'Starstruck' Opens Season Of Celebration And Change At Bucks County Playhouse

NEW HOPE, PA — The Bucks County Playhouse will open its 2026 season this week with the world premiere of "Starstruck" featuring a score by Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls and a book by Beth Malone and Mary Ann Stratton. The production is directed and choreographed by Lorin Latarro, who serves as a member of the Playhouse’s Artistic Council.

Starring in the show are Tony Award nominee Beth Malone (“Fun Home”), who co-created the musical and also stars as Cyd DeBerg; alongside Krysta Rodriguez (“Smash” and “Into the Woods”) as Roxanne Cooley and Sam Gravitte (“Wicked”) as Chris.

“What a thrill to have a team of Broadway’s A-list launch our final season as producers at the Playhouse! Working with Beth, Mary Ann and Emily is an honor, and we’re particularly to welcome Lorin back. This is her 20th production at the Playhouse … we offered Lorin the chance to direct a musical for the first time and are so proud to watch her career take off,” said Alexander Fraser, Producing Director of Bucks County Playhouse. “We can’t wait to get the show on its feet.”

This season marks a year of celebration and change for the Playhouse, coinciding with the nation’s 250th anniversary and marking the final season produced by Producing Director Alexander Fraser, Executive Producer Robyn Goodman and Producer Josh Fiedler.

Since arriving at the Playhouse in 2014, the producing trio has revitalized the historic institution, expanded its national profile, nurtured new work and deepened its ties to the community of New Hope and Bucks County. Their final season is designed as a celebration — of America, of the Playhouse, and of the audiences who have embraced their work for more than a decade. It features some of the producers' favorite plays and musicals — ones they believe also will resonate with Bucks County audiences.

The season launches Feb. 19 with the world premiere of “Starstruck” and continues in April and May with "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" directed by New Hope favorite, Eric Rosen.

Denis Jones will stage “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific,” a musical with deep Bucks County roots, in June and July. And Playhouse Artist Council member, Hunter Foster, will direct the season finale, “Holiday Inn: The New Irving Berlin Musical.”

Making her Playhouse debut, Jennifer Weber — whose work is currently represented on Broadway in “& Juliet” — will direct and choreograph Jonathan Larson’s “Rent.” Casting for the 2026 season is by Paul Hardt.

“In the darkest moments and in the brightest ones, theater brings people together,” Fraser said. “This season is our love letter to the community that has been our artistic home. We are incredibly proud of the work we’ve created here and the audiences who have championed it. We are thrilled that we can welcome back some of our favorite artists to celebrate the Playhouse’s success with us.”

“Bucks County Playhouse is an extraordinary place — rich with history, passionate audiences and a thriving artistic spirit,” Goodman said. “As we look ahead to new leadership, we hope this season reminds everyone why the Playhouse matters and why its future is so promising.”

“We wanted our final season to be special,” Fiedler said. “These productions reflect the humor, struggle, imagination and resilience that define the human experience."

Subscriptions, group sales and single tickets are on sale at BucksCountyPlayhouse.org or by calling 215-862-2121. The full details of the season are listed below:

• STARSTRUCK is on stage from Feb. 19 to March 21. It is directed and choreographed by Lorin Latarro. “Starstruck” is a sharp and surprising new musical comedy set in the mountain town of Sawtooth, Idaho, where the night sky looms large and the stars have never felt closer. Astronomer Cyd DeBerg is determined to secure Dark Sky Reserve status for the town — but not if bar owner JD’s neon sign has anything to say about it. When a nationally known NPR podcaster arrives to cover the conflict, small-town tensions lead to revelations about connection, change, and unexpected attraction. With a book by Tony Award–nominee Beth Malone and Mary Ann Stratton and music by Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls, “Starstruck” shines as a luminous new musical that sparkles with heart.

• CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF is on stage April 23 to May 23 and is directed by Eric Rosen. Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize–winning masterpiece returns to the stage in a searing new production. On a steamy night in the Mississippi Delta, the family gathers to celebrate Big Daddy’s birthday as Maggie “the Cat” fights to save her marriage to Brick. Beneath the surface, secrets, lies, and simmering betrayals threaten to erupt. This iconic American drama remains as electrifying and sexy today as when it first debuted.

• RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN’S SOUTH PACIFIC is on stage June 18 to July 26. It is directed and choreographed by Denis Jones. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s legendary wartime romance — with historic roots in Bucks County — returns in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Set on a lush island paradise during World War II, the musical follows a young nurse who falls for a charming plantation owner as the world around them edges toward war. Featuring beloved classics including “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Younger Than Springtime,” “South Pacific” remains one of Broadway’s most enduring love stories.

• RENT is on stage August 13 to September 13. It is directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber. Jonathan Larson’s groundbreaking musical returns to the Playhouse in a dynamic new staging by Tony-nominated director/choreographer Jennifer Weber. Set in Manhattan’s East Village, “Rent” follows a group of artists searching for connection, meaning, and truth against the backdrop of gritty New York in the 1990s. With iconic songs including “Seasons of Love,” “La Vie Bohème,” and “Light My Candle,” Rent is a celebration of love, community, and chosen family.

• HOLIDAY INN: THE NEW IRVING BERLIN MUSICAL is on stage Nov. 19 to Jan. 3. It is directed by Hunter Foster. Celebrate the joy of every season with Holiday Inn, the Broadway musical inspired by the classic film. Featuring over 20 Irving Berlin hits — including “Blue Skies,” “Heat Wave,” and the Oscar-winning “White Christmas” — the show follows the owner of a Connecticut farmhouse who transforms it into an unlikely holiday-first entertainment haven. With showstopping dance numbers and heartwarming romance, “Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn” is a festive treat for the whole family.