Balance those lazy days of summer with some intensely entertaining cultural events, including theater, opera, concerts, festivals and special attractions. This week-to-week guide will help you make the most of your summer.

Big girls do cry – but not while they rock along with “Jersey Boys,” which won the Tony award for Best Musical in 2006 and has garnered a slew of awards since. This musical tale about the Four Seasons runs though Sunday at the FOX THEATRE. Tickets range from $33 to $90 for matinee and evening performances at 527 North Grand Blvd.. Call 314-534-1111 or see www.fabulousfox.com.

The 36th season at OPERA THEATRE ST. LOUIS is in progress, with four operas in rotation on stage through June 26 at the Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves. The season includes Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni,’ Donizetti’s ‘The Daughter of Regiment’ (listen for the nine high C’s), Debussy’s ‘Pelléas and Mélisande’ and ‘The Death of Klinghoffer,’ John Adams’ opera based on the true story of the hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro. Matinee and evening performances are available, and tickets cost $25-$120. For exact dates of performances or to buy tickets, see www.opera-stl.org or call 314-961-0644.

DANCE ST. LOUIS’ fourth annual “Spring to Dance Festival” takes place Thursday through Saturday at the Touhill Performing Arts Center with a total of 30 dance companies from the Midwest and beyond performing over three nights. The bargain-basement cost is $10 per night. Among the companies scheduled to appear are Hubbard Street 2, the Joffrey Ballet, the Kansas City Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Saint Louis Ballet, GroundWorks Dancetheater and many more. For more information, go to www.dancestlouis.org or www.touhill.org.

William Shakespeare turns up the heat on relationships in “The Taming of the Shrew,” which runs through June 19 at the SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS. The show begins at 8 p.m. every night (except Tuesdays) in Shakespeare Glen near the Art Museum in Forest Park. The Green Show – pre-theater entertainment — begins at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, though donations are welcome. Call 314-531-9800 or see www.shakespearefestivalstlouis.org.

The NEW JEWISH THEATRE wraps up its season with Mark Harelik’s “The Immigrant,” a play inspired by the playwright’s family history. Matinee and evening performances take place at the Wool Studio Theatre at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. The show runs June 1-19. Tickets cost $26-$36. See www.newjewishtheatre.org or call 314-442-3283.

It seems as if almost every municipality with a park in the greater St. Louis area has a free summer concert series, which is a great way for family and friends to get together, enjoy a picnic and support local musicians. But perhaps the best and the biggest of all of these is the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer. The free festival kicks off June 1 at 7:30 p.m. with Gumbohead, a local band that specializes in the funky stylings of New Orleans Cajun music. Visitors are welcome to bring their own picnic supper, baskets, or coolers. Picnic fare is also available for purchase on site, as are beer, wine and soda. For a complete schedule and more information, go to www.mobot.org.

Tightrope walkers! Acrobats! Horses! All this and Nino, everybody’s favorite clown! CIRCUS FLORA celebrates its 25th anniversary with performances June 2-26 of “Vagabond Adventures,” set on the Floating Palace, a real circus venue that traveled up and down the Mississippi River before the Civil War. Look for the Big Top Tent in Grand Center next to Powell Hall. Tickets for matinee and evening performances in the air-conditioned tent range from $15 to $39. Call 314-534-1111 or see www.circusflora.org.

First up for the 25th season at STAGES ST. LOUIS is “A Chorus Line,” a much-loved tale about the “gypsies” that dance on Broadway. The show opens June 3 and runs through July 3, with matinee and evening performances at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in the Kirkwood Civic Center at 111 S. Geyer Road. Tickets range from $15 to $55. See www.stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407. (Kudos to Stages St. Louis – Live Design Magazine has recognized scenic designer Mark Halpin and lighting designer Matthew McCarthy for their work on “Promises, Promises,” part of Stages’ 2010 season.)

Enjoy music, food and arts from more than 100 artists at ART & AIR 2011 in downtown Webster Groves, adjacent to Webster University. This free, juried art show also features one-of-a-kind art-making for kids and adults, alike. For more information, go to www.artandair.com.

The 16th annual ST. LOUIS JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL, which takes place from June 12-16 at Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema, kicks off that Sunday with two showings of “Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story” at 4:15 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the film only are $15, though you can enjoy dinner before or after the film and be part of the opening gala for $50. More than two dozen films will be shown throughout the festival, including “Winston Churchill: Walking With Destiny” at 8 p.m. June 13 and “Vidal Sassoon The Movie” at 2 p.m. June 16. Tickets are $11 in advance, $12 at the door and $8 for students. For a complete schedule and more information, call 314-442-3179 or go to www.brownpapertickets.com.

Elle Woods and her color-coordinated Chihuahua open the season at THE MUNY with “Legally Blonde,” a Muny premiere that runs June 20-26. The show starts at 8:15 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $68, with a limited number of free seats available. Call 314-361-1900 or see www.muny.org.

