Theater News

Romeo & Bernadette Reschedules Off-Broadway Engagement

After several delays, the Shakespearean musical comedy will return to New York City.

Nikita Burshteyn and Anna Kostakis in Romeo & Bernadette.
Nikita Burshteyn and Anna Kostakis in Romeo & Bernadette.
(© Russ Rwoland)

Producer Eric Krebs, in association with Amas Musical Theatre, has announced new dates for the off-Broadway mounting of Romeo & Bernadette: A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn.

After premiering at Amas Musical Theatre, the show was scheduled to begin previews at Theatre Row in March 2020. The musical was subsequently announced to begin performances this month but was put on hold due the unsettled atmosphere around the Omicron variant. The production's limited engagement is now set to begin on May 3 ahead of an official opening on May 16 and is set to run through June 26 at Theater 555.

Romeo & Bernadette features a book and lyrics by Mark Saltzman, music adapted from classic Italian melodies, and direction and choreography by Justin Ross Cohen. The production's returning original cast includes Nikita Burshteyn (Newsies), Anna Kostakis (Romeo & Bernadette), Carlos Lopez (Man of La Mancha), Michael Marotta (Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical), Judy McLane (Mamma Mia), Michael Notardonato (Romeo & Bernadette), Ari Raskin (Romeo & Bernadette), Troy Valjean Rucker (August Rush) Zach Schanne (Pippin), and Viet Vo (Viet Gone).

Romeo & Bernadette is described as follows: "Romeo — yes, THAT Romeo — finds himself in 1960 Brooklyn, chasing a girl he believes is his beloved Juliet. But no, it's Bernadette, the beautiful, foul-mouthed daughter of a crime family in this wild spoof of Shakespeare's timeless tale."

"Well, perhaps the third time will be the charm," said Krebs in a statement. "We have planned and suspended production twice — in March of 2020 and in December of 2021. Now, I feel that it is time to climb out of the theatrical abyss with a joyful, romantic musical. Right now, what could be better for our battered world than a Romeo and Juliet musical with a happy ending and lots of laughs? Once again we will celebrate as we sing in Romeo & Bernadette, 'There's Moonlight Tonight Over Brooklyn.'"

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