The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Goodspeed Musicals reopen with a tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein
Goodspeed Musicals in East Haddam will make its return to hosting live indoor musicals at the Opera House this month. The company’s first production will be a musical tribute, titled “A Grand Night for Goodspeed: A celebration of Rodgers & Hammerstein.”
“The evening promises to be an emotional celebration. I hope our beautiful theatre can contain the excitement,” said Goodspeed Artistic Director Donna Lynn Hilton in a press release.
The event will run from Sept. 24 to Nov. 28, and tickets start at $29. Goodspeed will require proof of vaccination as well as mandatory masks for everyone.
The opening show was originally set to be “South Pacific,” but the company posted a message online saying that changing the show was a decision of safety.
“‘South Pacific’ is one of the largest musicals that a theater can undertake and is simply too big of a show for us to produce in this particular moment,” the message states.
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II composed and wrote many famous songs for musicals such as “Oklahoma!,” “The Sound of Musical, “The King and I” and “Cinderella.” The cast will preform 30 songs authored by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Some of the cast members include artists that have performed in musicals such as “Broadway Bounty Hunter,” “On Your Feet!” and “Mamma Mia.”
Last summer, the Goodspeed Opera House received a $2 million grant from the Small Business Administration after being closed for over a year and a half.
“We’ve waited a long time to say those words and we cannot wait to see all of you and gather once again to enjoy live theatre in our iconic building,” an online statement says.