(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- George Street Playhouse presents Gene & Gilda, written by Cary Gitter (The Steel Man), and directed by Joe Brancato (Daniel's Husband), from December 3-22, 2024. The cast includes Jordan Kai Burnett (Channing Tatum's Magic Mike Live) and Jonathan Randell Silver (Virtuous Life of Joseph Andrews), who are reprising their roles from the original Penguin Rep Theater production as Gilda Radner and Gene Wilder respectively.
Beloved entertainers Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner come to vivid life in this hilarious and heartfelt play. Follow the famous couple from their first meeting through their personal and professional ups and downs, all the way to their poignant farewell. An intimate portrait of two comic legends in love—and the lives they led beyond the laughter!
The creative team features scenic design by Christian Fleming (Miss Saigon, National Tour), costume design by Gregory Gale (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), lighting design by Jose Santiago (The Immigrant), sound design by Max Silverman (The Sabbath Girl: A New Musical), wig design by Bobbie Zlotnik (Emojiland), and Dance Consulting by Ryan Kasprzak (Southern Comfort). Samantha Flint (tick, tick…BOOM!) will serve as the Production Stage Manager.
Jonathan Randell Silver and Jordan Kai Burnett
Tickets begin at $25 and are now on sale at www.georgestreetplayhouse.org. Groups of 10 or more save 20 percent. Three play subscriptions are also available and begin at $114.75. Performances take place in The Arthur Laurents Theater at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) located at 11 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint since 1997, George Street Playhouse produces groundbreaking new works, inspiring productions of the classics, and hit Broadway plays and musicals that speak to the heart and mind, with an unwavering commitment to producing new work. As New Brunswick’s first producing theatre, George Street Playhouse became the cornerstone of the revitalization of the City’s arts and cultural landscape. Entering its 50th season, the organization has a rich history of producing nationally renowned theatre. The Playhouse continues to fill a unique theatre and arts education role in the city, state and greater metropolitan region.
George Street Playhouse announced the appointment of Edgar Herrera as Managing Director in June 2023. Beginning with the 2019-20 Season, George Street Playhouse moved to the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in downtown New Brunswick. Featuring two state-of-the-art theatres—The Arthur Laurents Theater with 253 seats and The Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater which seats 465—and myriad amenities, the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center marks a new era in the esteemed history of George Street Playhouse.
Founded by Eric Krebs, George Street Playhouse, originally located in an abandoned supermarket on the corner of George and Albany Streets, was the first professional theatre in New Brunswick. In 1984, the Playhouse moved to a renovated YMCA on Livingston Avenue, and in 2017 took temporary residence in the former Agricultural Museum at Rutgers University during construction of its new home. The Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway. In 2018, George Street Playhouse was represented on Broadway with Gettin’ the Band Back Together which premiered on the Playhouse mainstage in 2013. American Son, produced by George Street Playhouse in 2017, opened on Broadway in 2018 starring Kerry Washington and Stephen Pasquale, and was seen on Netflix. Other productions include the Outer Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award-winner The Toxic Avenger. In 2015, It Shoulda Been You opened on Broadway and Joe DiPietro’s Clever Little Lies opened off-Broadway. Both shows received their premieres at the Playhouse. Other productions include the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League Award-nominated production of The Spitfire Grill; and the Broadway hit and Tony® and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at the Playhouse during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays.
George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.
