Bucks County Playhouse Celebrates Success Of 42ND STREET

Members of the New Hope Community, including New Hope Borough Mayor Larry Keller, joined with Bucks County Playhouse in celebrating the success of the current production of "42nd Street" - the largest production in the Playhouse's history - by ceremonially renaming Main Street in honor of the show.

Crowds gathered as the Mayor and Producing Director of the Playhouse, Alexander Fraser, unveiled a temporary "42nd Street" sign. New Hope Police Chief Michael Cummings and Firefighter Kevin Doherty shared in the celebration and they all learned to tap dance from Broadway's Tessa Grady who is playing the role of Peggy Sawyer in the production. Eight cast members from the show, which in addition to Broadway actors includes rising stars from the Playhouse's famed Apprentice Program, thrilled everyone with their "42nd Street" tap dance performance.

After opening on June 30 and receiving strong critical notices, including from The Wall Street Journal which singled out the Playhouse's "42nd Street" calling it "maximum fun" and "refreshing," the production recently broke the box office record set in 2017 by another Hunter Foster-helmed production, "Guys and Dolls."

"We are delighted with the fantastic support we are getting for '42nd Street' from every side," says Producing Director, Alexander Fraser. "With a cast of 27, 300 costumes, 163 costume changes, 20 scene changes, this is the biggest show ever produced at the Playhouse. We even added an additional 20 performances to help pay for it all. Creating quality, professional theatre from the ground up is expensive and it is thanks to the partnership between our sponsors, our donors, our season ticket holders and our single ticket buyers that allow us to bring these Broadway performers to the Playhouse."

As of the Thursday ceremony, the Playhouse had sold more than 10,000 tickets to the production. More than 30 percent of those tickets were to first-time ticket buyers. According to the Playhouse, 5,000 tickets remain on sale for the production, which will close on August 4.

ABOUT "42ND STREET" AT Bucks County Playhouse:

"42nd Street", the Playhouse's biggest production since its reopening in 2012, broke the box office records under the Bucks County Playhouse Management team of Tony Award-winning producers - Robyn Goodman, Alexander Fraser, Stephen Kocis and Josh Fiedler. With music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin and the book by Michael Stewart & Mark Bramble, "42nd Street" is one of show business's most beloved fables. Peggy Sawyer, a talented young performer straight off the bus from Allentown, PA, arrives in New York armed with her tap shoes and big dreams. She dances her way from chorus girl to star with a tap-happy score featuring such show-stopping songs as "42nd Street", "We're In The Money," "Lullaby of Broadway," "Shuffle Off To Buffalo," "I Only Have Eyes For You" and more. It is choreographed by Jeremy Dumont and directed by Hunter Foster. Tickets range from $40 - $90. Some performances have limited availability. To purchase tickets, log onto buckscountyplayhouse.org, call 215-862-2121, or visit one of the Playhouse's box offices at 70 South Main Street, New Hope, PA, the New Hope Visitor's Center, or Peddler's Village.

ABOUT Bucks County Playhouse

Bucks County Playhouse is a year-round, nonprofit theatre that has grown to a $6 million producing organization with an annual audience of over 73,000. Founded in 1939 in a converted 1790 gristmill, Bucks County Playhouse quickly became "the most famous summer theatre in America," featuring a roster of American theatrical royalty including Helen Hayes, George S. Kaufman, Moss Hart, Kitty Carlisle, Angela Lansbury, Alan Alda, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, and Liza Minnelli and remained in continuous operation until 2010. In 2012, the Playhouse re-opened after a multi-million-dollar restoration thanks to the efforts of the Bridge Street Foundation, the nonprofit family foundation of Kevin and Sherri Daugherty, and Broadway producer Jed Bernstein. This fall, the Playhouse will unveil a 4,000 square foot Delaware-river facing restaurant and bar expansion.

In 2014, Tony Award-winning producers Alexander Fraser and Robyn Goodman took the helm of the Playhouse, and today the Playhouse has reclaimed its reputation of attracting Broadway and Hollywood artists. Its productions of "Company" starring Justin Guarini, and William Finn's "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" were named by The Wall Street Journal to its "Best of Theatre" list for 2015. The 2017 season included four world premieres and audiences grew by over 34%. Box office record has been repeatedly broken by Signature Productions of "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story", " Steel Magnolias" directed by Marsha Mason, and "Guys & Dolls" directed by Hunter Foster. The creative teams who come to create new productions at the Playhouse are among the most talented artists working in the professional theatre today and relish the opportunity to work on the historic stage where Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, and Jessica Walter began their careers.

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