On January 3, 1956, a line of limousines and a crowd of paparazzi jammed Main Highway for the theatrical debut of the Coconut Grove Playhouse’s U.S. premiere of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, starring Bert Lahr and Tom Ewell, directed by Alan Schneider.

In the four decades that have followed, the Playhouse has been home to many of theater’s most eminent artists, including Tallulah Bankhead, Maureen Stapleton, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Carol Channing, George C. Scott, Colleen Dewhurst, Ethel Merman, Liza Minnelli, Linda Lavin and Beatrice Arthur, to name a few.

In 1982, actor-director José Ferrer was named Artistic Director, and brought national prominence to the Coconut Grove Playhouse. Since 1985, José Ferrer’s successor, Arnold Mittelman, has been responsible for creating over 100 Mainstage, Encore Room Theater, and touring productions.

Among the Playhouse’s most celebrated works are the world premiere of Cy Coleman’s Let ‘Em Rot (later retitled Welcome to the Club) and The Big Love, starring Tracy Ullman, both of which transferred to Broadway as did productions of Tango Pasión, Run for Your Wife, and Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys, starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, presented in association with the National Actors Theater. Sherry Glaser’s Family Secrets moved to off-Broadway and became its longest running one woman show, and the Playhouse’s intimate musical Little by Little also went on to enjoy a New York engagement. The Playhouse presented the world premiere of Fame: The Musical, which earned great success in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and London’s West End, as well as the premiere of Bermuda Avenue Triangle, which moved on to Detroit, Los Angeles, off-Broadway, and South Africa. In recent years, the Playhouse premiered a popular revival of Death of a Salesman, starring Hal Holbrook and Tony Award-winning actress Elizabeth Franz, which went on to a 7 city tour across the United States.

The Playhouse has featured a diverse array of theater, including the spectacular world premiere musical, Don’t Stop the Carnival by Herman Wouk and Jimmy Buffet, and Visiting Mr. Green, starring Eli Wallach, now scheduled to premiere in South Africa following its successful productions off-Broadway and in regional theaters nationwide. Acclaimed Latin-themed productions include Mixed Blessings, conceived as part of the prestigious AT&T OnStage Program, and the stirring biographical account of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo Goodbye, My Friduchita, which has gone on to enjoy a successful production in New York. The American premiere of Tallulah, starring Kathleen Turner is currently touring major American cities on its way to its New York/Broadway engagement. And The Disputation, a gripping theological drama starring Theodore Bikel, featured special community dialogue sessions.

Highlights from this past season include the revival of the spectacular musical Finian’s Rainbow, which went straight to Cleveland from Miami. Appearing once again at the Playhouse, Theodore Bikel starred in The Gathering. The ever favorite Jean Stapleton portrayed Eleanor Roosevelt in Eleanor, Her Secret Journey.
 
The Coconut Grove Playhouse’s commitment to education is demonstrated in its broad range of programs for all ages. The In-School Touring Program, plays with messages targeted at students in grades six through twelve, and is seen by more than 75,000 youngsters each year. Lizard Lessons, original plays with music that explore such practical life themes as friendship and self-esteem in a delightful age-appropriate format, are performed for nearly 20,000 kindergarten through third grade children each year. Other educational programs offered by the Playhouse, include our Summer Theater Camp for teens and Theater Stages (classes offered throughout the season for children, teens, and adults) which explore various aspects of theater, including performance techniques, playwriting, costumes, make-up, scenery, as well as games and improvisations. Through educational programming, community outreach, and enlightening and entertaining theater, the Playhouse strives to speak to all members of a community defined by its diversity, while continuing the pursuit for artistic excellence which has garnered national recognition.

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