Feature: TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE at Westport Country Playhouse

As if wasn’t enough to for the Westport Country Playhouse to have a unique history, charm, and an ability to draw incredible talent to its stage (and backstage) and loyal audiences for 94 years, the gods of theater blessed it with Mark Shanahan as its artistic director.

Since Shanahan started his role here in 2023, he has managed to bring additional and extraordinary productions at the Playhouse despite the difficulties every theater group has been facing in the past decade. We’re talking about painful cuts to keep the doors open and ticket prices affordable. The Westport Country Playhouse now has a much smaller staff, and everyone is working intently and wearing several hats to produce the dynamic theater experience people have come to expect. “We are always working our hardest to make sure every department is working at the highest level we can,” says Shanahan. “We do our best” because “it’s part of the joy of making plays, and we all love this theatre.”

Despite the cutbacks that the audience doesn’t see, The Westport Country Playhouse will offer more productions, more variety, and even more vitality during the coming season.

This year’s season is a combination of three mainstage productions and three short-runs, as well as some one-night-only and special events throughout the year. Shanahan says, “I am happy to lean into short runs, just as the Playhouse has done in generations past, to put more plays on our stage throughout the year.” Westport Country Playhouse has productions that appeal to everyone, yet they do not depend on staging only recent crowd pleasers. The shows are entertaining, meaningful, thought-provoking, and heartwarming. Theater attracts people with a variety of interests as well as income levels. “I don’t want attending the theatre to be a rich person’s sport,” he says. In addition to different pricing of the short-runs and mainstage productions, there are military, first responders, senior, and student discounts, and several evenings offered when you “pay what you will.” But BroadwayWorld asks theatergoers to be realistic. These productions are done with professional actors and backstage artists. Even top tiered full-price ticket sales do not cover the expenses of putting on a show. “No nonprofit theatre can exist solely on ticket sales, so we’re always grateful to those who support us through donations so we can keep the Playhouse going strong in the future.”

Starting September 4th through 6th, is Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom. This production stars Len Cariou and Christopher J. Domig from the original production of the Sea Dog Theater, which won Best Revival at the 13th Annual Off-Broadway Alliance Awards earlier this year. But book your tickets quickly, because they are expected to sell out and there are only four performances. Tickets are just $45.00-$65.00. You definitely don’t want to miss this.

From October 28th through November 15th is Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest, “a trivial comedy for serious people.” It is the first full show of the season and the first time it has ever been produced at the Westport Country Playhouse in its 95 seasons. Tickets start at $50.00.

A Sherlock Carol is back from December 13th through 21st. This critically acclaimed and popular play, written by Mark Shanahan, combines the worlds of Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge, and has become a signature holiday tradition in Westport.

If you love Broadway tunes and Big Band music, order tickets to see Big Band Broadway with Tony Award winner Debbie Gravitte from January 29 through February 1. Tickets are $45.00-$65.00.

Eboni Booth’s recent Pulitzer Prize winning play, Primary Trust, will run from April 14th through May 2nd. This play also won the OBIE and Outer Critics Circle Award and has been lighting up stages across the country. “This is the kind of American play that’s moving the needle forward, and I’m thrilled Westport audiences will get to see this current and beautiful play” observes Shanahan. It delves into the “deep truth about what people go through ins life, and it has a powerful and uplifting message.” The play is about a man whose world turns upside down when his lifelong job ends and he must start an unfamiliar journey that depends on friends and new acquaintances. Tickets start at $50.00.

You might want to change next summer’s vacation plans because from July 14th through August 1st so you can see Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, which Shanahan adapted for the stage. He worked alongside the decision makers of the Agatha Christie Estate and won them over when he convinced them he could find a way to stage the famous ending to the author’s celebrated novel. “Working alongside Agatha Christie Ltd was almost like having Dame Agatha blessing as I adapted the work for the stage,” he recalled. The play was first done at the Playhouse as a Script in Hand reading three years ago. It premiered at Houston's Tony Award Winning Alley Theatre before opening across the United States and internationally. Christie’s popularity attracts people of all ages and all walks of life. Shanahan is “mostly interested in the colorful parade of characters that enter from the wings” in Christie’s works. “Amidst all the polite English culture, some people are revealed to be devious.” And then there’s the idea of solving a mystery (always fun) and making sure that justice will be done (always appreciated). Tickets start at $50.00, and going to the theater is a lot more relaxing than a trip to the airport.

How exciting is this season? There will be more staged readings in the popular Script in Hand series on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. on September 8th, November 3rd, December 1st, and five more dates in 2026. Tickets are $30.00 and the experience is as remarkable for the actors as it is for the audience. The actors are pros, but they have just one day to rehearse, and they perform on a bare stage with basic lighting. The audience members can conjure up their images of the scenery and costumes. There will also be a Script in Hand Reading, Jr. for younger audiences.

There are also the Barnstormers Series of performances. These are new works that include readings, concerts, cabaret, puppet shows, and other forms of entertainment. They take place in the Lucille Lortel White Barn, which is adjacent to the Westport Country Playhouse. It has just 70 chairs and affords an intimate experience with the artists, many of whom live in the community. This has never been done before at the Westport Country Playhouse and has approved of a popular way to launch newer and developing works. Tickets to the Barnstormer Series are $20.00. There are other special events that take place at the playhouse including film screenings and tours, and educational opportunities such as the Playhouse Playmakers classes for young theatre makers and stand-up comedy classes for aspiring middle comedians.

The Westport Country Playhouse is always in the process of raising money. It needs the support of the community as it finds ways to keep the curtain ready to go up. Its distinction in the theater world draws top talent to headline its necessary fundraisers. On Saturday, September 27th, Alec Baldwin and Stephanie Zimbalist will appear in The Fitzgeralds: A Reading with Music to commemorate the centennial of The Great Gatsby. The reading is based on the correspondence between F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. The readings are set to an original live score by composer and performer Forrest Gray.

Saturday, October 4 will be the Gala Evening Celebrating Westport Country Playhouse’s 95 Seasons. Nathan Lane will be the Artistic Honoree and Anne Keefe will receive the Leadership Award for her longtime work at the Playhouse.

Shanahan says that one thing he’s learned over the years is that “You have to take some chances and certainly you can’t please everyone all the time.” In theory, he’s correct, but with all that the Westport Country Playhouse has to offer, everyone will be pleased, at least some of the time. “A theater only exists to serve an audience,” he says. “The Westport Country Playhouse is such a special place. It has a great history, but it’s not a museum. It’s always evolving. We want to offer work that appeals to as many people as possible in this community and always make them feel welcome when they come through our doors to see a good story well told.”

For more information, visit www.westportplayhouse.org and www.mark-shanahan.net.

Photo credit: Walter Van Dyck