Goodspeed Musicals is presenting A Grand Night for Singing: A Celebration of Rodgers & Hammerstein – marking the thrilling return of live musicals to the Opera House stage, with performances through Nov. 28 at The Goodspeed, 6 Main Street, East Haddam, CT 06423.
The cast includes Jasmine Forsberg (Off-Broadway: Broadway Bounty Hunter), Mauricio Martínez (Broadway: On Your Feet!), Jesse Nager (Broadway: Motown The Musical, Mamma Mia, Mary Poppins), Mamie Parris (Broadway: Cats, School of Rock, Ragtime, The Drowsy Chaperone; Goodspeed: The Most Happy Fella), and Diane Phelan (Broadway: School of Rock, The King and I). The standbys are Kathryn Boswell (Broadway: Anastasia, Gigi) and Kevin Schuering (National Tour: The King and I).
Directed by Goodspeed audience favorite, Rob Ruggiero (Carousel, Show Boat, Fiddler on the Roof) with choreography by Broadway’s Lainie Sakakura (Chita Rivera The Dancer’s Life, Flower Drum Song (revival), Tommy Tune’s The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, The King And I (1996 and 2015 revivals), and Fosse (dance reconstruction & onstage dance captain), and designed by Scenic designer Brian Prather (Off-Broadway: Daniels’s Husband, Becoming Dr. Ruth, Freud’s Last Session, The Burnt Part Boys), Costume designer Alejo Vietti (Broadway: Holiday Inn, Allegiance, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical) Lighting designer Alan C. Edwards (Off-Broadway: Harry Clarke, Kill Move Paradise, Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror) with Sound design by Goodspeed’s Jay Hilton, A Grand Night for Singing is a magical evening of theatre.
Featuring artful arrangements and clever interpretations, A Grand Night for Singing is a lively revue that seems tailor-made for Goodspeed. With Music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and conceived by Walter Bobbie (the Broadway director of Chicago and Footloose), the tune-filled treat features musical arrangements by Fred Wells and orchestrations by Michael Gibson and Jonathan Tunick. Music Direction will be by Resident Music Director Adam Souza.
Throughout the pandemic, the safety of our staff, performers and audience has been our top priority. Focusing on the goal of keeping everyone who enters The Goodspeed safe, a complete list of safety policies has been established a for indoor performances at our theater. These policies will remain in effect until at least the end of 2021. We will regularly review the current situation and any updated guidance from the CDC and the State of Connecticut to determine if changes to the safety policies are necessary. All changes to the safety policies will be communicated on the Goodspeed Musicals website and in emails sent to ticket holders.
Patrons must be fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine in order to be permitted to attend events at The Goodspeed. Proof of vaccination will be required at the time of entry. Exemptions will be addressed in advance on a case-by-case basis. Patrons with an approved exemption must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 6 hours of the performance or negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time. Entry will be denied to patrons who do not provide the documentation as required. Because they are not able to get vaccinated, children under 12 may not attend events at The Goodspeed at this time.
Masks are required at all times while inside The Goodspeed, regardless of vaccination status except when drinking in the bar area or outside areas. Masks must completely cover the nose and mouth and comply with the CDC guidelines for acceptable face coverings. If a patron does not have an acceptable mask, a mask will be provided. Patrons who choose not to wear a mask will be asked to leave the building.
Capacity will be limited to allow for more space in seating areas. There will be one empty seat between parties and patrons will not be allowed to move into empty seats during the performance.
A Grand Night for Singing – a fresh take on the quintessential work of Rodgers & Hammerstein will run September 24 through November 28, 2021. 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 start at $29 and are available online at goodspeed.org or by calling the Box Office (860.873.8668). The Box Office opens at 10am Monday – Friday and 11am on Saturdays and Sundays.
A Grand Night for Singing is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and an award-winning filmmaker. She is the co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, and The Last Dragon. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short indie films Hide and Seek (Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Best Actress Nomination), Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World Was Young (2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative). BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia is also a portrait and performing arts photographer and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia writes about arts and entertainment on her Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog. The Lia Chang theater portfolio collection, 1989-2011, is housed in the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) collection located in the Library of Congress’ Asian Reading Room and the Lia Chang Photography Collection is currently being archived in The Billy Rose Theatre Division of The New York Public Library.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2021 Lia Chang Multimedia, unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com
Backstage Pass with Lia Chang 