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12/08/2016 03:00 PMIt was here audiences first heard the sunny tones of Annie and dared to dream impossible dream with the Man of LaMancha. Since 1963, Goodspeed Musicals have kept the hallowed boards of East Haddam's 19th century Goodspeed Opera House echoing with success.
Enhanced with the addition of the Norma Terris Theatre in neighboring Chester in 1984, Goodspeed's burgeoning repertoire brings back the classics, restores rarely produced shows, and delivers promising new musicals. All have served to burnish a stellar reputation as the "Home of the American Musical."
"People say this is the home of the American musical, and I think the reason for that is not only are we producing shows that have been done in other places over the years, but we also have a long history of producing new musicals," says Goodspeed's Executive Director, Michael Gennaro. "Just as importantly, we've created so many new musicals; both on the Opera House stage as well as at the Terris Theatre."
To date, Goodspeed's historic tapestry of works is made up of some 250 productions, including over 70 world premieres and the golden threads of
21 musicals spun off to Broadway. With a stream of exciting new offerings continuing to pour from this professional musical theatre headquartered beside the Connecticut River, guided by the steady hand of Gennaro at the helm, Goodspeed is moving full steam ahead into the future.
Goodspeed's well-deserved reputation as a birthplace of Broadway musicals is currently being underscored by Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Holiday Inn, at New York's Studio 54 (Oct. 2016 through Jan. 15, 2017). Based on the eponymous Oscar-winning classic, the new holiday musical with 20 Irving Berlin tunes enjoyed its world premiere and first run as a Goodspeed musical in 2015.
In 2016, Goodspeed clicked its magic heels to issue the world premiere and first run of an inspiring new musical, Chasing Rainbows, on stage at the Opera House through Nov. 27, 2016.
"It's a brand-new musical about the early life of Judy Garland, up until the moment she got cast as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz," says Gennaro.
Goodspeed's 2017 season at The Terris Theatre brings in three brand-new musicals resonating with new talent.
"The two writers who are coming in for the first two shows in Chester are very young guys who are multitalented in the fact that they're able to write the book, the lyrics, and the music all together," says Gennaro.
The first new show, Deathless (June 2 through July 2, 2017) is written by composer Zack Zadek. The second piece, Darling Grenadine (Aug. 18 through Sept. 17, 2017), is also written by one person, Daniel Zaitchik.
"Darling Grenadine also had a workshop production down at the O'Neill in Waterford. So it's nice to be able to take something from our colleagues and then put it into a full production," says Gennaro.
The third show is a new musical version of
A Christmas Carole, called A Connecticut Christmas Carole (Nov. 17 through Dec. 24, 2017).
"Even though it's [staged] in Chester, it's being set as though it's in the Opera House; and the ghosts are played by celebrity characters from Connecticut History, such as P.T. Barnum," says Gennaro.
Taking a chance on producing new musicals is a win-win for Goodspeed thanks to audiences hungry for musical theatre and many supportive fans of new shows.
"Because of the new works we're doing in Chester and to some extent at the Opera House, we're starting to get a different audience – they want to see something the first time that may become a classic down the line," Gennaro says. "So there's clearly an appetite, from everything I've seen, from our colleagues and the Connecticut audiences, for musical theatre. You can see it in the shows that are being done here, or in Hartford, or at the Ivoryton Playhouse."
Gennaro joined Goodspeed just over two years ago, after an extensive search to replace 46-season veteran Michael Price, who retired in 2014. For Gennaro, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"I've been running theatres across the country for 30 years and Goodspeed has always clearly been one of the top, if the not the top, regional theatres in the country for producing musicals -- because it's all they've ever produced, in its 50-plus year history," says Gennaro. "I think what differentiates us to some extent is that we're producing side-by-side classic, older musicals alongside brand-new musicals. That's something that I think has been our legacy and which I clearly want to continue."
Gennaro also brings his unique pedigree as a son of the professional stage, including family roots connecting back to Goodspeed.
