DOROTHY SHAVER: THE FIRST LADY OF FIFTH AVENUE to be Presented by Broadway Dreams

​Broadway Dreams has partnered with Shaver Hall to present four free public performances of Dorothy Shaver: Fifth Avenue's First Lady, an original 20-minute musical inspired by the trailblazing retail executive who became president of Lord & Taylor and the first woman in the United States to lead a multimillion-dollar firm.

Presented in celebration of New York Fashion Week, performances will take place September 12, 13, and 20 at Shaver Hall, the 35,000-square-foot food hall and entertainment destination inside the landmark former Lord & Taylor flagship on Fifth Avenue.

Performances of Dorothy Shaver: Fifth Avenue's First Lady are free to the public and will take place at 11:30 AM on Saturday and Sunday, September 12–13 and Sunday, September 20, 2026, a 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM at Shaver Hall (424 Fifth Avenue).

The engagement marks a return home for the musical, originally commissioned and presented for the grand opening of Shaver Hall with sponsorship from Amazon. The four performances will give New Yorkers and visitors another opportunity to experience Shaver's remarkable story in the very building where she made history.

The musical features a book, music, and lyrics by Tomas Costanza (Drag: The Musical), a Certified-Platinum and Gold-selling songwriter and producer with 10 #1 albums. The September presentations are directed by Emmy Award-nominated director/choreographer Spencer Liff, choreographed by Thea Erichsen (Disney's Moana), with musical direction by Jason Goldston (Wicked: For Good), costume design by Kelly Le Vine, sound design by Keith Bergeron, lighting design by Cameron Filepas, and projection design by Jordan Pita.

Dorothy Shaver: Fifth Avenue's First Lady is produced by Annette Tanner and Ryan Ratelle (Cats: The Jellicle Ball, The Lost Boys) for Broadway Dreams.

The cast includes Megan Dwinell as Dorothy Shaver, Grace Slear (The Lost Boys) as Elsie Shaver, Aaron Patterson(Hell's Kitchen), Abigail Cowan, Wonza Johnson (The Outsiders), Allie Butcher (Hamilton), Jason Goldston (Frozen), and Reagan Kennedy (Mean Girls).

Dorothy Shaver: Fifth Avenue's First Lady is a modern new mini-musical inspired by the remarkable rise of a woman who shattered convention to become one of the most powerful figures in American business. Armed with razor-sharp instincts, unstoppable ambition, and her talented sister Elsie by her side, Dorothy leaves small-town Arkansas for New York City and transforms a modest opportunity into a revolution in American style. But getting ahead means taking on the men upstairs, the rules of the past, and a world that likes its women modern... but not too modern.

Bursting with infectious original songs, Dorothy Shaver turns the golden age of the department store into a vibrant story of sisterhood, reinvention, and the nerve it takes to see the future before anyone else does. Dorothy discovers that fashion can sell more than a dress—it can sell confidence, possibility, and an entirely new idea of who a woman can be. By the time the doors open on Dorothy Shaver's Lord & Taylor, she hasn't simply built a store. She's built a standard.

Shaver joined Lord & Taylor in the 1920s and rose through its ranks to become president in 1945. A champion of American designers, she transformed the retailer into a cultural and fashion powerhouse and became one of the most influential figures in American retail. Shaver Hall, named in her honor, now occupies the historic Fifth Avenue building where she spent decades shaping the identity of Lord & Taylor.

The September performances also mark the next chapter for the new musical. Originally conceived as a 20-minute work for Shaver Hall, Dorothy Shaver: Fifth Avenue's First Lady has been commissioned by Broadway Dreams for development into a full-length musical. Costanza is currently expanding the work, with plans for future industry presentations of the completed musical.

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