Last week, Proctors Collaborative announced their 2025-2026 seasons for both Proctors in Schenectady and Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany.
In the case of Proctors, more accurately, it was more the 2026 season that was revealed. Of the seven shows on the Key Bank Broadway Series six do not arrive in town until next year.
The one subscription show in 2025, is a beauty. "A Beautiful Noise," the Neil Diamond jukebox musical plays September 23-28.
Actually, there is another major show appearing this year. "Wicked" is at Proctors October 29-November 9. However, it is not part of the subscription series. The good news is those subscribing to either Proctors or The Rep will get first crack at purchasing tickets for the musical.
The first couple of 2026 shows are familiar titles. “Spamalot” plays January 6-11 and “The Sound of Music” March 17-22.
That sense of the familiar changes with the challenging circus musical “Water for Elephants” at the theater April 7-12. It’s an exciting adaptation of the beloved novel by Sara Gruen. It’s a tender tale about a man visiting his past. As a plus, the on-stage acrobatics are dazzling.
The intriguing musical “ & Juliet,” which has been embraced by younger audiences, is in Schenectady April 28- May 3. It begs the question “what if Juliet didn’t kill herself at the end of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’?”
Her new take on life is given added enthusiasm by a modern playlist of pop songs created by Max Martin who has written 25 number one songs that made Billboards Hot 100. Included in the show are “Baby, One More Time,” “I Want It That Way” and “Since U Been Gone”.
Another musical with youth appeal is “The Outsiders,” which won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2024. Based on the 1967 S. E. Hilton novel and the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola film, the story tells of the rivalry between two rival gangs. It takes place in Oklahoma during the 1960s and the tensions between the two groups mirror the differences in their socioeconomic status.
The subscription series closes with the glitziest juke box musical ever. “Moulin Rouge – the Musical” plays June 2-7. It's big, popular and has a pop score to make other juke box musical jealous.
Besides revealing their upcoming season, Monday night’s event reintroduced the Rep’s new artistic-producer, Miriam Wiesfeld, who has held the same post for the past two seasons at Adirondack Theatre Festival, a summer theater in Glens Falls. She will manage both theaters.
Indeed, the Rep’s 2025-2026 season appears to have ATF’s fingerprints all over it. The holiday show that runs November 28 to December 28 is “Murder for Two: Holiday Edition.” The original piece, “Murder For Two” was given its first fully staged production at ATF in 2010. The work went on to play at various regional theaters and had an Off-Broadway run 2013-2014.
“Holiday Edition” has the same formula as does the original. One actor plays a detective, the other actor plays ten zany suspects. Composer and lead performer Joe Kinosian stars in this effort.
Another ATF connection is the summer production, “Mystic Pizza”, which plays at the Rep July 10-August 9, 2026. The Glens Fall troupe gave the work a staged reading while it was in its developmental stage. The musical is adapted from the 1988 film, which made Julia Roberts a star. The music is juke box pop, with songs of the 80s by Cyndi Lauper, Melissa Etheridge and others.
The spring season opens with Sarah Ruhl’s contemporary take on the Salem witch trials. “Becky Nurse of Salem” is a descendent of Rebecca Nurse, who was a victim of the famous trials. She was hung on July 29, 1692.
The modern day Becky is suffering existential dread over losing her job, her children’s troubles and everything else. She is even irked by Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” in which Rebecca is a major character. She finds comfort in spells, pills, and a bartender named Bob. Ruhl calls the play “A comedy about a tragedy.”
The April 24 to May 17, 2026 production of “Archduke” is by another challenging playwright, Rajiv Joseph. It’s a frantic comedy about Joseph’s view of how the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand came about. The event triggered World War I, but this is not a history lesson. It’s a fictional story that addresses issues in our own tension-filled period of time.
The final spring production is the second production of a new play by Kareem Fahm, a regular contributor to the Next Act New Play Summit. “Dodi & Diana” follows the passionate relationship of a couple similar to that of Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana. On the anniversary of the famous couple ‘s death they find themselves in the lobby of the last hotel the famous couple dined at. It is at The Rep April 24 to May 17.
Season subscriptions are available now. Single ticket sales will be announced at a future date.
Subscriptions are available at both venues by calling 518-346-6204. Or by going to atproctors.org or attherep.org
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
