Michael John LaChiusa's BEAUTIFUL JOLIE GABOR & More Set for Transport Group 25th Season

Transport Group has revealed that the centerpiece of its 2026–27 season, marking the company's 25th anniversary, will be the world premiere of five-time Tony Award nominee Michael John LaChiusa's Beautiful Jolie Gabor, Her Glamorous Three Daughters, and Always the Happiness Is Life in spring 2027, starring three-time Tony Award nominee Mary Testa in the title role, directed by two-time OBIE Award winner and five-time Drama Desk Award nominee Jack Cummings III. The anniversary season also features a return to Carnegie Hall in February 2027 for Transport Group's annual one-night-only concert event and the initiation of commissions from playwrights Joey Merlo and Mona Pirnot. 

Beautiful Jolie Gabor, Her Glamorous Three Daughters, and Always the Happiness Is Life

Commissioned by Transport Group with major support from The Shen Family Foundation and developed through the Joanna & Steven Sanders New Works Program, the world premiere Beautiful Jolie Gabor, Her Glamorous Three Daughters, and Always the Happiness Is Life is the fourth LaChiusa work produced by Transport Group, and second LaChiusa commission from the company following Queen of the Mist in 2011. Other LaChiusa works produced by Transport Group include First Lady Suite (2004) and Hello Again (2011). Performances run June 11 through July 18 at Theater 555, 555 West 42 Street with an opening night scheduled for June 27, 2027.

Expansive and lush, Beautiful Jolie Gabor, Her Glamorous Three Daughters, and Always the Happiness is Life is a musical fantasy that traces the history of the first family who became famous for being famous. Examining society's fascination with celebrity culture, Beautiful Jolie Gabor… centers on family matriarch Jolie Gabor, a Hungarian WWII immigrant who voraciously creates a life where persecution can never affect her family again. In the choices she makes and the not-so-truthful stories she spins, Jolie must answer the most telling question: What is the cost along the way? And, then, what is the cost at the end? Much like the real-life Gabor family, five-time Tony Award nominee Michael John LaChiusa's newest work, starring three-time Tony Award nominee Mary Testa as Jolie Gabor, absolutely mesmerizes.

Beautiful Jolie Gabor… will feature a live ten-piece orchestra and orchestrations by Michael Starobin (two-time Tony winner, Once on This Island, Next To Normal). Choreography is by Alex Sanchez (Paradise Square, Giant, Drama Desk nominee for The Gardens of Anuncia). Scenic design for Beautiful Jolie Gabor... is by Dane Laffrey (two-time Tony winner, The Lost Boys, Maybe Happy Ending); lighting design is by Jen Schriever (Tony winner, The Lost Boys; A Strange Loop), sound design is by Walter Trarbach (two-time Tony nominee, Schmigadoon!, SpongeBob SquarePants), costume design is by Kathryn Rohe (Transport Group's Queen of the Mist, First Lady Suite, and Hello Again). Complete casting for Beautiful Jolie Gabor… will be announced in spring of 2027 when tickets go on sale.

Return to Carnegie Hall

Transport Group's 25th anniversary season will also feature a return to Carnegie Hall on Monday, February 22, 2027, for a one-night-only concert featuring an all-star cast and full orchestra as part of the ongoing Anne L. Bernstein Concert Series, following this past summer's sold-out Liza! at 80: A Celebration in Song and Dance. Other previous titles in the company's Carnegie Hall series include its sold-out concerts of Follies (2024) and Hello, Dolly! (2025). Tickets go on sale fall 2026.

Transport Group's Gala

In addition, Transport Group's gala, which annually honors theater luminaries, will take place on Tuesday, April 13, 2027 at the Edison Ballroom, celebrating the company's 25th anniversary. 

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