SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Forget themes, when it comes to his four-show season at Theatre By The Sea, owner/producer Bill Hanney has a formula for success.
Each year, when scouring the hundreds of possibilities for the seasonal company, he looks for something new, something classic, something big and something family-oriented. The 2024 summer lineup, the theater’s 91st, opening May 29, is evidence of his work.
“We’ve always done well with the classics,” Hanney muses. “And big musicals attract everyone.”
The season – which also features a children’s series, cabarets and concert nights – is highlighted by a transition in the on-site restaurant to a new venture by Mark and Alicia Bryson, owners of Duck Press in Wakefield. Bistro by the Sea presented by Duck Press promises classic American fare with “very creative presentation,” Hanney says.
“This is a very unique place – everyone is seated at the same time and needs to leave at the same time,” he says of the 150-seat eatery.
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With or without the meal first, Theatre By The Sea audiences this summer can enjoy:
- “A Chorus Line,” May 29 to June 22. One of Hanney’s favorite shows – he calls it “lucky” because every time he stages it at one of his theaters, it does well – is a Tony Award-winning musical that brings the audience behind the scenes at auditions for a Broadway musical, following the 17 dancers competing for a few spots in the chorus. “It’s a show about show business, with great music,” Hanney says.
- “Tootsie,” June 26 to July 20. The “something new” of this season, the musical comedy also peeks at the entertainment industry, this time through the eyes of an actor who finds success after transforming himself into a woman. With a few minor tweaks from the 1982 movie starring Dustin Hoffman – the main character, for example, works on a soap opera in the movie but in theater in the stage version – the clever score and rapid-fire punchlines leave audiences laughing almost nonstop, Hanney says. He does promise, however, that “this show is about as PG as you can get!”
- “The Sound of Music,” July 24 to Aug. 17. A knack for finding stunning voices for the leads of his shows helped him cast the as-yet-unnamed actor playing Maria, a young postulant sent during wartime Europe to work as a governess for the seven children of a widowed naval officer. He says she will amaze audiences with her vocal abilities as Maria creates order in the house and falls in love. “This is a great classic everybody loves and can’t wait to see,” he says. “It’s a good story with magical Rodgers & Hammerstein music.” Audiences of all ages, he says, love to sing along to songs like “Edelweiss,” “My Favorite Things” and “Do-Re-Mi.”
- “42nd Street,” Aug. 21 to Sept. 15. The season’s biggest show comes last to usher the season out in a flurry of song favorites - “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Shuffle Off to Buffalo” and “We’re in the Money” – and the riveting blur caused by the rhythmic tapping of dozens of pairs of feet, Haney says. Travel back to the 1930s for a flashy, lush jukebox musical centered on a young girl chasing her dreams on Broadway, rising from chorus girl to star.
Tickets are available for the Theatre By The Sea season or for individual shows. For more information, go to www.theatrebythesea.com.
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