(BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre has announced their 2025 season - the 76th season of providing Broadway at the Beach. Shows include Top Hat, 9 to 5 The Musical, 42nd Street, West Side Story, Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, Calendar Girls, On Golden Pond, Tru - The Life and Times of Truman Capote, and Elf the Musical. Plus special concerts and beloved children's theatre shows throughout the year.
WELCOME HOME – THE LEGACY OF CAROLE KING (Concert) - February 15, 2025 at 7:30pm; and February 16, 2025 at 2:00pm. A captivating musical journey that pays homage to the legendary with starring Michelle Foster and a stellar ensemble of musicians, Carole King, a two-time Hall of Fame inductee, is renowned as one of the greatest female songwriters of all time.
FOREVER MOTOWN (Concert) - May 10, 2025 at 5:00pm & 7:30pm. There will be Dancin’ in the streets as Forever Motown, a spectacular musical extravaganza celebrating the timeless hits of one of the most influential music labels in history, pays a return visit to The Surlight Theatre. Forever Motown is an unmissable event for any fan of soul, R&B, and pop music. The show features an ensemble of veteran musicians and vocalists, including Theo Peoples, the only artist to be a member of both The Temptations and The Four Tops, Glenn Leonard one of the only members from The Temptations who has Performed and recorded with The Original Temptations and Traci Robinson, former lead singer of The Marvelettes. This talented group will take you on a nostalgic journey through Motown’s greatest hits, delivering a powerful performance that will have you dancing and singing along. From Smokey Robinson to Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross to Stevie Wonder, The Temptations & The Four Tops .Forever Motown captures the essence and soul of the music that changed America.
Top Hat from May 29-June 14, 2025. Top Hat brings the glamour of Hollywood's golden age and the glorious, tap-dancing magic of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ world-famous dance partnership to the stage. This 2011 London West End musical, based on the 1935 film of the same name, tells the story of Broadway sensation Jerry Travers, who dances his way across Europe to win the heart of society girl Dale Tremont. An uplifting and entertaining romantic comedy celebrating 1930s song, style and romance, Top Hat features fourteen songs by Irving Berlin. These include some of his greatest hits, including “Cheek to Cheek,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz” and “Let's Face the Music and Dance.”. A real Song and Dance extravaganza and a United States Premiere!
9 to 5 The Musical from June 19-July 7, 2025. Featuring music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and book by Patricia Resnick, this is a high energy, jubilant show based on the seminal 1980 hit movie. Set in the late 1970s. this hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era is outrageous, thought-provoking and even a little romantic.
Pushed to the boiling point, three female coworkers concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss. In a hilarious turn of events, Violet, Judy and Doralee live out their wildest fantasy – giving their boss the boot! While Hart remains "otherwise engaged," the women give their workplace a dream makeover, taking control of the company that had always kept them down. Hey, a girl can scheme, can't she?
THE DUPREES (Concert) on July 14 at 5:00pm & 8:00pm. The tradition and sound that originally made the Duprees such a well-loved and successful group has echoed through time for more than 60 years. Tommy Petillo, Jimmy Spinelli and Shawn Stevens active today clearly show their dedication and passion for the type of music that started on a New Jersey street corner and grew to something both classic and ultimately timeless.
WINSLOW’S HOTEL CALIFORNIA CONCERT (Concert) on July 30th at 5:00pm & 8:00pm. Winslow Tribute Band celebrates the iconic American Band The Eagles. This powerhouse ensemble recreates the live performance of The Eagles and the signature sound that made them one of the most successful artists in the 70’s.
A passion for detail, Winslow ‘s multi-lead vocalists authentically capture the soaring 5-part harmonies, precise instrumentation, and stage showmanship as they perform The Eagles music catalog of greatest hits, deep cuts, as well as some of the solo work of Don Henley and Joe Walsh. From their outstanding emulation of the a cappella harmonies of “Seven Bridges Road” to the precision of dueling guitars in “Hotel California”, Winslow deliver a true “Eagles” concert experience you will not forget.
42nd Street from July 7-27, 2025. Come along and listen to the lullaby of Broadway! 42nd Street celebrates Broadway, Times Square and the magic of show biz with wit, humor and pizzazz. At the height of the Great Depression, aspiring chorus girl Peggy Sawyer comes to the big city from Allentown PA, and soon lands her first big job in the ensemble of a glitzy new Broadway show. But just before opening night, the leading lady breaks her ankle. Will Peggy be able to step in and become a star? The score is chock-full of Broadway standards, including "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me," "Dames," "We're In the Money," "Lullaby of Broadway," "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" and "Forty-Second Street."
MY BROADWAY – Concert by John D Smitherman on August 4 at 5:00pm & 8:00pm. John D. Smitherman (Surflight’s Emile DeBeque last season in South Pacific) brings his highly acclaimed concert here to Surflight in 2025. You will hear all of your Broadway favorites performed with a full orchestra, highlighting the many roles John has performed throughout his career. Songs from Jekyll & Hyde, South Pacific, Les Miserables, Man of La Mancha, Phantom of the Opera and many, many more! Also included are some of his favorite songs made famous by such artists as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Mario Lanza and Tom Jones.
