EAST HADDAM, Conn. (March 24, 2025) – Two-time Tony Award-winning Goodspeed Musicals announces a season of two brand new musicals at The Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. One is the latest from a Tony, Oscar and Grammy-winning songwriting team who have a long history with the theatre, and the other is a new musical homegrown through Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals. Both musicals are at the early stages of their lives, and the teams will focus on developing the work throughout their time at The Terris. With audience feedback, changes will be made to both the book and score, which is a hallmark of The Terris Theatre. To allow as much flexibility for change as possible, the set and costumes will be kept simple so the show can change daily if necessary.
The season will open with the heartfelt new musical revue About Time, which will run May 24 - June 15. At first, they were Starting Here, Starting Now. After a few years, they were Closer Than Ever. Now, decades later, the legendary award-winning writing team of Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire complete the trilogy they didn’t know they were creating...About Time. From long-ago love affairs and ambitions of the past to tech-savvy grandkids and lost keys, this funny and touching revue features all new songs about people navigating the joys and challenges of growing older while staying young in spirit.
About Time features music by Academy and Grammy Award-winner David Shire (Broadway: Baby, Big; Off-Broadway: Starting Here, Starting Now; Closer Than Ever; Film: Norma Rae (Academy Award for Best Song), Saturday Night Fever (two Grammy Awards for Album Of The Year)) with lyrics by Tony Award-winning director Richard Maltby, Jr. (The Terris: The Story of My Life, The 60’s Project; Broadway: Miss Saigon, The Story of My Life, Fosse, Big, Baby, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical)). Maltby will also direct the musical. About Time completes a trilogy about life by Maltby and Shire that began in 1976 with Starting Here, Starting Now and continued in 1989 with Closer Than Ever. The production will feature choreography and musical staging by Tony-nominated Marcia Milgrom Dodge (The Goodspeed: On the Town, Broadway: Ragtime).
The season will conclude with a new “EMUsical” comedy The Great Emu War, which will run Oct. 3 - 26. Remember that one time that the Australian government sent their army with machine guns to wage war on emus in Western Australia? Neither do most people…but when Edith, the headstrong warbler, and her flock begin to feed on the wheat of local farmers—the humans take up arms against Australia’s favorite feathered friends. Think of it as Cats, but with emus. It’s the most emusing 90 minutes you’ll have in any theatre…don’t miss it!
The Great Emu War features a book by Cal Silberstein, a West-Australian writer, performer, producer, and dramaturg whose works have been performed in the United States and beyond. Music and lyrics are by Paul Hodge, an award-winning writer-composer from Brisbane whose work has been produced Off-Broadway, in London, Edinburgh and Australia, including at the Sydney Opera House. The Great Emu War will be directed and choregraphed by Amy Anders Corcoran (The Goodspeed: Christmas in Connecticut; Broadway: Escape to Margaritaville, associate director; Off-Broadway: Unexpected Joy).
“We are proud to play a significant role in the future of musical theatre through our commitment to new musical development,” said Artistic Director Donna Lynn Hilton. “At The Terris Theatre, there is a wonderful synergy of writers putting their work in front of an audience for the first time and an audience that is eager to see something new and help shape it through their feedback. The result is not just an entertaining evening, but an investment in the future that comes with bragging rights to tell the world ‘I saw it first at Goodspeed!’”
For the past 41 years, The Terris Theatre has been Goodspeed’s home for developing fresh, innovative and original new musicals. Many new and reimagined musicals have been developed in Chester, Conn., before moving on to Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours and other Regional Theatres. Audiences are invited to “see it here first” and enjoy being part of creating brand new musicals.
Season tickets for shows at The Terris Theatre are on sale now for just $66. Tickets will go on sale to the public April 8th. Goodspeed Memberships for 2025 are available now and provide many benefits to donors at both The Terris Theatre and at The Goodspeed. For more information, call the Goodspeed Box Office (860.873.8668), open weekdays 10 a.m-5 p.m., or visit goodspeed.org.
The Terris Theatre is supported by The Norma Terris/Albert D. Firestone Foundation.
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