THEATRE BY THE SEA’S 92ndSEASON CONCLUDES WITH
THE OFFICIAL ELVIS PRESLEY BIO-MUSICAL HEARTBREAK HOTEL
WAKEFIELD, RI – In celebration of 92 years of Theatre By The Sea, owner and producer Bill Hanney is proud to present Heartbreak Hotel, the stage musical which celebrates the life and music of Elvis Presley. Heartbreak Hotel will be presented from August 20 – September 14, 2025.
“Elvis Presley! Need I say more?” said Bill Hanney. “Although he’s been gone for decades, he’s still as popular as ever! His special blend of music, his stage presence, and his ability to captivate an audience all contributed to his becoming a legend. Heartbreak Hotel is a very special show which celebrates one of the best-selling music icons of all time. What a great way to close out the season!”
His singular name still evokes immediate recognition from people all over the world! This official Elvis Presley bio-musical explores the pivotal moments in Elvis’ life through the perspectives of those who knew him best. Digging deeper into the fact vs. fiction, Heartbreak Hotel spans from his impoverished childhood to his triumphant “Comeback Special,” and his ascent to be “The King.” Heartbreak Hotel features over 40 Elvis hits including “That’s All Right,” “All Shook Up,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Burning Love,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” “Earth Angel,” “Hound Dog,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Are You Lonesome,” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” Heartbreak Hotel is produced by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing Global. (www.broadwaylicensing.com)
Making her debut at Theatre By The Sea as Director/Choreographer is Nikki Snelson, who has been working on Broadway and beyond for the last 30 years. She originated the role of Brooke Wyndam in the Broadway and MTV casts of Legally Blonde and toured in Annie Get Your Gun with Bernadette Peters, Sweet Charity with Christina Applegate, and Hello, Dolly! with Carol Channing. Her directing credits include Footloose, Grease, Mamma Mia!, Holiday Inn, World Goes Round, Gypsy, Wedding Singer, Cabaret, Chicago, Joseph and A Chorus Line. Joining her as the Music Director is James Woods whose regional credits include The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Westport Country Playhouse, New London Barn Playhouse, and Trinity Rep. As Associate Choreographer, Theatre By The Sea is pleased to welcome Angela Mattern, who is also serving as the Dance Captain and will appear in the Ensemble. Ms. Mattern has appeared in A Chorus Line, Grease, Oklahoma!, and Pippin. Making his Theatre By The Sea stage debut in the role of Elvis is Joe Hebel, who was part of the original Las Vegas residency of the musical Bat Out of Hell at the Paris Hotel & Casino. Other credits include Elvis Presley in Million Dollar Quartet, Billy Bigelow in Carousel, Shakespeare in Something Rotten!, Gerry Goffin in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, andthe Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance. In the role of Sam Phillips is Kevin Patrick Martin, who returns to TBTS after playing Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Andy Lee in 42nd Street, and Nick Massi in Jersey Boys. Colonel Tom Parker will be played by Kevin B. McGlynn, who was seen earlier this season as Wilbur in Hairspray and Joe in Waitress. Melanie Souza and Fred Sullivan, Jr. who were recently seen in Hairspray will be portraying Elvis’s parents – Gladys and Vernon Presley. Laird LaCoste and Brandon Lopes, who are both making their Theatre By The Sea debuts, will alternate in the role of Kid Elvis. Rounding out the cast are Joe Bentley, Stephen Blauch, Jake Bryan, Eileen Cannon, Indya Cherise, Audrey Curdo, Conor Crowley, Julia Fleckenstein, Joshua Griffin, Malik Harris, Leilua Kruse, JT Langlas, Paris Martino, Trevail Maurice, Andy McLeavey, Katy Plaziak, Ben Smallwood, Jolie Smith, Nia Simone Smith, Emma Wilcox, and Daisy Wilson-Dzogbe.
The creative team includes resident scenic designer Cassie McKnight, lighting designer Paul Jonathan Davis, wig designer Liz Printz, original costume designer Travis M. Grant, and sound designer Ryan Marsh, along with Ingrid Pierson (Production Stage Manager), and Katie Wilhelm (Assistant Stage Manager). Heartbreak Hotel is being produced for Theatre By The Sea by Bill Hanney (Owner/Producer), Kevin P. Hill (Producing Artistic Director), and Thom Warren (Associate Producer).
