An industry presentation of the Broadway-aimed musical “Get Happy,” based on the 1950 movie musical “Summer Stock,” will be held on Jan. 17, 2025, in New York City. The new stage musical was first produced under the film’s title in 2023 at Connecticut’s Goodspeed Musicals; Donna Feore will repeat her work as director and choreographer for the reading.
Slated to reprise his leading turn as Joe Ross from the Goodspeed staging will be Corbin Bleu, who will appear alongside his former featured co-star of Broadway’s 2019 “Kiss Me, Kate” revival, Stephanie Styles, who is set to take on the role of Jane Falbury in the “Get Happy” reading. The film “Summer Stock” featured Gene Kelly and Judy Garland in these roles.
With a book and additional lyrics by Tony Award-nominated “Sister Act” librettist Cheri Steinkellner and musical supervision/orchestrations by three-time Tony winner Doug Besterman (of “Death Becomes Her” and the upcoming “BOOP!” and “Smash”), “Get Happy” tells the story of the company of a new Broadway show which loses its rehearsal space. To divert a crisis, the cast heads to a family farm in Connecticut where unlikely romances ensue and efforts to save the musical and the farm begin.
Featuring many of the movie’s songs, including “You, Wonderful You,” “Dig for Your Dinner,” “Happy Harvest” and the title song, “Get Happy,” the stage musical also incorporates American Songbook classics like “Happy Days Are Here Again,” “Accentuate the Positive,” “Always” and “It Had to Be You.”
Bleu, who earned a 2019 Drama Desk Award nomination for his Broadway turn as Bill Calhoun/Lucentio in “Kiss Me, Kate,” was previously seen on the Main Stem in “Godspell,” “In the Heights” and “Holiday Inn” (another film-to-stage adaptation which debuted at Goodspeed). Bleu is also known for his turn as Chad Danforth in the “High School Musical” film franchise.
Styles won a Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut as Lois Lane/Bianca in “Kiss Me, Kate.” Styles recently played Evelyn Nesbit in “Ragtime” at New York City Center and will appear as Hope Cladwell in that company’s Encores! staging of “Urinetown.” Styles also led the first national tour of “Newsies” and had a recurring television turn on “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.”
Joining Bleu and Styles in the “Get Happy” reading will be Tony nominee Veanne Cox as Margaret Wingate, Tony nominee Douglas Sills as Montgomery Leach, Stephen Lee Anderson as Lt. Henry “Pop” Falbury, Gilbert L. Bailey as Phil, Zoe Jensen as Gloria Falbury and Will Roland as Orville Wingate, with an ensemble comprising Nicholas Cunha, Francesca Mancuso, Corinne Munsch, Kaylee Olson, Aaron Patterson, Jack Sippel and Cayel Tregeagle. Casting for the reading is by Tara Rubin Casting/Peter Van Dam, CSA.
The Broadway-bound “Get Happy” presentation is being shepherded by executive producers Carolyn Rossi Copeland and Nancy Nagel Gibbs and producers VenuWorks Theatricals (Steve Peters and Michael Londra) and Excelsior Entertainment (Greg and Marissa Frankenfield) by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.
Additional cast members and a Broadway production timeline will be announced in the coming weeks.
To inquire about attending the reading, send an email to general management firm Bespoke Theatricals at info@bespoketheatricals.com.
