Goodspeed Musicals offers outdoor concert series

EAST HADDAM — Goodspeed Musicals is holding oudoor concerts, themed Goodspeed by the River, on the Goodspeed lawn overlooking the scenic Connecticut River. The concerts will feature songs, stories and plenty of live music from some of Goodspeed’s favorite performers.

Guests are invited to pack a picnic basket and lawn chairs and bring the family for a safe, fun evening.

“The concert event will feature the boisterous, Broadway-inspired bluegrass quartet The Playbillies with Andrew Crowe, Matt Cusack, Mike Rosengarten and Sam Sherwood. Motivated by their love of bluegrass music and Broadway classics, the group set out to “bluegrassify” every show tune they could – the result is a boot-stompin’, smile-inducing, gotta singalong good time,” according to a statement.

“We are proud to be performing at Goodspeed,” the Playbillies said, “especially because our very first Bluegrass cover featured a tune that was born onstage in East Haddam.“They continued, “It’s a tune that bears a lot of weight during these times of quarantine and social distancing and it’s an adage we firmly believe in, ‘The sun will come out Tomorrow.’”

Goodspeed’s Executive Director Michael Gennaro said, “Since we are not able to produce great musicals in our theaters this year, we are pleased to offer something special during this time – Goodspeed by the River. We are thrilled to welcome our Members and audience back to the Goodspeed campus for a joy-filled night of entertainment and fun. Goodspeed by the River concerts may be a new experience for our audiences but the quality of the musical performers on stage combined with the work of our dedicated staff in this glorious setting will be equal to the great performances Goodspeed has been known for.”

From Aug. 20 through Sept. 6, concerts will be held Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. All performances begin at 6 p.m. and are weather permitting.

All tickets are $25 and must be purchased by calling the Box Office at 860-873-8668, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. .

An outdoor dinner and concert package is available, which includes a two-course meal and reserved table seating on the Gelston House lawn for $49 per person. Call the Goodspeed Box Office for details and to purchase. Box Office Hours will be

Concerts on the Goodspeed lawn will have designated seating areas. Each seating area has space for up to six people (from the same party) and will be a minimum of 15 feet from other designated seating areas as required by Connecticut Reopen guidelines.

Note that Goodspeed follows state and CDC guidelines for safety. Face masks are required at all times, except when seated in a designated seating area. Hand sanitizer will be available at the entrances and at portable restrooms. All guests are asked to maintain a 6-foot distance from other guests and Goodspeed staff at all times while attending the event. A complete list of audience guidelines, seating plan and event information can be found at goodspeed.org

Goodspeed Musicals / Contributed photo Goodspeed Musicals is holding oudoor concerts, themed Goodspeed by the River, on the Goodspeed lawn overlooking the scenic Connecticut River. The concerts will feature songs, stories and plenty of live music from some of Goodspeed’s favorite performers.