"My mother, my father, my sister, my wife and my mother-in-law were all professional dancers. My father did all of the dances for the Sharks in the original version of West Side Story; and he also did the choreography for Annie," says Gennaro. "My earliest exposure to theatre was my parents. They would always take me to see everything that was running on Broadway. And while I've run a lot of places that are doing mainly straight plays, somehow, I keep coming back to musicals."
Gennaro's appreciation for dancers runs deep and is also reflected in a past post as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Ballet Company in Philadelphia.
"To me, dancers are some of the hardest working people there are; in terms of the commitment they have to have; in terms of working day after day and practicing," says Gennaro.
Shepherding Goodspeed's "...combination of dancing, music and acting all in one" is "very special," he adds.
When it comes to musical productions, "...there's something very special about the combination of dance movement, and the music and costumes all at the same time," says Gennaro, noting the thrill he feels never fades.
"My office is downstairs of the stage here; and when we did Anything Goes (2016), which has two or three huge tap numbers — the biggest being at the end of the first act — I could hear every single tap coming right through the ceiling. It gets your heart beating."
Gennaro also sees his role with Goodspeed as helping to open doors for new talent.
"I am a big believer of young and emerging talent, particularly in directors and designers," he says, "It's hard for them to get a break. There are many, many talented directors who are able to do shows as assistants, or maybe do a show Off-Broadway, who don't get a chance to mount a big, full-scale production like we do at Goodspeed. I'm always on the lookout for those kind of people."
A significant showing of new talent and new ideas is arriving with Goodspeed's 12th annual Festival of New Musicals (Jan. 13 – 15, 2017). The offering of staged readings from new writers, collaborating with brilliant performers, puts music theatre fans in the room with budding musicals that could bloom into the next big hit.
"We do the Festival of New Musicals every year in order to put brand-new musicals on our stage and to introduce people to what's going on that they might not get to see anywhere else," says Gennaro.
The three newest works, one offered each day of the festival, include Picnic at Hanging Rock (a musical adaption of a treasured Australian novel), ZM (a zombie musical satire from the creators of Broadway's Tony-winning Urinetown) and Row (a compelling tale of a woman's solo attempt to row across the Atlantic).
With all of its offerings of musicals, Goodspeed welcomes new fans to visit what Gennaro feels is one of the most unique regional musical theater experiences to be found in the country.
"I once said to one of my board members, 'I don't know of any other theatre in the country that has its own dock,'" Michael shares, laughing. "We do! And there are people that come here and dock their boats and see a show; and there are people who fly in to the airport next door."
The beauty of the Connecticut River Valley and the many options Goodspeed offers, combined with local dining, shopping, river excursions and other entertainment, all create a great draw for audiences, Gennaro adds.
"From the Opera House, I can look out the window and see the River; it's beautiful," says Gennaro. "If you like, you can come up here to have lunch, see one show at the Opera House, then go and have dinner in Chester and see a show down there; and still make your way back to New York before midnight. Or you can come up for a weekend and see one show one day; and one show the next. There's a lot to do up here – not only in East Haddam, but in Connecticut. People can spend a weekend up here whether they live in Connecticut or Massachusetts or New York."
Add to that the simple math of experiencing the unique magic and outstanding professionalism of a Goodspeed musical.
"We've done surveys of our audiences, and the overwhelming, number one reason they come to Goodspeed is because of the first-rate quality of the shows and the performers," says Gennaro. "Unlike good shows that go into some of the commercial houses, we are producing our own shows -- we hire all the actors, we hire all the designers, we hire all the directors. We create specifically for the show that you see. We build the costumes; we build the sets, and we cast a wide net for performers. We want to make sure you get the best of the best here."
Goodspeed's productions also continue to wow an appreciative membership base.
"We've been very, very fortunate and lucky to have a group of people that have been coming here for 40-plus years; and it's amazed me in the last two-plus years I've been with Goodspeed, people come up to me about a particular production that I've been able to do and say, 'This is the best show that I've ever seen at Goodspeed,'" says Gennaro. "Kind of hard to believe; that you can say that, going back 40 years. There's one great show after another."
To learn more about Goodspeed Musicals, visit www.goodspeed.org