The upcoming 2024-25 season brings a wide array of theatrical offerings to patrons of Riverside Theatre.
The Stark Stage mainstage venue is the place for the musicals – the beloved “Singin’ in the Rain”; a new favorite, “Beautiful: The Carol King Musical”; and even a brand-new musical, “Mystic Pizza.”
It’s also where one of Ken Ludwig’s more recent farces, “The Fox on the Fairway,” tees off.
For more intimate theater, head to the Waxlax Stage to see Terrence McNally’s glorious “Master Class” and the more theatrically interactive “Every Brilliant Thing.”
It’s a positive minded season, says Allen D. Cornell, producing artistic director and CEO. People will leave the theater feeling good.
Last season, Riverside certainly did that, especially with “On Your Feet,” the musical about the lives of Gloria and Emilio Estefan. The famed couple, owners of the Costa d’Este Beach Resort & Spa in Vero Beach, sponsored the show and even showed up with an entourage on a Friday evening performance.
“Jon (Moses, Riverside’s managing director and COO) and I met them at intermission and spent a good 20 minutes talking to Gloria, who couldn’t be nicer and more supportive,” Cornell says.
“At curtain call we brought them on stage. It was amazing. They loved the production.”
In fact, the entire encounter stands out as Cornell’s highlight of his then 41-season career at Riverside.
While there may not be such high-end celebrity appeal, this season is also designed to be a patron-pleasing stand out.
“We spend a lot of time thinking about what we’re going to offer each year. This season, it’s new things, like ‘Mystic Pizza.’ That’s a gamble for us,” he says.
“Things are looking right on track right now.”
STARK STAGE:
The Fox on the Fairway runs from Oct. 22 to Nov. 10.
The play will be directed by Chris Clavelli and was written by Ken Ludwig, one of America’s most prolific and funniest writers of farce comedy. The central plot point in this comedy is the rivalry between the Crouching Squirrel Golf and Racquet Club and the Quail Valley Country Club.
“That’s the irony in this piece. It’s set in the Quail Valley Country Club, which is one of the sponsors of the show,” says Cornell, referencing Vero’s Quail Valley Golf Club. And, like all “proper” farces, there are plenty of antics and mistaken identities.
Mystic Pizza runs from Jan. 7 to Jan. 26.
This is a new musical based on the 1988 romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts in one of her first screen roles. Set against the backdrop of a small-town pizza parlor, it follows three young working-class women who fall in and out of love. The music in it comes from ’80s and ’90s megahits like “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
Riverside Theatricals had a hand in the creation of this show and is one of three stakeholders in it, says Moses. After the show runs at Riverside, it will tour to the venerable Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn, N.J. Hopes are that it gets some great exposure to New York producers and will get produced in more venues, possibly Broadway.
“My hope is that every two or three years, we can partner with someone to launch a tour right out of Vero Beach,” says Moses, who is starting his 26th season with Riverside. “In our industry, if we’re not all contributing in some way to the development of tomorrow’s work, then tomorrow’s work will not get developed.”
Singin’ in the Rain runs from Feb. 25 to March 23.
Directed by Richard Stafford, the musical is based on the 1952 movie starring Gene Kelly. The 1985 stage musical was adapted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who created the original screenplay.
The storyline follows Hollywood’s transition from silent films to the “talkies” in the 1920s. While there are plenty of humorous parts and some great songs and dances, the most memorable is the dance number where someone sings in the rain. Of course, that is also the part which will be the most challenging scenically – to have it rain on stage.
“The rain is the joyful part of the number,” Cornell says. “You can’t do it without it.”
Beautiful: The Carol King Musical runs from April 15 to May 11.
Directed by DJ Salisbury, the story in this Tony Award- and Grammy Award-winning musical follows Carol King’s rise to stardom, from being part of a songwriting team to a standout solo act.
You’ll hear great tunes like “I Feel the Earth Move,” “One Fine Day” and “You’ve Got a Friend.”
Of course, finding the right person to star in this is key. To that end, Cornell has been working on casting the show for months. “Everybody is doing this show now,” he says.
WAXLAX STAGE:
Master Class runs from Feb. 4 to Feb. 23.
Directed by DJ Salisbury and written by Terrence McNally, the 1995 Tony Award-winning play tells the story of opera diva Maria Callas near the end of her life. It is set in one of her master classes in an elite opera school (read: The Juilliard).
You get a glimpse of the sacrifices made in the pursuit of great art. The person playing the diva needs to be “bigger than life; command that material,” Cornell says.
Every Brilliant Thing runs from March 25 to April 13.
Directed by Cornell and written by Duncan Macmillan, the play concerns a boy’s attempt to cheer up his mother. This is a departure for Riverside in that the play becomes immersive when various audience members get pulled onto the stage.
“Like a lot of things that end up happening here, somebody passed the script to me,” Cornell says. “It’s a very difference experience. It is performed by a solo actor interacting with the audience. No sets, just general lighting.”
Riverside Theatre’s 2024-2025 season begins soon. Patrons can buy series and individual tickets. Season tickets for the Stark mainstage range from $128 to $336. Single tickets for the Stark mainstage range from $42 to $105. Season tickets for the Waxlax Stage are $104. Single tickets for the Waxlax Stage are $65. You can get a 10 percent discount when you purchase three or more shows on the Stark and Waxlax stages at the same time. There is also a $2 service fee per ticket. For more information, call 772-231-6990 or visiting RiversideTheatre.com.
