NYS Music 2024

Tag: Playhouse Stage Company

  • Playhouse Stage Company Kicks Off 37th Season in Cohoes with A Christmas Story: The Musical

    Playhouse Stage Company is set to kick off its 37th season with A Christmas Story: The Musical from Dec 4 to 22.

    Cohoes Music Hall opens with the musical on Wednesday, December 4 at 7pm. Performances continue through December 22nd, with 7pm evening performances Wednesday through Saturday, as well as 2pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. The season kicks off with holiday season entertainment for young and old alike.

    A hilarious and heart-warming crowd pleaser, A Christmas Story: The Musical tells the story of nine-year-old Ralphie Parker, who has pinned his hopes on getting a “Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun” for Christmas. The musical, with a book by Joseph Robinette, features all the iconic moments from the film, from the leg lamp award, to the bunny suit, to Ralphie’s friend Flick getting his tongue stuck to a frozen metal pole.

    It boasts a soaring, energetic score by Pasek and Paul, known for their work on Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman and more. The show is based on the 1983 MGM film, as well as the film’s inspiration, the novel In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd. The musical adaptation premiered on Broadway in 2012, in a production that featured two Playhouse Stage Company students and Capital Region natives, Jack Mastrianni and George Franklin.

    A Christmas Story musical
    “A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL.”

    A Christmas Story: The Musical is directed by long-time PSC Director Michael LoPorto, returning to the company after most recently directing the celebrated 2023 production of Something Rotten at Park Playhouse. LoPorto is joined by frequent collaborator Brian Axford as Musical Director. Playhouse Stage Teaching Artist and performer Gabi Bazinet-Douglas makes her PSC choreography debut on A Christmas Story after appearing as Brooke Wyndham in this past summer’s Legally Blonde: The Musical.

    The cast is led by well-known Capital Region actor and Sage Theatre Institute Professor David Baecker, as the show’s narrator, Jean Shepherd, as well as by PSC student Jack Holick as young Ralphie Parker. Joining them in the 26-person cast are Playhouse veterans Molly Rose McGrath and Nick Martiniano as Ralphie’s parents, and PSC Director of Education and Associate Artistic Director Ashley-Simone Kirchner, returning to the stage for the first time since 2019’s Avenue Q to play Ralphie’s teacher, Miss Shields. 

    The 37th Playhouse Stage Company Season continues in February with the dark musical comedy Heathers: The Musical, adapted from the 1989 cult classic film. In addition to productions at Cohoes Music Hall, the company will return to Park Playhouse in Albany’s Washington Park, and Guilderland Performing Arts Center in Tawasentha Park to present free, outdoor musical theatre for the community during Summer, 2025. Details about title selection and schedule will be announced in January.

    For more information on the upcoming show at Cohoes Music Hall – A Christmas Story: The Musical and to purchase tickets, click here.

  • Three-Event Celebration Planned for Cohoes Music Hall Sesquicentennial on Nov 23

    Cohoes Music Hall has announced their 150-year anniversary celebration which includes three major events on Nov 23.

    Cohoes Music Hall

    Saturday, November 23, 2024, marks 150 years since Cohoes Music Hall first opened its doors to the public, and the venue’s management entity, Playhouse Stage Company, will mark the momentous occasion with three public events throughout the day. Playhouse Stage Company has been producing free outdoor musicals at Albany’s Park Playhouse since 1989 and has been producing musical theatre at Cohoes Music Hall since 2016. The company has managed the Hall since August 2020. 

    From 10:00AM to 12:00PM, eventgoers can expect a free public event featuring music and activities for kids, including face painting, balloon animals, and live music from popular Capital Region children’s musician Andy the Music Man. Funny, quick-witted, warm, and tuneful, Andy Morse has been delighting young audiences for more than 27 years.

