Bay Street Theater Is Back in Full Swing and Ready to Open the House

Spring is in the air, and so is the anticipation of live theater. Across the East End, the general sentiment is that, after three years of pandemic-related fits and starts, audiences are truly ready to return to the seats.

At least, that was the impression shared by Scott Schwartz, Bay Street Theater’s artistic director, during a sneak preview of the upcoming season at the Sag Harbor theater. The preseason press conference, an annual tradition at Bay Street, was held May 6, in the midst of the theater’s ninth annual “Title Wave: New Works Festival” weekend.

“The New Works Festival kicks-off the season and is the unofficial start for us. This whole month is about getting ready for the summer season,” said Schwartz, who happily reported that good-sized crowds were showing up for the festival’s work-in-progress play readings. “What’s very encouraging is it feels like we’re back to some form of prepandemic normalcy. People seem more comfortable going out and going inside, and this is evident at theaters all around the country.”

Schwartz added that, while artistically speaking, last summer’s season was a successful one for Bay Street, the uncertainty of new COVID-19 variants arriving on the scene meant that ticket sales were up and down.

“A lot of it had to with the omicron variant. We started strong then, ‘bam,’ everything stopped, then we came back at the end of summer,” Schwartz said. “We’re hopeful, as an organization, that we can stay on a strong footing. Advance sales are strong, people seem excited about what we’re doing. Last night, 200 people were here for a reading and it feels like we’re getting back on track. I’m proud of the art we’ve done remotely, but now we’re ready to get back to live audiences.”

And live audiences will have a lot to take in this summer at Bay Street, including three mainstage productions between Memorial Day and Labor Day (plus a bonus fourth, weeklong musical in August), the return of the Music Monday series in July and August and the ever-popular Bay Street summer gala, which this year will be held at the theater itself.

The mainstage action begins at Bay Street on May 30, with a three-week run of “Double Helix,” a world premiere musical by Madeline Myers that tells the real-life story of Rosalind Franklin, a young scientist whose work in the 1950s was instrumental in the race to discover the structure of DNA. The musical, which runs through June 18, was presented at Bay Street’s 2022 New Works Festival and stars Samantha Massell as Franklin. It will be directed by Scott Schwartz, who has been shepherding this project for several years.

“This is a musical I’ve been working on since about 2018,” explained Schwartz. “About five years ago, I met Madeline Myers, who was still an emerging writer, in Denmark when a colleague introduced us. She sent me some material and I liked it and we met again in New York and I said, ‘What do you want to write about?’ She said to me, ‘Have you heard of Rosalind Franklin?’”

Schwartz had not heard of Franklin, but he was intrigued and asked Myers to tell him more about her life and the hurdles she faced as a female scientist in the 1950s.

“Madeline explained that she was integral to discovering the structure of DNA, but she was ultimately not ever credited for her work,” he said. “She was an interesting, complicated woman. She was brilliant, but doing something at a time when women weren’t really welcome to do that. She was also Jewish, which spoke to me, and she kept going as she faced these issues.”

One line from the show that Schwartz finds particularly revealing is Franklin’s mantra, “Science always tells the truth.”

“She wasn’t political, she cut through the BS, which benefited her in some ways but not in others,” he added. “She was viewed as ‘difficult’ by male colleagues and we’re trying to explore who she was — in all her glory and complexity.”

“Five years later, here we are. Obviously this is my baby and I’ve been working on it a long time,” Schwartz said, noting that though the musical is about a scientist, it’s not a stuffy science show. “It’s about people in their 20s and 30s, all at the top of their game, who thought they could change the world. The score is extraordinary, it’s modern music and is very tuneful. This year is the 70th anniversary of the discovery of DNA, so the show is timely, romantic and melodic.”

The second production of Bay Street’s summer season, running June 27 to July 23, will be “Dial ‘M’ for Murder,” a new stage adaptation of the classic 1954 Hitchcock film based on Frederick Knott’s play. For this stage version, Knott’s thriller has been streamlined and updated by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher. The production will be directed by Walter Bobbie.

“Jeffrey got permission to streamline it. He added elements and a freshness, and he’s made it kind of funny too,” said Schwartz. “It’s still a thriller, but he has found a lot more in it. It is a straight up mystery. I love that it’s very high style, with beautiful costumes and scenery.

“Dial ‘M’ for Murder” tells the story of a wealthy heiress and her husband, who has never quite made it professionally. In this new adaptation, the wife is a successful writer, while the husband is struggling as a writer, which makes him somewhat jealous of her success.

“When he finds out his wife is having an affair, he sets out to have her murdered so he can get both her money and revenge,” said Schwartz. “In this version, Jeffrey has made the person she’s having the affair with a woman.”

“Walter Bobbie is a major Tony-winning director and he lives in Water Mill,” Schwartz added. “I just think this show will be really fun and cool. We have a fantastic cast, one person in particular who I’m very excited about. I can’t say who yet, but they’re really recognizable.”

