the start of the first season fully chosen and produced by new Curious Artistic Director Jada Suzanne Dixon, who is honoring the company’s past and shoring up its core by featuring 15 Curious company members on and off stage – by far the most in the company’s 26-year history.

• Info: 303-623-0524 or curioustheatre.org

BDT Stage’s ‘Fiddler on the Roof’

• Written by: Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) and Joseph Stein (book)

• Runs: Sept. 9-Jan. 13 at 5501 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder

• The story: Perhaps the most famous musical of them all visits the small town of Anatevka as it celebrates life, mourns death, rejoices in marriage and cares for one another. Until Tevye the milkman and his wife, Golde, are forced to make difficult decisions in the face of change and new ideas coming from the outside world.

• What’s the buzz: This is it – for real. This is the final production in the 46-year history of what started as Boulder’s Dinner Theatre. “Fiddler” is by far the most popular musical in the theater’s history, and many of the audience’s favorite actors have been reunited for this fifth and final staging of the Broadway classic. If you’re curious, don’t wait: This entire run will soon be sold out. To life!

• Info: 303-449-6000 or bdtstage.com

Local Theatre Company’s ‘You Enjoy Myself’

• Written by: Topher Payne

• Runs: Sept. 23-Oct. 14 at the Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder

• The story: Where are you on the jam-band divide? This Phish tale follows six characters grappling with difficult evolutions in their romantic relationships, but are bound together by their love of Phish. (Fear not: no knowledge or appreciation of the band is required.)

• What’s the buzz: Colorado Public Radio arts and culture reporter Eden Lane, who has appeared on Broadway as a performer, is making her Colorado acting debut in a fully staged production.

• Info:  720-379-4470 or localtheatercompany.org

Su Teatro’s ‘The Wolf at the Door’

• Written by: Marisela Treviño Orta

• Runs: Oct. 12-29 at the Su Teatro Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive

• The story: An abused woman named Isadora must decide what price she’ll pay for her own freedom when she tries to stand up to her abusive husband. The story was inspired by Latino folklore and mythology and is part of the playwright’s cycle of fairy tales.

• What’s the buzz: Tony Garcia and his daughter have been the fuel keeping the engine of Denver’s only Latino company running for decades. Many are looking at Mica Garcia de Benavidez’s first foray into mainstage directing as the beginning of an inevitable leadership transition.

• Info: 303-296-0219 or suteatro.org

Control Group Productions’ ‘Cuauhtemoczin’

• Written by: Diego Florez-Arroyo

• Runs: Oct. 6-14 at the MCA Holiday Theatre, 2644 W 32nd Ave.

• The story: This is a magical realism prison drama that intertwines the legacy of the ancient Aztec emperor Cuauhtemoc with the story of a man who navigates life in and out of incarceration.

• What’s the buzz: Anything Control Group Productions takes on pushes the narrative form and demands your full consideration.

• Info: 303-947-2827 or controlgroupproductions.org

Buntport Theater’s ‘Naughty Bits’

• Written by: Brian Colonna, Hannah Duggan, Erik Edborg, Erin Rollman and Samantha Schmitz

• Runs: Oct. 6-22

• The story: Three story-lines are brought together through their connection to a Roman marble statue of Hercules, which happens to be missing its “naughty bit.”

• What’s the buzz: Over the years, Buntport has presented audiences with the gift of 53 full-length, original, witty, oddball and devilishly clever plays. This is a remount of a story it first presented in 2014. But whether you have previously seen a Buntport play or not, it’s worth seeing again – guaranteed.

• Info: 717 Lipan St., Denver, 720-946-1388  or buntport.com

Lone Tree Arts Center’s ‘Dreamgirls’

• Written by: Henry Krieger (music) and Tom Eyen (lyrics and book)

• Runs: Oct. 19-29 at 10075 Commons St., just west of I-25 and Lincoln Avenue

• The story: This musical, based closely on the story of the Supremes, follows a young Black female singing trio from Chicago called “The Dreams,” who become music superstars.

• What’s the buzz: This staging will be Lone Tree’s first locally produced theatrical production since “Beehive” in 2019 and caps a remarkable fall for director Kenny Moten, who is also directing BDT Stage’s “Fiddler on the Roof.”

• Info: 720-509-1000 or lonetreeartscenter.org

Vintage Theatre’s ‘Cadillac Crew’

• Written by: Tori Sampson

• Runs: Oct. 20-Nov. 26 at 1468 Dayton St., Aurora

• The story: On the day of a much-anticipated speech by Rosa Parks, four activists working in a Virginia civil-rights office wonder whether the proclamation of equality for all mankind includes women. By reclaiming the stories of forgotten civil-rights leaders, this play asks: When will the world be ready to embrace women in all their capacity?

• What’s the buzz: We live in a time when man is busily erasing important truths from our nation’s history – and this play excavates some of it.

• Info: 303-839-1361 or vintagetheatre.com

Bonus: Keep your eyes peeled for …

“The Laramie Project” is one of the most produced plays in the world, but we haven’t seen this poignant examination of the Matthew Shepard murder on a grand theatrical scale since the play premiered at the Denver Center back in 2000. The Arvada Center’s new production runs Sept. 29-Nov. 5 …

We’re focusing on locally-made shows in this report, but Broadway fans have their eyes peeled for national touring productions of “Beetlejuice” (now through Sept. 17) and “The Tina Turner Musical” (Oct. 18-29) at the Buell Theatre …

And just to prove I’m not a prude (which I am), I feel compelled to tell you that if you might be into a story about a misogynist, racist and homophobic journalist that includes oral sex, war, bombs, rape and a dead baby, then by all means check out Sarah Kane’s “Blasted” at the Benchmark Theatre in Lakewood (Oct. 13-Nov. 4). I’ve done my part.