Goodspeed: Rodgers & Hammerstein revue instead of ‘South Pacific’ this fall
Goodspeed Musicals has announced that it will present a revue of Rodgers and Hammerstein music this fall instead of staging “South Pacific.”
“A Grand Night for Singing: A Celebration of Rodgers & Hammerstein” will begin its run inside the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam on Sept. 24.
This will mark the first time that Goodspeed has held a show inside since closing its doors because of the pandemic in March 2020.
Artistic Director Donna Lynn Hilton said in a statement, “We must restart thoughtfully and ramp up slowly to ensure that Goodspeed remains secure for the long-term. With that reality forefront in our minds, we have made the difficult decision to reopen our beloved theatre with ‘A Grand Night for Singing’ instead of ‘South Pacific.’ ‘South Pacific’ is one of the largest musicals that a theatre can undertake and it had become overwhelmingly clear that it is simply too big of a show for us to produce in this particular moment.”
Managing Director David B. Byrd said “A Grand Night for Singing” has a “more modest size (that) will enable us to continue to practice generally-accepted safety protocols developed with our union partners and outside experts.”
The show will feature 30 songs from such musicals as “Oklahoma!,” “South Pacific,” “The Sound of Music” and “Carousel.” “A Grand Night for Singing” was conceived by Walter Bobbie and features musical arrangements by Fred Wells and orchestrations by Michael Gibson and Jonathan Tunick. The Goodspeed version will be directed by Rob Ruggiero.
Tickets start at $29 and go on sale to the public June 24. They will be sold online and by calling the box office at (860) 873-8668. The box office is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues., 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Wed.Fri., 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Sat.-Sun.