    Cohoes Music Hall
    One of the oldest music venues in the state, Cohoes Music Hall celebrates a sesquicentennial anniversary on November 23

    At 2:00PM, “London Assurance & A Toast to the Hall” begins. This special event will start with a champagne toast to Cohoes Music Hall’s 150-year history, followed by a staged reading of the play that first opened the Music Hall in 1874, and then reopened the building one hundred years later. London Assurance, adapted by Capital Region theatre artist Aaron Holbritter, will be co-presented by Creative License Theatre Collective and Playhouse Stage Company. The performance will feature Capital Region actors Ryan Palmer, Laura Darling, Amy Hausknect, Nick Martiniano, Jay Hunter, Ketih DuBois, Molly Kirby, Evan Jones, Chuck Kraus and Owen Smith.

    “Get Zep! performing The Song Remains the Same” begins at 8:00PM. Get Zep!, presented by Guthrie Bell Productions, is an upstate super group consisting of Troy’s fabled rock band Super 400 and dynamic Hudson Valley vocalist Sean Matthew Whiteford. The group has been touring the region and beyond with tributes to classic Led Zeppelin albums, selling out Cohoes Music Hall on four occasions. For this event, they’ll play “The Song Remains The Same” in its entirety, and other Zeppelin hits.

    Get Zep!

    For more information on Cohoes Music Hall’s upcoming sesquicentennial celebration and to purchase tickets for November 23, click here.

  • Cohoes Music Hall Hosts Cast Party Fundraiser for Capital Region Festival of Theatre on October 27

    Cohoes Music Hall announced that on October 27 the venue will host a grand Cast Party to raise funds for the inaugural Capital Region Festival of Theatre. The party is presented by Playhouse Stage Company.

    The party will be the biggest gathering of Capital Region theater fans ever in the interest of building a Festival to promote their interests. There will be a substantial sampling of the area’s entertainment, light fare provided by Cohoes’ finest restaurants, a cash bar, over $13,000 in Raffle prizes, wine pull and a generous wine sampling.

    Entertainment at the Cast Party will back up CRFT’s motto that “The Capital Region is a GREAT place to love theatre your whole life long.” Performers will come from the youth company, The Cue Theater, which serves students as young as 5 years old, to stand-up comedian and actor Judi Clements who takes her act to senior centers.

    Performer Claire Flynn

    There will be someone new to discover for even the most dedicated theatre fan in the wildly eclectic line-up curated by PSC Artistic Director Owen Smith who is also deservedly showing off a number from his company’s smash hit production from earlier this year, “Spring Awakening.”

    The lineup of performers so far includes Kelly Blitz, Shayne Cameris, Judi Clements, Ellen Cribbs, The Cue Theatre, Keith Dubois, Suzie Dunn, Claire Flynn, Jake Goodman, Steve Grogan, Taylor Hoffman, Jon Maltz, Maria Mucaria, Jeff Stubits, Luca Verner & Will Kempe’s Players.

    CRFT will have many donation opportunities from a huge raffle that over 30 theatre companies have donated tickets, t-shirts commemorating the event and buttons thanking every dollar offered. Cast Party begins on October 27 from 6:00PM to 9:30PM.

    Keith DuBois in “Spirit Awakening”

    To purchase tickets online and for more information on Cohoes Music Hall’s Cast Party on October 27, click here.

  • Playhouse Stage Company Announces Season 37 Lineup

    The Playhouse Stage Company has announced five new productions for their 2024/25 season at the Cohoes Music Hall in Cohoes

    Playhouse Stage Company

    The theme for this season is “Coming of Age, from the Screen to the Stage,” and will include, A Christmas Story: The Musical (Dec. 4 – 22, 2024), Heathers (Feb. 21 – Mar. 9, 2025), Schoolhouse Rock Live (Mar. 12 – Apr. 4), The Little Mermaid (July 17 – Aug. 11), and Moana Jr. (Aug. 20-24), with more to be announced soon.

    Moana Jr. will be performed by the Playhouse Stage Academy’s younger students in a youth adaptation of Moana. The Little Mermaid will also feature a large cast of the company’s advanced teen students who will work alongside local and regional professionals.

