The Broadway Theatre of Pitman, New Jersey will play host to a production of Billy Elliot The Musical (BETM) from March 3-26, 2023.
A Brief History of the Broadway Theatre of Pitman
(from the theatre’s website)
Originally opened in May 1926, the Broadway operated as a fully equipped movie and vaudeville theater with 1,090 seats, including the balcony and eight boxes. The opulent New Jersey theatre was created in a French Revival motif by the Philadelphia firm of Eberhard, Magaziner, and Harris.
Two crystal chandeliers light the house and inner lobby of the Broadway. And, a great deal of the original cast plaster detail remains intact today with the original molds still on the premises. A small orchestra pit, four private dressing rooms, a common room, two bathrooms, and a pipe organ blower room in the basement can also be found.
The Broadway Theatre of Pitman still has its original 3/8 Kimball theatre pipe organ – a unique instrument for its size. The Southern Jersey Theatre Organ Society has restored the Kimball to full concert status.
After years in decline, the Theatre was purchased at a sheriff’s sale in February 2006 by Peter Slack. In addition, on September 23rd of that year, the Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with Heritage Foundation, Inc., helped reopen the theatre doors with the Bring Back Broadway Gala, a once-in-a-lifetime, black-tie optional gala to celebrate the Broadway Theatre of Pitman’s rebirth as the pride of Pitman.
Today the offerings at the Broadway includes Mainstage Theatre productions, Children’s Theatre productions and an annual summer camp for children.
Mainstage productions for 2023, besides BETM, include:
- Into the Woods (Jan/Feb)
- In the Heights (Apr/May)
- Grease (Jul)
- Big Fish (Sep/Oct)
- Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Oct/Nov)
So you can get an idea of the quality of productions produced by the Broadway over the years, a complete listing of previous seasons’ productions can be found here.
Billy Elliot The Musical at the Broadway
Auditions for BETM at the Broadway were held in October, 2022. Rehearsals for the cast began the last few days of January and have continued right up to opening night.
Leading the cast will be a Billy with prior experience playing the role, thirteen-year-old John Gibbons. John previously shared the role with another young actor/dancer in the Stars Restaurant Theatre of Bakersfield, California, production of BETM in the Fall of 2022. He starred in six shows as Billy in that production.
In the Pitman production, John will be the sole Billy, but will have an understudy.
To learn more about John Gibbons, click on the Billy Profiles button (below) to be taken to his detailed profile.
To see a complete listing of the rest of the Broadway Theatre of Pitman cast, just click on the Cast Information button.
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