Looking for a theatrical getaway outside of New York City? Look no further than The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Connecticut.
The two time Tony Award winning regional theatre has been in operation for more than five decades. Michael Gennaro, the theater's Executive Director, says the company’s mission is to revive and refresh classic musicals and then some.
"The one difference of shift may be a strong emphasis on new writers and new directors. What's important to me about Goodspeed is that it's the home of the American musical - if you look at theaters across the country," says Gennaro.
Speaking of the American musical, it doesn't get more American than the Charles Strouse/Lee Adams tuner "Bye Bye Birdie". The show has been revamped and tweaked a little from when it debuted back in 1960. The show stars actors Janet Dacal and George Merrick as Rosie and Albert.
"Charles Strouse was here he came to our first table read - and was just so thrilled with everything that's been adjusted," says Dacal.
Since its inception The Goodspeed has produced more than 250 musicals and has sent at least 20 shows to New York. The upcoming Irving Berlin musical "Holiday Inn", which is set to open on Broadway this fall, played at Goodspeed in 2014.
"I want us to be known as a place that you go to to work on musicals - and create new musicals. That to me - if I leave accomplishing that - I will be a very happy person," says Gennaro.
For more information, visit The Goodspeed, visit goodspeed.org.