    In addition to productions at Cohoes Music Hall, during the summer season, the company will return to Park Playhouse in Albany’s Washington Park, and Guilderland Performing Arts Center in Tawasentha Park to present free, outdoor summer musical theater for the community. Details about title selection and schedule will be announced in early 2025. 

    Playhouse Stage Company has been producing free outdoor summer musicals at Albany’s Park Playhouse since 1989. They have also been presenting musicals year-round at the historic Cohoes Music Hall since 2016. The Company also holds classes for youths and adults including acting classes, dance classes, vocal classes, and more.

    “We’re presenting a series of dynamic musical adaptations of film classics and cult hits, all of which tell stories of growing up and discovering the world around us,” says Playhouse Stage Co. Producing Artistic Director Owen Smith. “Building on the success of this past season, we will once again feature the region’s most talented young performers across all of our productions.”

    Purchase tickets, season memberships, and learn more here.

  • Playhouse Stage Co. Presents Legally Blonde: The Musical

    Playhouse Stage Company is extending its 36th season with a production of Legally Blonde: The Musical at Cohoes Music Hall. Previews will take place on July 17 and 19, and the production will last through August 11.

    Playhouse Stage Co. presents Legally Blonde: The Musical at Cohoes Music Hall

    Playhouse Stage Co. has been presenting musical theatre productions year-round at the Cohoes Music Hall since 2016. They are continuing that tradition with Legally Blonde: The Musical this summer. The musical comedy based on the beloved movie will feature Playhouse Stage Academy students as well as professional performers. The talented actors will tell the story of sorority girl, Elle Woods, who attends Harvard Law School to follow her ex-boyfriend and finds herself in the process.

    Legally Blonde will have two previews taking place on July 17 at 7:30 PM and 19 at 2 PM for press coverage. For the rest of the run there will be 7:30 PM evening performances on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. 2:00 PM matinee performances on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

    The show is directed and choreographed by Ashley-Simone Kirchner, assistant choreographed by Gabi Bazinet Douglas and Alexis Papaleo, and musically directed by Brandon Jones. Additionally, Scenery is designed by Marc Christopher, costumes are by Minah Tucker, lighting is by PJ Davis, and sound is designed by Tommy Rosati.

    Legally Blonde Cast

    Elle Woods- Selma Fabregas

    Emmett Forest- Jon Maltz

    Paulette Bonafanté- Molly Rose McGrath

    Professor Callahan- Patrick Ryan Sullivan 

    Warner Huntington III- AJ Halsey

    Brooke Wyndham- Gabi Bazinet Douglas

    Tickets are on sale at the Cohoes Music Hall and Playhouse Stage Co. box office. Adult tickets are $35.00, with $25.00 available for Seniors (65 and older). Tickets are $18 for children and students with identification. To purchase tickets online, visit www.playhousestage.org.

  • Playhouse Stage Offering Free Encore Performances of ‘The Marvelous Wonderettes’ at GPAC

    A new partnership with The Town of Guilderland will bring Playhouse Stage Company to the Guilderland Performing Arts Center Stage (GPAC) in Tawasentha Park this summer. Following its run at Albany’s Park Playhouse from June 18 through July 14, Playhouse Stage’s The  Marvelous Wonderettes will play an encore weekend in Guilderland from July 19-21.

    playhouse stage company

    All seating will be free on a first-come, first-served basis, at 7:30 p.m. performances Friday through Sunday, and an additional 4:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Playhouse Stage Company has been producing free, outdoor summer musicals at Albany’s Park Playhouse since 1989, and has been presenting musicals year-round at the historic Cohoes Music Hall since 2016.  

    The Marvelous Wonderettes tells the story of a group of friends who become the impromptu entertainment at their High School prom in 1958, singing the girl group pop songs of the decade in four-part harmony. Act Two sees the friends reunite to perform at their ten-year reunion, singing the music of the girl groups of the Sixties. With beloved songs such as “Mr. Sandman,” “Lollipop,” “Heatwave,” “Son of a Preacher Man,” and “Respect,” audiences are treated to a night of harmonious hits, wrapped around a touching and funny story of enduring friendship.

