Corbin Bleu and Danielle Wade to Lead the Cast
EAST HADDAM, Conn. (May 23, 2023) – Goodspeed Musicals announces the cast for the world premiere musical comedy Summer Stock, the second production of its 60th anniversary season. Filled with exuberant dance numbers and hits from the American songbook, it is adapted from the MGM/Warner Bros. film Summer Stock and will appear on the Goodspeed stage from July 7 – August 27 in East Haddam, Conn. [Official Press Opening will be July 26, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.]
Forget your troubles—come on, get happy! The tradition of turning a barn into a theater finds fertile new ground in a joyous world premiere inspired by the classic Judy Garland-Gene Kelly movie. When theatrical Gloria invites fellow troupers to the family farm with the idea of putting on a show, her practical sister Jane is stubborn as a mule but relents because the farm needs work—and workers. Sisterhood, budding romance and a Broadway-bound musical are all at risk. But there’s nothing like the sunshine of hits from the American songbook to chase all your cares away!
Summer Stock features a book by Emmy and Golden Globe-winning writer and producer Cheri Steinkellner (Goodspeed: Hello! My Baby, TV: Cheers, Broadway: Sister Act: The Musical). It is adapted from the 1950 MGM/Warner Bros. film Summer Stock by George Wells and Sy Gromberg.
Jane Falbury will be played by Danielle Wade (Broadway/National Tour: Mean Girls, North American Tour: Wizard of Oz). Joe Ross will be played by Corbin Bleu (TV: High School Musical; Broadway: Kiss Me Kate, Holiday Inn, Godspell, In the Heights). Gloria Falbury will be played by Arianna Rosario (Broadway: Moulin Rouge, CATS, On Your Feet!). Phil Filmore will be played by Gilbert L. Bailey II (Broadway: The Book of Mormon, A Bronx Tale: The Musical, Beetlejuice: The Musical). Lt. Henry (Pop) Falbury will be played by Stephen Lee Anderson (Goodspeed: Paint Your Wagon; Broadway: Bright Star, Spiderman, Wicked). Margaret Wingate will be played by Veanne Cox (Goodspeed: It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman; Broadway: An American in Paris, A Free Man of Color, La Cage aux Folles). Orville Wingate will be played by Will Roland (Broadway: Be More Chill, Dear Evan Hansen). Montgomery Leach will be played by J. Anthony Crane (Broadway: The Country House, Butley and The Winslow Boy, Sight Unseen).
The ensemble will feature Erika Amato (Off-Broadway: Signs of Life, Triumph of Love; National Tour: Flashdance the Musical), Hannah Balagot (International Tour: West Side Story), DeShawn Travis Bowens (Off-Broadway: Dog Man, National Tour: Mean Girls), Ronnie S. Bowman Jr. (Broadway/National Tour: The Music Man, Anastasia, A Chorus Line), Emily Kelly (Goodspeed: Thoroughly Modern Millie, TheRoar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd), Francesca M. Mancuso, Tommy Martinez (Broadway: Newsies, Off-Broadway/National Tour: Kinky Boots), Corinne Munsch (Off-Broadway: Cheek to Cheek; National Tour: Bullets Over Broadway, Elf), Gregory North (Broadway: Into the Woods, The Secret Garden, Grand Hotel), Kaylee Olson (National Tour: Pretty Woman: The Musical, Bullets over Broadway, Anything Goes), Jack Sippel (Broadway: The Prom; National Tour: Memphis, Disney’s Newsies), and Cayel Tregeagle (National Tour: Hello, Dolly!).
Swings for this production are Nicholas Cunha and Kennedy Perez.
Summer Stock will be directed and choreographed by one of Canada’s most versatile and in-demand creative talents Donna Feore (Stratford Festival: Chicago, Billy Elliot; 5th Avenue Theatre: Broadway Vacation).
Music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations will be by three-time Tony Award-winner Doug Besterman (Goodspeed: Gentleman Prefer Blondes, Princesses; Broadway/Orchestrations: Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award), The Producers (Tony Award), Fosse (Tony Award)). Music Direction will be by Goodspeed’s Resident Music Director Adam Souza (Goodspeed: Over 20 productions including Gypsy, 42nd Street, Cabaret, A Grand Night for Singing, Because of Winn Dixie; Broadway: Wicked, Kinky Boots). Scenic Design will be by Wilson Chin (Goodspeed: Anne of Green Gables, Oklahoma!, Anything Goes; Broadway: Cost of Living, Pass Over, Next Fall). Costume Design will be by Tina McCartney (5th Avenue Theatre: Broadway Vacation; Broadway (associate designer): The Inheritance, Beetlejuice: The Musical). Lighting Design will be by Tony Award-winner Jeff Croiter (Goodspeed: Because of Winn Dixie, Holiday Inn, Cyrano; Broadway: Cost of Living, Freestyle Love Supreme, Bandstand). Sound Design will be by Jay Hilton who has designed countless productions at both The Terris Theatre and The Goodspeed and serves as Goodspeed’s Audio Supervisor/Resident Sound Designer. Hair, Wig & Make-up Design will be by Liz Printz (TV/Film: The Wiz Live!).
Bradley G. Spachman will be the Production Stage Manager. Casting for this production is by Peter Van Dam, CSA, for Tara Rubin Casting.
Summer Stock is produced by special arrangement with VenuWorks Theatricals: Steven Peters and Michael Londra, Principals; Carolyn Rossi Copeland, Executive Producer.
Summer Stock will run July 7th – August 27th, 2023. [Official Press Opening: July 26, 2023.] Curtain times are Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (with select performances at 2:00 p.m.), Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (with select performances at 6:30 p.m.).
Tickets are available through the Box Office (860.873.8668), open weekdays at 10:00 a.m., or online at goodspeed.org. For show highlights, exclusive photos, special events and more, visit us at goodspeed.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Summer Stock is underwritten, in part, by The Michael P. Price Endowment Fund at Goodspeed Musicals.
ABOUT GOODSPEED MUSICALS
Goodspeed Musicals has achieved international acclaim and is the first theatre in the nation to receive two Tony Awards for outstanding achievement in musical theatre. Under the leadership of Donna Lynn Hilton, Artistic Director and David B. Byrd, Managing Director, Goodspeed Musicals is dedicated to the celebration, development and advancement of musical theatre. Goodspeed creates powerful, world-class productions of enlightening new and established works to delight, inspire and challenge audiences on its two stages – The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn., and The Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. From Goodspeed, 21 musicals have gone to Broadway (including Man of La Mancha, Annie, Shenandoah and Holiday Inn) and 85 new musicals have been launched. Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals, GoodWorks commissioning program and the Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove at Goodspeed are distinguished cornerstones of the organization that highlight its commitment to nurture creators and the creative process. Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. The organization is supported in part by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts; CT Humanities; The Hoffman Auto Group; The Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; The Shubert Foundation; and WSHU Public Radio. Additional support is provided by Sennheiser, the official audio sponsor; and United Airlines, the official airline of Goodspeed Musicals. For more information, visit www.goodspeed.org.