The third show of the mainstage season at Bay Street will be “Tales From The Guttenberg Bible,” a new comedy by Steve Guttenberg that is directed by David Saint. The show runs August 1 to 20 and stars actor Steve Guttenberg sharing stories from his life and career.

“This is a co-production with George Street Playhouse in New Jersey and we’re working with them on it,” said Schwartz. “This is also a world premiere and we’re the second leg of this production that just opened at George Street Playhouse and got excellent reviews.

“It’s very funny and is about Steve’s life and his career, and how he became a star,” Schwartz explained. “Steve performs along with three other actors who play 90 roles in 90 minutes. It’s very theatrical and playful and there are a lot of laughs and interesting insight into this guy. It’s heartening and hopeful, and Steve is a Long Island boy.”

Added to the lineup as a bonus show this summer will be “Sammy & Me,” which will run one week only, from August 14 to 20. Written by and starring Eric Jordan Young and co-written and directed by Wendy Dann, the one-man show explores Young’s obsession with legendary performer Sammy Davis Jr., as it takes audiences on a whirlwind journey through Davis’s life and music.

“Eric is a musical theater performer and he had this fascination with Sammy Davis Jr., and was inspired by him,” said Schwartz. “I have learned that Sammy is a beloved, but complex figure in Black society. He is such an important figure in raising the profile of Black performers. Eric and Wendy created this show which is about Eric trying to break into the industry as a Black man. He has a fantasized relationship with Sammy Davis Jr. — there are songs and a live pianist. We’re really jazzed about it. We think this is entertaining and fun and also gives you an experience of Black culture that is unique.”

In terms of social events, back in full swing this summer will be the Bay Street Theater gala, which will be fully in person this year and takes place on Saturday, July 8. The event will honor Julie Andrews, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker for their contributions to American theater, but instead of taking place under a tent on nearby Long Wharf, as it has in years past, the 2023 gala will be held inside the theater itself.

“We’re doing the gala here in this building,” Schwartz explained. “The performance of the honors will be done on the stage, but the party will be everywhere in the building. It’s an experience where you can go through different parts of the building and see where it all happens. We’ll still have cocktails, a party and wonderful food, but we’re pulling back the curtain so you can see how theater is made.”

Schwartz notes that due to the limitations of the building space, capacity for the gala is limited, so he advises people to purchase their tickets early.

For cabaret and jazz fans, Music Mondays returns to Bay Street on July 10 with Derrick Davis and continues with Julie Benko on July 17, Isaac Mizrahi on August 7, Melissa Errico on August 21 and “Charlie Parker Celebration —Bird Lives!” with the Charles McPherson Quartet featuring Randy Brecker on August 28. The final performance is in collaboration with Hamptons Jazz Fest 2023. Also coming up this summer, look for the addition of some comedy nights and camps for kids and teens.

It all adds up to the return of live and in-person programming at the theater, which is meaningful for Schwartz, who, in 2023, is marking his first decade as artistic director at Bay Street Theater.

“I’m so proud of what we have all achieved here over the past 10 years,” he said. “It’s a storied theater and an important theater, dating back over 30 years. When I came in and took over the artistic reigns, I was building on the enormous success and reputation built by [founders] Stephen [Hamilton], Emma [Walton Hamilton] and Sybil [Christopher].

“We’ve really grown over the years. People are bringing the absolute highest level to the stage,” he continued. “I think we’ve put our focus back on new work. It seemed that this was what people wanted. I think we’ve also developed an approach to musicals that is unique. We take shows and do them in a way that focuses on intimacy — productions that aren’t about lots of stuff, but rather about the heart, mind and spirit.”

“I think that has been getting us a national reputation but also galvanizing our place in the community,” he added. “We’ve built a team that is really good at this and knows how to do it. After 10 years, it feels like home to me — both here in the building and here on the East End.”

For more information about Bay Street Theater’s 2023 season, visit baystreet.org or call 631-725-9500. Bay Street Theater is on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor.

“Double Helix” (May 30–June 18), a world premiere musical by Madeline Myers and directed by Scott Schwartz, tells the true story of the brilliant and often-overlooked research scientist Rosalind Franklin.

“Dial ‘M’ for Murder” (June 27–July 23), is Frederick Knott’s thrilling and fun classic newly adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by Tony Award-winner Walter Bobbie.

“Tales From the Guttenberg Bible” (August 1–20), is a new comedy by Steve Guttenberg, directed by David Saint. Four actors, 90 characters, one Steve Guttenberg. The play is a farcical, laugh-out-loud story, journeying from his family home on Long Island to the glamour of Hollywood.

“Sammy & Me” (August 14–20), is a bonus show with a one-week run at Bay Street. Written by and starring Eric Jordan Young, and written and directed by Wendy Dann, the play investigates Young’s own obsession with legendary performer Sammy Davis Jr., taking the audiences on a whirlwind journey through Sammy’s life and his music.