Audiences are invited to enhance their theatre experience by dining at the on-site restaurant, Bistro by the Sea, which is being managed by Mark & Alicia Bryson of Duck Press in Wakefield. Following performances on select Friday and Saturday evenings, theatergoers can enjoy fun, food and drinks at the popular Late Night Cabaret, beginning August 29. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made online at www.theatrebythesea.com/menu or by calling (401) 789-3030. Before or after the meal, theatergoers can enjoy the lush seaside gardens, which contain over 300 varieties of perennials, grasses, shrubs and climbing plants, which offer a magical environment for flower lovers of all ages.
Heartbreak Hotel will be presented from August 20 – September 14, with preview performances on August 20 and 21 and opening night scheduled for August 22. Performances are scheduled for Tuesday (except September 9) through Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm, Thursdays and Saturdays at 2:00 pm, and Sundays at 5:00 pm, with special performance times on Sunday, August 24 at 2:00 & 7:00 pm and a special added Wednesday matinee on September 10. The theatre is located at 364 Cards Pond Road, Wakefield. Tickets for preview performances, Wednesday, August 20 and Thursday, August 21, are $62, and $65 – $91 for all other performances (additional fees may apply). Discount rates are available for groups of 10 or more by calling (401) 782-3800 x112. Tickets are on sale at the box office Monday through Saturday from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm and performance days from 11:00 am until curtain, (performance Sundays 12 noon until curtain), online 24-hours-a-day at www.theatrebythesea.com and by phone during normal box office hours by calling (401) 782-TKTS (8587).
Located on Rhode Island’s South Shore, Theatre By The Sea celebrates 92 years of summer theatre at its best!
Theatre By The Sea has had many incarnations since opening on August 7, 1933. Tommy Brent saved the theatre from demolition in 1967 and ran it successfully until FourQuest Entertainment took over the lease in 1988. Following extensive renovations, FourQuest reopened the theatre in the spring of 1989 and continued producing high quality entertainment at the seaside playhouse until the fall of 2003. Bill Hanney purchased the property in 2007 and, with producing partners, successfully mounted a production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, just six weeks later, reopening the historic theatre on August 8, 2007. Since then, Theatre By The Sea has continued to produce a four-musical subscription season, a late-night cabaret series, a children’s theatre festival, a children’s summer theatre camp, and a Monday evening concert series.
AT A GLANCE
PRODUCTION: Heartbreak Hotel
DATES: August 20 – September 14
WHERE: Theatre By The Sea
364 Card’s Pond Road
Wakefield, RI
PERFORMANCE TIMES: Wednesday, August 20 at 8:00 pm (preview)
Thursday, August 21 at 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm (previews)
Friday, August 22 at 8:00 pm (opening)
Saturday, August 23 at 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm
Sunday, August 24 at 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm
Tuesday, August 26 at 8:00 pm
Wednesday, August 27 at 8:00 pm
Thursday, August 28 at 2:00 & 8:00 pm
Friday, August 29 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, August 30 at 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm
Sunday, August 31 at 5:00 pm
Tuesday, September 2 at 8:00 pm
Wednesday, September 3 at 8:00 pm
Thursday, September 4 at 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm
Friday, September 5 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, September 6 at 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm
Sunday, September 7 at 5:00 pm
Tuesday, September 9 NO SHOW
Wednesday, September 10 at 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm
Thursday, September 11 at 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm
Friday, September 12 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, September 13 at 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm
Sunday, September 14 at 5:00 pm
TICKET PRICES: Previews – $62 (additional fees may apply)
All other performances – $65, $79, $91 (additional fees may apply)
Group Discounts Available for groups of 10 or more by calling (401) 782-3800 x112
SPECIAL EVENT: Late Night Cabaret
Friday, August 29 and Saturday, August 30
Friday, September 5 and Saturday, September 6
Friday, September 12 and Saturday, September 13
TICKETS: www.theatrebythesea.com
(401) 782-TKTS (8587)