Inside the Opening of Beaches on Broadway: Cast and Creators Share Emotional Stories
Kelli Barrett, Jessica Vosk and author Iris Rainer Dart reflect on friendship, firsts and the moving new adaptation
What to Know
- Beaches has officially opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre, starring Jessica Vosk and Kelli Barrett in the musical adaptation of Iris Rainer Dart’s novel
- On the opening night red carpet, Vosk, Barrett and the cast discuss the show’s focus on forever friendship
- The musical follows a decades-long friendship between Cee Cee Bloom and Bertie White, a central theme that continues to shape audience reactions
The musical adaptation of Beaches has officially opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre, telling Iris Rainer Dart’s beloved story of friendship in song-and-dance form. Broadway.com hit the red carpet to chat with the stars and creative team about the em-ocean-al new production.
“I have four best girlfriends that I've had since I was 15. They have seen me through literally everything, and I've seen them through theirs, and I just wouldn't be alive without them,” says Kelli Barrett, who plays one-half of the central duo, Bertie White. “So a story that honors friendship and the importance of friendship is one that I have to tell. There's nothing about this show that I have to pretend when I'm on that stage.”
For Jessica Vosk, who plays the performer Cee Cee Bloom, Beaches marks a career milestone, as this is the first time she’s originating a role on Broadway. “I sit in a cloud of like, ‘Oh, my God, I get to do this?’ There's a lot of gratitude for audiences who have been coming over the past couple of weeks and just sitting in every emotion of this show because it really takes you on [a] rollercoaster.”
Speaking on the themes of the show, Zeya Grace, who plays Little Bertie, says, “It's about how you can keep a friend forever. That’s really special because that's how I feel about my friends, how Cee Cee and Bertie feel.”
“Groups of friends come and they say about each other, ‘She's my Beaches,’ meaning what one lacks, the other makes up for,” says Rainer Dart, who adapted her novel for the stage as librettist and co-lyricist. “It's about wonderful, warm friendship, and we're ready at this period of time in our history to connect.”
Because of the subject matter, the show has attracted pairs of friends who want to commemorate their longstanding connection with one another. One duo had a particular effect on Barrett. “There was a pair of women who came to the show last week. The one who bought the tickets for the other one was dying of terminal cancer and she bought the ticket for her best friend who had never seen a Broadway show. I came out and met them because I had to meet them when I heard their story, and she said, 'I brought her here because not only do I love Broadway, but I think this will help heal her when I'm gone.'"
Get tickets to Beaches!