West Side Story from July 29-August 17, 2025. From the first notes to the final breath, West Side Story is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of all time. Arthur Laurents' book remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The score by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim are widely regarded as among the best ever written. The world's greatest love story takes to the streets in this landmark Broadway musical that is one of the theatre's finest accomplishments. Exciting music and dancing to tell this poignant story.
Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story from August 19-September 7, 2025. Rock out with the one and only Buddy Holly! Transport yourself back to the 1950s with this show telling the story of Holly’s rise to fame, his struggles with the music industry, and his enduring legacy as one of the pioneers of rock and roll. This high-energy must-see show features all of Holly’s hits, including “Peggy Sue,” “That’ll Be the Day, and “Everyday.” It’s a heartwarming and inspiring tale that will have you leaving the theater with a smile on your face and a spring in your step. Before the Beatles, before the Stone, there was Buddy Holly. The birth of Rock and Roll.
THE EDWARDS TWINS MASTER IMPERSONATORS on August 25th 1:00pm & 6:00pm. Twin brothers Anthony and Eddie Edwards are the country’s premiere Celebrity Illusionists! Utilizing the latest Hollywood grade make up and prosthetics as well as the fashion designers of the stars themselves- the end result is a non-stop parade of stars on stage that are all at once AMAZING, FUNNY and ENTERTAINING. As one newspaper review noted “they bring such love and attention to recreating celebrities that in many ways it’s better than watching the real thing!”
Calendar Girls from September 10-21, 2025. When Annie's husband John dies of leukemia, she and best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade four fellow Women's Institute members to pose nude with them for an "alternative" calendar, with a little help from hospital porter and amateur photographer Lawrence. The news of the women's charitable venture spreads like wildfire, and hordes of press soon descend on the small village of Knapeley in the Yorkshire Dales. The calendar is a success, but Chris and Annie's friendship is put to the test under the strain of their newfound fame. Based on the true story of eleven WI members who posed nude for a calendar to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund,
On Golden Pond from September 24-October 5, 2025. This is the love story of Ethel and Norman Thayer, who are returning to their summer home on Golden Pond for the forty-eighth year. He is a retired professor, nearing eighty, with heart palpitations and a failing memory—but still as tart-tongued, observant, and eager for life as ever. Ethel, ten years younger, and the perfect foil for Norman, delights in all the small things that have enriched and continue to enrich their long life together. They are visited by their divorced, middle-aged daughter and her dentist fiancé, who then go off to Europe, leaving his teenage son behind for the summer. The boy quickly becomes the “grandchild” the elderly couple have longed for, and as Norman revels in taking his ward fishing and thrusting good books at him, he also learns some lessons about modern teenage awareness—and slang—in return. In the end, as the summer wanes, so does their brief idyll, and in the final, deeply moving moments of the play, Norman and Ethel are brought even closer together by the incidence of a mild heart attack. Time, they know, is now against them, but the years have been good and, perhaps, another summer on Golden Pond still awaits.
TRU – The Life and Times of Truman Capote from October 8-12, 2025. Don Stitt plays Truman Capote in this play adapted from the words and works of Truman Capote, Tru takes place in the writer's New York City apartment during the week before Christmas 1975. An excerpt from Capote's infamous novel Answered Prayers has recently been published in Esquire and the author's friends, recognizing the characters as thinly veiled versions of themselves, have turned their back on the man they once considered a close confidant. This is also the same novel that inspired the very popular FX/Hulu Series Feud: Capote vs the Swans.
Elf - The Musical from November 29-December 14, 2025. A title known the world over, Elf The Musical is a must-produce holiday musical that can easily become an annual tradition for any theatre. Based on the cherished 2003 New Line Cinema hit, Elf features songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar (The Wedding Singer) and Chad Beguelin (Disney's Aladdin on Broadway), with a book by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone).
This modern-day holiday classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner elf. After all, the best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear.
NEW YEARS EVE BUBBLY BASH with David Clark, The Music of Billy Joel (Concert) on December 31, 5:00 & 8:00pm. The ever popular David Clark returns to the Surflight Stage to welcome in the New Year with his smash hit concert of Billy Joel hits. Always a sell out; a real Surflight favorite.
Also this year will be the beloved Children’s Theatre shows playing Wednesdays-Sundays from June 26-Labor Day at 6:00pm. Shows include Snow White, Peter Pan, Little Mermaid among others and this year Spongebob Youth Edition. Specifically geared to ages 2-10, and 45 minutes to an hour long, these shows are often the first introduction to live theatre for children.
The mission of Ocean Professional Theatre Company, Inc. (dba Surflight Theatre) is to provide high quality professional live theatre to the vacationers of Long Beach Island and the residents of Southern New Jersey, while providing training to young theatre performers and technicians. Their goal is to engage, entertain and foster appreciation of live theatre for adults, teens and children and serve as a community resource.
Their Mainstage employs professionals and early career artists for Broadway style productions 7 months of the year. Their Musicals for Children provides entertainment for ages 2-10 to promote a lifelong interest in the performing arts. Their Musical Theatre Summer Programs allow students to explore the craft of acting, singing, dance and learn the discipline of performing as they develop their own unique creative voices.
