(Pittsfield, MA – November 29, 2023) – Alan Paul, artistic director of Barrington Stage Company (BSC), is pleased to announce initial productions for the 2024 season, which will also mark BSC’s 30th anniversary.
BSC will produce the Tony Award-winning musical La Cage aux Folles, and the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, Next to Normal, which will be directed by Mr. Paul, in a co-production with Round House Theatre, Bethesda, MD.
“I have been thinking about the many variations of what constitutes a family, which is an element I feel that is explored, in very different ways, in both the ebullient La Cage aux Folles, and the gripping Next to Normal,” commented Alan Paul. “We are really thrilled to announce these two sensational musicals as the tentpoles of our 30th anniversary season, with a lot of exciting news still to come.”
La Cage aux Folles features book by Harvey Fierstein (Broadway: Kinky Boots, Torch Song Trilogy), music and lyrics by Jerry Herman (Broadway: Hello, Dolly!, Mame), based on the play by Jean Poirot. The original 1983 Broadway production won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. Broadway revivals in 2005 and 2010 also received Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical. BSC’s production marks the company’s first Jerry Herman musical since Mack & Mabel (1999) and its first work written by actor-playwright and Broadway icon, Harvey Fierstein. La Cage aux Folles is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. concordtheatricals.com
La Cage aux Folles is based on the 1973 French play of the same name that also was turned into the 1978 French film comedy as well as the 1996 American remake, The Birdcage, starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.
Next to Normal features music by Tom Kitt (Broadway: Bring It On, If/Then), book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey (Broadway: If/Then, The Last Ship). The original Broadway production, produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, and Second Stage Theatre, won three 2009 Tony Awards including Best Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The show recently received its London premiere in a critically acclaimed production at the Donmar Warehouse. BSC’s production will be directed by Alan Paul. Next to Normal is licensed by Music Theatre International.
TICKET INFORMATION
Single tickets for the 2024 season will go on sale in March 2024. Season passes are now on sale. For more information, visit BarringtonStageCo.org.
ABOUT BARRINGTON STAGE COMPANY
Barrington Stage Company (BSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Alan Paul, is an award-winning theatre located in Pittsfield, MA, in the heart of the Berkshires. Co-founded in 1995 by Julianne Boyd, BSC’s mission is to produce top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to engage our community with vibrant, inclusive educational outreach programs. Alan Paul succeeded Ms. Boyd as the company’s Artistic Director in 2022.
BSC attracts over 60,000 patrons annually and has gained national recognition for its superior-quality productions and comprehensive educational programming, including the award-winning Playwright Mentoring Project, the Musical Theatre Conservatory, Youth Theatre, KidsAct! and other initiatives. The company has become integral to the economic revitalization of downtown Pittsfield.
BSC’s reputation for excellence began with a smash revival of Cabaret that moved to Boston in 1997 for an extended run. The theatre’s prominence grew with the world premiere of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin (BSC 2004; Broadway 2005-2008, winner of two Tony Awards). Other notable productions include the world premiere of Christopher Demos-Brown’s American Son (BSC 2016; Broadway 2018); Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session (BSC 2009; Off-Broadway 2010-2012); Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden & Adolph Green’s On the Town (BSC 2013; Broadway 2014, four Tony Award nominations); Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company, starring Aaron Tveit (2017); and West Side Story in honor of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins’ centenaries (2018).
BSC develops and commissions new work with two programs: PlayWorks, which supports the creation of new plays, and the Musical Theatre Lab, which develops new musicals. Since 1995, BSC has produced 45 new works, 22 of which have moved to New York and major US regional theatres.
BSC is the recipient of 15 Berkshire Theatre Awards for the 2023 season, including Outstanding Production of a Musical for its production of Cabaret, directed by Alan Paul, and the Sally and Robert Sugarman Award for a world premiere of a New Play or Musical for The Happiest Man on Earth, by Mark St. Germain.