RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL and More Set for Citadel Theatre 2025–26 Season

The season will open with William Goldman’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel MISERY. The three-hander about a novelist who is rescued from a car crash by an obsessed fan and held captive after she discovers he killed off her favorite character, will be performed by Scott and Ellen Phelps, co-founders of the theatre. Though they have acted in several productions for the company separately, this will be the first time this married couple has performed together on the Citadel stage since 2023, when they played Pastor Paul and his wife in THE CHRISTIANS. Ellen Phelps performed in last spring’s A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN. Scott Westerman, who directed the latter show, will direct MISERY. MISERY will open to the press on Friday, September 12 at 7:30 pm, following previews on September 10 and 11, and play through October 12.
 
Citadel’s holiday show will be the heartfelt comedy-drama MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET by Tom Dudzick, author of the popular OVER THE TAVERN TRILOGY that follows the Pazinski family in 1950s Buffalo, NY. MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET concerns another Buffalo family – the Nowaks, an eccentric family who for decades have believed they were chosen for a miracle—an apparition of the Virgin Mary in Grandpa's barbershop in 1942. But when daughter Ruth decides to write a one-woman show about the event, a shocking family secret surfaces, unraveling their cherished legend and shaking their faith to the core. The play blends humor and emotion as the family grapples with identity, belief, and the meaning of truth. Scott Shallenbarger, who directed Citadel’s hits I AND YOU and BABY, is directing. MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET will open on Friday, November 14 after previews on November 12 and 13, and play through December 14.
 
In February, Citadel will mount the sharp and provocative satire ADMISSIONS, by playwright Joshua Harmon, author of the recent critical and popular hit PRAYERS FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC. ADMISSIONS centers on Sherri Rosen-Mason, the head of admissions at a prestigious New England prep school, who is passionately committed to increasing diversity in the student body. But when her own son is deferred from Yale while his Black Best Friend is accepted, Sherri and her husband—also the school’s headmaster—are forced to confront the uncomfortable gap between their ideals and their personal ambitions. This bold play, which won the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards,  is designed to spark conversation about this timely topic long after the curtain falls. It will be directed by Beth Wolf, the director who led Citadel’s SILENT SKY and OUTSIDE MULLINGAR to Jeff Award nominations for Best Production of a Play – Midsize and Best Direction of a Play - Midsize. ADMISSIONS will open on February 13 following previews on February 11 and 12 and play through March 15.
 
Closing Citadel’s 2025-26 season will be RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL. It’s a gleefully twisted satire that skewers Broadway classics like GYPSY and MAME, as well as cult films such as THE BAD SEED and ALL ABOUT EVE. The show follows Tina Denmark, an adorably sociopathic 8-year-old who will stop at nothing—including murder—to land the lead role in her school play. Premiering Off-Broadway in 1992, RUTHLESS! has become a cult favorite thanks to its outrageous humor, campy style, and razor-sharp wit. Christina Ramirez, Managing Director of the award-winning Actors Training Center in Wilmette and director of the musical FIRST DATE and the upcoming revue SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, both for Oil Lamp Theatre, will direct. RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL will open to the press on Friday, April 17 following previews on April 15 and 16, and play through May 17.