    The production is directed and choreographed by Ellie Francis, who appeared on-stage as Pythio in 2022’s PSC production of Head Over Heels. Long-time PSC associate Brian Axford, will music direct and lead the live, on-stage band for the production. “We are thrilled to welcome Playhouse Stage Company to perform at GPAC this summer and we look forward to a long-term relationship with the area’s premier musical theatre organization,” added Town Supervisor Peter G. Barber. “I also extend my appreciation to former State Senator George Amedore for his generous support for GPAC’s renovation which has helped bring new entertainment options to our  community.” The Guilderland Town Board officially approved the Playhouse partnership at a May 7, 2024 meeting. 

    We are tremendously excited about this new partnership, and new opportunity to achieve our mission  making the arts accessible to all in the Capital Region community. Through the support of the Town of Guilderland, all seating for this encore weekend in Tawasentha Park will be available free-of-charge to both residents and visitors. We are grateful to Town Supervisor, Peter Barber, the Guilderland Town Board, and the staff who  have worked to make this inaugural year of this partnership a reality.

    Playhouse Stage Producing  Artistic Director, Owen Smith.

    Tickets for reserved seating for the run of The Marvelous Wonderettes at Albany’s Park Playhouse are now on sale through The Playhouse Stage Box Office at Cohoes Music Hall, by phone at 518-434-0776, or online. The 2024 Playhouse Stage Company Summer Season will continue in July and August with runs of the musicals Legally Blonde and Disney’s Finding Nemo playing at Cohoes Music Hall.

  • ‘Spring Awakening’ Opens at Cohoes Music Hall

    Playhouse Stage Company announced the opening of a brand new production of the celebrated musical Spring Awakening, playing at Cohoes Music Hall through April 28, with 7:30 p.m. evening performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. matinee performances on Saturdays and Sundays.

    Spring Awakening Cohoes Music Hall

    Playhouse Stage has produced free outdoor summer musicals at Albany’s Park Playhouse since 1989 and has been presenting musicals year-round at the historic Cohoes Music Hall since 2016. Spring Awakening is a rock musical based on a 19th-century German play of the same name and explores the challenges of adolescence and coming of age in a repressive world. The production plays April 12-28, 2024. 

    The winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Spring Awakening features a book and lyrics by Steven Sater, and a rock-infused score by Duncan Sheik. About its original 2006 Broadway production The  New York Observer wrote, “Once in a generation, if we’re lucky, an unexpected new musical comes along and changes everything. That is the thrilling achievement of Spring Awakening.” With electrifying music that Entertainment Weekly called “the most gorgeous Broadway score of the decade,” and a fearless approach to important, often taboo topics, including suicide, sexual assault, and child abuse, Spring Awakening grips audiences with an intense emotional journey.  

    We are excited to give our very talented teen students a chance to work on such a relevant, challenging, and exciting piece of theatre. Many themes and topics explored in Spring Awakening are often referred to as adult subject matter, but these are things that teenagers deal with daily, and it is important to shine a light on them. We are extremely proud of both our students and our creative team for handling the mature subject matter in such a professional manner, and rising to the occasion to tell this vital story so effectively.

    Playhouse Stage Producing Artistic Director Owen Smith

    The production is directed by Playhouse Stage Managing Director, Chuck Kraus, with choreography and musical staging by Director of Education Ashley Simone Kirchner, and musical direction by Brandon  Jones. The trio has helmed the Playhouse’s advanced teen productions since 2016. Rounding out the  Creative Team as Intimacy Director is Yvonne Perry in her first Playhouse Stage Company collaboration. The youth roles in the production are performed by advanced teen students from the Playhouse Stage  Academy theatre training program, alongside local professional performers Ellen Cribbs and Nick.

    Tickets for Spring Awakening are on sale through The Cohoes Music Hall Box Office, by phone at 518-434- 0776, or online.