SOMERS POINT - Tickets are on sale now Gateway Playhouse’s recently announced its 2025 Mainstage Season, which will include George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s classic comedy “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved musical “South Pacific,” “Party of 1 (Acts): A Weekend of One Acts” and the Grimm’s fairy tale-inspired musical “Into the Woods” by Stephen Sondheim.
Individual tickets are $25 per show or $80 for the season, which includes four shows.
“This year’s shows explore themes of love, connections, relationships, as well as accountability and resilience,” Artistic Director Phil Pallitto said. “We’re inviting the audience to reflect on societal challenges such as prejudice, ambition and the power of influence while celebrating the enduring strength of community. We look at these as stories rooted to teach and inspire. We really think about what lesson we want to share with our audiences, and really ponder on how we can help them walk out of here looking at the world through a different lens or perspective.
The 2025 mainstage season lineup is:
• “The Man Who Came to Dinner” by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, April 4-6, 2025. Directed by Ryan Daly, “The Man Who Came to Dinner” is a comedy that made its Broadway debut in 1939 and has had several revivals since, including a 1942 movie version starting Better Davis. The play is set in small-town Ohio at Christmas. Sheridan Whiteside, a famous New York City radio personality, is invited to dine at the house of the well-to-do factory owner Ernest W. Stanley and his family. But before Whiteside enters the house, he slips on the ice outside the Stanleys’ door and injures his hip. Now confined to the Stanleys’ home, the overbearing, self-centered celebrity soon dominates the lives of the house’s residents and everyone else who enters the home.
• “South Pacific” by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, May 30-June 1 and June 6-8. It premiered on Broadway in 1949 and was an immediate hit, running for 1,925 performances. The plot, based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Tales of the South Pacific,” centers on an American nurse stationed in the South Pacific during World War II who falls in love with an expatriate French plantation owner, but struggles to accept his mixed-race children. Another romance between a U.S. Marine lieutenant and a young Tonkinese woman explores his personal fears of what any societal consequences should he decide to marry her. The issue of racial prejudice is explored throughout the musical and sends a strong progressive message on racism.
• “Party of 1 (Acts): A Weekend on One Acts,” directed by Camille Averso, July 11-13. Though still finalizing the one acts to be included in this special weekend, Pallitto promises it will be a collection of short plays rooted around a central theme. Each night will showcase different one-acts to encourage audience members to return. “We want to provide audience members with the opportunity to see something they wouldn’t necessarily see, such as these one-acts–which, sadly, tend to be forgotten,” Pallitto said.
• “Into the Woods” by Stephen Sondheim, Sept. 26-28 and Oct. 3-5. This musical intertwines the plots of multiple Brothers Grimm fairy tales and explores the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. Main characters are taken from popular children’s tales such as “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Rapunzel,” and “Cinderella,” among others.
Additional spring, summer and winter 2025 shows will be announced on GatewayByTheBay.org soon.
Gateway Playhouse is located at 738 Bay Ave. in Somers Point. More information and ticket reservations can be found at GatewayByTheBay.org or call the box office at 609-653-0553.