Don’t let the Dog Days of summer get you down – take the kids to matinee performances of “Disney’s 101 Dalmatians” from June 22 to July 3 at STAGES ST. LOUIS. Performances are at 11 a.m. at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in the Kirkwood Civic Center at 111 S. Geyer Road. Tickets range from $16 to $18. See www.stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407.

Brush up your Shakespeare at “Kiss Me, Kate” at THE MUNY, which runs June 27-July 3. Next up is “The Little Mermaid,” a Muny premiere that runs July 6-14, and “Singin’ in the Rain” follows, July 18-24. Shows start at 8:15 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $68, with a limited number of free seats available. Call 314-361-1900 or see www.muny.org.

Fans of “Nessun Dorma” (and who isn’t?) can see Puccini’s “Turandot” July 8-16 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 North Union Avenue. Tickets range from $30 to $52, with matinee and evening performances. Call 314-361-2881 or see http://unionavenueopera.org.

English middle-class life goes under the microscope in William Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” July 15-24 at ST. LOUIS SHAKESPEARE, with matinee and evening performances at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square. Tickets cost $15-$25. Call 314-361-5664 or see www.stlshakespeare.org.

Your garden’s got nothing on “The Secret Garden” at STAGES ST. LOUIS, with performances from July 22 through Aug. 21. Matinee and evening performances are at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in the Kirkwood Civic Center at 111 S. Geyer Road. Tickets range from $15 to $55. See www.stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407.

A wicked singing plant takes the stage in “Little Shop of Horrors” July 25-31 at THE MUNY. Next up is the all-singing, all-dancing “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” which runs Aug. 1-7. Shows start at 8:15 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $68, with a limited number of free seats available. Call 314-361-1900 or see www.muny.org.

Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” (Cinderella) runs July 29 through Aug. 7. at Union Avenue Opera, 733 North Union Avenue. Tickets range from $30 to $52, with matinee and evening performances. Call 314-361-2881 or see http://unionavenueopera.org.

Milton Zoth directs Edward Bonds’ dark comedy “Restoration” for ST. LOUIS SHAKESPEARE, with matinee and evening performances Aug. 5-14 at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square. Tickets cost $15-$25. Call 314-361-5664 or see www.stlshakespeare.org.

Conrad Birdie, rock star, feels the love from his teen fans in “Bye Bye Birdie” Aug. 8-14 at THE MUNY. Shows start at 8:15 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $68, with a limited number of free seats available. Call 314-361-1900 or see www.muny.org.

Wrapping up Union Avenue Opera’s 17th season is Heggie’s “Dead Man Walking,” with evening and matinee performances Aug. 19-17. The company performs at 733 North Union Avenue. Tickets range from $30 to $52, with matinee and evening performances. Call 314-361-2881 or see http://unionavenueopera.org.

Celebrate our diversity (and enjoy some Middle Eastern food) at the FESTIVAL OF NATIONS from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 27 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 28 in Tower Grove Park, 4256 Magnolia Ave. Look for 50 food booths, 40 gift booths and plenty of live entertainment, with more than 80 ethnicities represented. Sponsored by the International Institute, the festival is free. See www.stlfestivalofnations.org.

In the last days of summer, celebrate the season with “Victor/Victoria” from Sept. 9 through Oct. 9 at STAGES ST. LOUIS. Matinee and evening performances are at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in the Kirkwood Civic Center at 111 S. Geyer Road. Tickets range from $15 to $55. See www.stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407.

All summer long, in celebration of the U.N. International Year of Forests, the MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN is hosting a “TREEmendous” number of special activities, including an exhibit on tree houses and even a tree hunt. The Garden is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at 4344 Shaw Blvd. For details on events and admission prices, see www.mobot.org/treemendous.

It’s all happening at the Zoo, or so Paul Simon says. Take your kids, grandkids, or someone else’s kids to Caribbean Cove to see stingrays, bonnethead sharks, white-spotted bamboo sharks, nurse sharks and hermit crabs. The animals swim in a 17,000-gallon pool near the Lakeside Café now through Sept. 25. General admission is free. Admission to Caribbean Cove is $3 for the general public, $1.50 for Zoo Friends and free for children under 2. The Zoo Is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, plus some evenings. For details, see www.stlzoo.org.

All summer long, in celebration of the U.N. International Year of Forests, the MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN is hosting a “TREEmendous” number of special activities, including an exhibit on tree houses and even a tree hunt. The Garden is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at 4344 Shaw Blvd. For details on events and admission prices, see www.mobot.org/treemendous.

It’s all happening at the Zoo, or so Paul Simon says. Take your kids, grandkids, or someone else’s kids to Caribbean Cove to see stingrays, bonnethead sharks, white-spotted bamboo sharks, nurse sharks and hermit crabs. The animals swim in a 17,000-gallon pool near the Lakeside Café now through Sept. 25. General admission is free. Admission to Caribbean Cove is $3 for the general public, $1.50 for Zoo Friends and free for children under 2. The Zoo is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, plus some evenings. For details, see www.stlzoo.org.