GOODSPEED: A half-century of theater magic on the ConnecticutPRIME – August 2013By Mark G. Auerbach Special to PRIME The Goodspeed Opera House towers over the Connecticut River in East Haddam, Conn., as the widening river winds its way to the Long Island Sound. For decades, this bucolic town annually springs to life, as visitors descend on Goodspeed for performances of musicals old and new. This year, Goodspeed celebrates its 50th anniversary, a milestone for any theatre, and a significant one for musical theatre in America. Since performances began in this restored 1876 opera house, Goodspeed has sent more than 19 productions to Broadway, winning more than a dozen Tony Awards. (Goodspeed is one of a handful of American theatres to have also won a Tony Award for outstanding regional theatre). Three major American musical favorites, "Man of La Mancha," "Shenandoah," and "Annie," got their start on the shores of the Connecticut River. What began as a small summer operation has grown into a year-round, multi-stage regional theatre operation with nationwide impact. Its growth is often attributed to its energetic director, Michael Price, who has been at the helm of Goodspeed for 46 of its 50 years. Under Price's direction, Goodspeed performs spring, summer and fall; stages new musicals at a second theatre in Chester, Conn., runs a series of education programs, developed a unique settlement of housing for actors and artists; renovated nearby buildings into costume and scenery shops, and maintains a rich library of all things musical theatre. Goodspeed operates now with an $11 million budget and employs 300 people during the course of each season, making it a major player in Connecticut's cultural economy and the economy of East Haddam and environs. More than 120,000 people a year visit East Haddam and Chester for Goodspeed events. Elisa Hale, Goodspeed's public relations director, shared some of the theatre's numbers. "Over 50 years, Goodspeed has produced 245 musicals, 71 world premieres, played 12,228 performances, employed 4,010 actors, and performed for 30,720 hours, the equal to 3.5 years of non-stop musicals," Hale said, adding "Among those actors are folks now known in the entertainment industry – Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Patrick Wilson, Sutton Foster, Charlotte d'Amboise, James Van Der Beek, and Faith Prince have all been in the chorus of a Goodspeed musical." Michael Sande, director of the LAPC Theatre in Los Angeles, is an alum of many regional theatres across the country, including Goodspeed (1991 to 1993). "Goodspeed is definitely a major American theatre company", Sande said. "And unlike the others which are located in urban and suburban areas, Goodspeed is part of an idyllic country setting, and a destination. Going to Goodspeed is an event, not part of a routine." Sande arrived in East Haddam just after Goodspeed had sent a successful production of "The Most Happy Fella" to Broadway. "When people think about new musicals, they likely know that "Annie" originated at Goodspeed before Broadway. They may not realize that Goodspeed has sent many other musicals to New York and other theatres across the country" he noted. Sande praised Michael Price, "Michael focuses on one thing ... musicals. Old musicals, new musicals, and revivals and revisions of musicals. The education program teaches musicals. The library preserves musicals." Others who have worked at Goodspeed or attended performances, tend to agree. Howard Sherman, an arts consultant, worked at Goodspeed as general manager from 1994 to 1998. Although he's worked in theatres nationwide, from Hartford Stage to Geva in Rochester, NY, to the American Theatre Wing on Broadway, he said that Goodspeed holds a special place in his heart. Sherman explained that Goodspeed was an exciting place to work. "Michael Price has an expansive and entrepreneurial approach to producing and presenting theatre and a relentless desire to offer a mix of musical theatre types," he said. Sherman added that Goodspeed has remained true to its mission over 50 years. "Goodspeed has remained singularly dedicated to musical theatre, musicals old and new. It has been a resource to other theatres and students of theatre." he noted. The 50th Anniversary Celebrations began this spring with the 1920s musical "Good News." Next on the docket (through Sept. 14) is Jerry Herman's "Hello, Dolly!" Herman and Michael Stewart adapted Thornton Wilder's play "The Matchmaker" for the musical stage in 1964. Gower Champion staged the work with Carol Channing as Dolly Levi, and the production won 10 Tony Awards, became a global musical hit, and featured myriad stage Dollys including Mary Martin, Betty Grable, Pearl Bailey, Phyllis Diller and Ethel Merman (More about Merman in a minute). Also in the original cast was a young comic from Hartford, Conn. – Charles Nelson Reilly – who became a major theatre director after "Hello, Dolly!" ended a record-breaking Broadway run. Jerry Herman once remarked that he'd written "Hello, Dolly!" with Ethel Merman in mind, but The Merm turned down the part. (Merman did agree to play Dolly on Broadway, and she was the Broadway run's final Dolly). Goodspeed's Dolly is the cabaret actress Klea Blackhurst, who won acclaim for her one-person Ethel