New London Barn Playhouse Reveals Lineup For 92nd Summer Season

The New London Barn Playhouse has announced its 92nd summer season, as one of the oldest continuously operating summer theaters in the country. 

Opening the 92nd summer season is the event you know and love, our 65th annual Straw Hat Revue, a one-hour complimentary performance and the true kickoff to each summer season. The Straw Hat Revue is the first time the 2024 Acting Intern Company will perform on the Barn Playhouse stage and introduce themselves to the public while showcasing their talent and pieces of the upcoming summer season. The Straw Hat Revue runs Wednesday, June 5th to Sunday, June 9th and is a complimentary event. 

The first MainStage production of the 2024 summer season will run June 12th thru June 23rd and is the deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical with a 1960s pop/rock score, Little Shop of Horrors. Set in a floral shop, Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he names “Audrey II” after his coworker crush and must keep feeding it blood. Overtime, Seymour discovers Audrey II is out of this world and intends global domination. Don’t miss out, but don’t get too close to the plant!

The multi award-winning, global hit musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will run June 26 thru July 7th and feature cameos from our wonderful Junior Intern Company. Joseph tells the biblical story of him and his brothers and is filled with great music, costumes, laughter, joy, and heart. Joseph is back on the Barn Playhouse stage for the first time in almost 20 years and we hope you’ll come and enjoy this musical comedy, great for all ages. 

In the one week slot, Driving Miss Daisy tells the story of Daisy Werthan, a widowed 72-year-old Jewish woman living in midcentury Atlanta and is deemed too old to drive by her son. So her son begins to drive her around and what starts off as a troubled pairing, turns into a life-changing story. This classic play is a searing, funny and hopeful play about friendship, respect and love. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Driving Miss Daisy runs July 10th thru July 14th. 

For three weeks and the first time ever, Jersey Boys will rock the Barn Playhouse stage from July 17th thru August 4th as it chronicles the creation, rise, fall, and coming apart of the 1960s rock ‘n’ roll quartet ‘The Four Seasons.’ Jersey Boys is the international musical phenomenon that takes you behind the scenes and behind the music of this iconic group.  Audiences will be thrilled with the electrifying performances of chart-topping hits including “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Cant Take My Eyes Off You” and countless others. If you loved Beautiful in our 2023 Summer Season, we think that you’ll go absolutely crazy for Jersey Boys. 

Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Rent will run from August 7th thru August 18th taking place in the AIDS-era in the East Village of New York. Rent took Broadway by storm in the late 90s and left an indelible mark in the history of musical theater. Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Rent has become a pop cultural phenomenon. Rent is theater at its best- exuberant, passionate, and joyous. We are excited to bring it to the intimate Barn stage. 

Wrapping up the 2024 MainStage season is Clue, running August 21st thru September 1st. Based on the very popular board game and the iconic 1985 Paramount film, this fun-filled play brings the suspects to life and invites audience members to participate to help solve the mystery of who killed Mr. Boddy. Clue is a comedy whodunit that will leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to figure out “who did it, where, and with what”!? Don’t miss out on this sidesplitting, madcap murder mystery brought to the Barn stage to close out our 92nd summer season. 

“We are thrilled to announce the 92nd Summer Season of the New London Barn Playhouse.” said Keith Coughlin, Executive Artistic Director. “It is sure to be a season full of laughter, joy, and music that will have you singing and dancing in your seats..” 

Also this season is four Children’s Theater Series productions featuring our Junior Intern Company beginning July 5th. Every CTS show will also offer a sensory-friendly preview.

The Junior Interns kick off their season for youth and families with Stage Struck: A Junior Intern Original Musical, which runs July 5th & July 6th. This musical revue, written by Barn Playhouse staff and students in the style of a Disney Channel Original Movie, incorporates aspects of your favorite DCOMS (High School Musical, Camp Rock, Lemonade Mouth, The Cheetah Girls, and more) to showcase the hilarious and painful truths of growing up. Join us this hilarious, heartwarming, musical sensation created specifically for audiences at the Barn Playhouse!

The outdoor Shakespeare production takes a dramatic turn as Junior Interns tackle the famous “Scottish play” for the first time in Barn Playhouse history. Macbeth opens outdoors on July 20th, and tickets are free to the public. In this timeless tragedy, a life-changing prophecy combines with Lady Macbeth’s ruthless ambition to consume Macbeth, carving a path to the throne fraught with murder, betrayal, and guilt. As Macbeth rises to power, he descends into madness, facing the consequences of his actions. You won’t find many plays more engaging than this intense dramatic masterpiece.

Back inside the Barn Playhouse, the Broadway musical Tuck Everlasting, based on the children’s novel by Natalie Babbitt, runs July 25th and July 27th. In this whimsical story, eleven-year-old Winnie Foster is craving adventure beyond her small town and overprotective mother when she discovers the Tuck family and their remarkable secret: they have accidentally become immortal. Join us for a fantastical musical journey, and decide for yourself what you would do if you had a choice between growing old and eternal life.

The Children’s Theater Series wraps up with the hilarious and iconic musical School of Rock, running August 15th and 17th. Based on the hit movie featuring Jack Black, School of Rock tells the story of Dewey Finn, a failed rockstar who poses as a prep school substitute teacher to earn some extra cash. After discovering his students’ promising musical abilities, he breaks all of the school’s rules to secretly train them for the Battle of the Bands competition, teaching students to believe in themselves and “stick it to the man!" After enjoying Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on the mainstage, come Raise the Roof with another Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, featuring new styles of music and a full youth rock band!

“This Children’s Theater Series season truly has something for everyone,” says Sage Tokach, Education Director. “These shows will activate your imagination, capture a full range of emotions, and fill the Barn with laughter.”

Tickets for MainStage and Children’s Theater Series go on sale in March 2024. Currently on sale are season subscriptions, allowing you the same seat and same night for all 6 MainStage productions. To learn more information about becoming a subscriber email us at tickets@nlbarn.org or give us a call at 603-526-6710. FlexPasses go on sale December 1st and allow patrons a savings on a bundle of 6 tickets to be used at any point throughout the 2024 season. Learn more on our website at nlbarn.org. 

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