PSYCHO BEACH PARTY to Open at Cumberland Theatre in 38th Season

The Cumberland Theatre will continue their 38th season with the play Psycho Beach Party which will open Friday, June 5th and run for two weekends. A preview performance will be held on Thursday, June 4th at 8:00 pm. Following that Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances will begin at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. The show is being sponsored by Doug Schwab and Betsey Hurwitz-Schwab.

Written by Charles Busch, one of the leading figures of New York's downtown theater scene and a master of camp comedy, the play premiered in 1987 and quickly became one of Busch's most popular works.

Busch created the play as a loving parody of two seemingly unrelated genres: the carefree 1960s beach party films starring actors such as Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, and the psychological horror films inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.

Set on the sun-drenched beaches of Malibu in the early 1960s, Psycho Beach Party is a fast-paced comedy that follows Chicklet Forrest, an awkward teenage girl who dreams of becoming one of the cool surfers hanging out on the beach. Beneath her innocent exterior, however, Chicklet struggles with a collection of wildly different personalities that emerge under stress. As she tries to fit in with the local surf crowd and catch the attention of the handsome surfer Kanaka, strange events begin to unfold. Rumors, secrets, and unexpected twists turn an ordinary summer beach party into a hilarious mystery filled with romance, mistaken identities, and outrageous revelations.

Blending camp humor, pop culture satire, and affectionate nods to 1960s cinema, Psycho Beach Party delivers a colorful mix of surfing, suspense, and comedy while celebrating the over-the-top spirit of classic B-movies.

Originally staged by Busch and his longtime collaborators in New York, the production became a cult favorite thanks to its rapid-fire humor, exaggerated characters, and affectionate send-up of mid-century pop culture. Like many of Busch's plays, it featured gender-bending casting and celebrated theatrical camp traditions.

In 2000, the play was adapted into the feature film Psycho Beach Party, directed by Robert Lee King. The movie starred Lauren Ambrose as Chicklet and introduced the story to a wider audience while preserving much of the play's campy spirit.

The Cumberland Theatre's production is being directed by artistic director Kimberli Rowley. The ensemble cast includes local actors Jace Courrier, Brian Records, Emily Snyder and Andrew Watkins as well as returning guest actors Kiersten Gasemy and Lisa Podulka. The show also marks the debut of visiting actors Jennifer Hope and James Camacho (both from New York City) and Colin Dech, of Dayton, Ohio, as Chicklet Forrest.

The design team includes Xander Mulder (lighting design), Marty Jellison (projection design), Kimberli Rowley (scenic and sound design), Steven Zalatoris (scenic carpenter) and Jennifer Clark (costume design). Marcus Hardinger serves as the stage manager with assistance from Rowan Dickson.

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