Powerful themes dominate The Gateway’s 77th season, which kicks off this May in Bellport with West Side Story.
“This really isn’t a season of fluff,” said Paul Allan, executive artistic director of The Gateway Performing Arts Center of Suffolk County. “All of the shows have a very strong theme to them, and although they’re going to be highly entertaining, it’s not a season of Margaritaville and Rock of Ages…this season we get to dig in a little bit.”
He describes West Side Story (May 8-31) as Romeo and Juliet meets street gangs, a classic tale which delivers a message amidst “amazing dance numbers.”
Making its Long Island debut (June 19-July 19) is Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, the story of five Black men who conquer oppression to reach superstardom. “You get to see the inner side of it,” he said.
Come from Away (Aug. 7-Sept. 6) is another relatively new release spotlighting the hospitality of a small town in Newfoundland toward some 7,000 passengers stranded by the 9/11 attacks.
Funny Girl (Jan. 22-Feb. 21, 2027) is “probably the lightest one”, Allan said, but also centers on the human spirit as Lower East Side gal Fanny Brice beats the odds to achieve stardom with Ziegfeld Follies.
The final of these triumphs delves into the life and times of a Long Island Grammy winner and hunger activist with Harry Chapin: I Wanna Learn a Love Song: A New Musical, which Allan said is “being written as we speak.”
For the holidays, Million Dollar Quartet Christmas (Nov. 27-Jan. 3) features classic rock hits from Elvis, Cash and more.
For tickets to these shows (or The Full Monty starring Emmy Award winner Sally Struthers until April 12), visit the website. The Gateway, at 215 S. Country Road, has a history of almost eight decades.