Merman tribute show, "Everything The Traffic Will Allow." She recently performed music of "Dolly" composer Jerry Herman at the London Palladium. As half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder, the man Dolly has her eye on, Goodspeed features the Australian musical theatre star Tony Sheldon, who recently charmed Australia, London, and Broadway audiences as "Bernadette" in the musical spectacular "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". The fall main stage musical (Sept. 20 to Dec. 1) is Frank Loesser's "The Most Happy Fella", based on Sidney Kingsley's "They Knew What They Wanted." Loesser's best known for his scores for "Guys and Dolls" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." "The Most Happy Fella," set in the Napa Valley vineyards, is the story of an older winemaker who woos a younger woman by mail. She is smitten with his picture, which is really the photo of a much younger guy that the winemaker works with (familiar territory for those who have tried online dating). Loesser's music runs the gamut from romantic operatic arias to popular 1950s melodies like "Standing on the Corner Watching All the Girls Go By." This is Goodspeed's second production of "The Most Happy Fella;" the first had a two-piano orchestration. This production features an orchestra. Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre in Chester hosts two new musicals this summer. The first, "LMNOP" (July 25 to Aug. 18), is a tale about a town who bans letters of the alphabet from usage, when they fall from a monument in town. Based on the novel "Ella Minnow Pea" by Mark Dunn, "LMNOP" features music by Paul Loesel and book and lyrics by Scott Burkell. The second offering is "Snapshots", (Oct. 24 to Nov. 17), a musical scrapbook based on the music and lyrics of Stephen Schwartz ("Godspell", "Pippin", "Wicked"). David Stern has crafted a story about a couple who has drifted apart over the years, and come together over a scrapbook of old photographs. With advance planning, it's possible to visit Goodspeed Opera House and Goodspeed At Chester in one day, with a decent selection of restaurants for in-between shows dining. The Goodspeed website (below) lists several dining options and bed and breakfast places around East Haddam and Chester. I first visited Goodspeed Opera House when I was in college. My second visit, in 1980, left a lasting impression. I was working at The Connecticut Ballet, and we were invited to perform at Goodspeed as part of The Connecticut Arts Awards. A couple of us drove down the previous day to wander about. The grounds on the Connecticut River are beautiful, and it was fun to watch sailboats and barges run the river (some of them with masts large enough to require the swing bridge to go into operation). At rehearsal, I was amazed that so much could fit on the small Goodspeed stage, on the top floors of the theatre. Beneath, a maze of dressing rooms, costume and wardrobe spaces, and props, scenery and more ... each carefully stored within inches of each other. "The Happy Time," a Kander & Ebb chamber musical was playing. I couldn't believe how even a chamber musical could fit on the Goodspeed stage. Sitting in the last row of the balcony, I could see every nuance of the show, as though I was in the third row of a Broadway house. While reviewing Goodspeed productions over the years for radio and newspapers, I've seen some performances that have remained on my "best theatre ever" list, among them Gabriel Barre's staging of "Sweeney Todd;" the two-piano accompaniment to "The Most Happy Fella;" Evan Pappas starring in "Promises, Promises;" and more recently, "My One and Only." For a period, Goodspeed published Show Music Magazine, a quarterly about all things musical. I wrote several features over the years and was given access to Goodspeed's musical theatre library. There are extensive collections of scripts, scores, recordings, playbills and other materials available to scholars. This may become one of Goodspeed's most important treasures in future years, because it preserves collections that precede the age of videotapes. A Goodspeed experience is more than a matinee or evening at the theatre. As Howard Sherman recalled, "Goodspeed is part of a theatre community in a theatre town. The people who live around Goodspeed work or act at the theatre, and the people wandering through town are going to the theatre. I recall driving to work in the mornings, and coming down the hill to the swing bridge that crosses the Connecticut River, Goodspeed was often shrouded in fog. It was like being on the set of 'Brigadoon'...magical." Goodspeed offers docent-guided tours of the Opera House on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Dinner/theatre packages at the adjacent Gelston House, and matinee Connecticut River cruises and show tickets are available. Visit the Goodspeed website, www.goodspeed.org for details. For more information, contact the box office at 860-873-8668. Mark G. Auerbach is principal at Mark G. Auerbach Public Relations, a Longmeadow, Mass., based marketing, public relations, development and events consultancy. For more information about Mark G. Auerbach Public Relations, visit Facebook and LinkedIn.  |
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