Independent Arts News Reporting Arden Theatre Company Launches 2025/26 Season With Tony Award-Winning Musical Falsettos
Reported on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
Pictured Above: Ari Axelrod, Joey Caroto, Will Stephan Connell. Photo Credit: Contributed.
NEWSROOM POST: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
This heartfelt and hilarious production opens September 25
Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia-based Arden Theatre Company (40 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19106) is thrilled to open its 2025/26 season with the Tony Award-winning musical Falsettos. Directed by Kevin Glaccum, Falsettos is a poignant and deeply human story about love, family, and the beautifully unconventional ways we choose to define them. The Arden’s production of William Finn and James Lapine’s beloved musical comes to life on the F. Otto Haas Stage with previews beginning September 25, opening night on October 4, and runs through October 26.
Falsettos, told entirely through William Finn’s brilliant music and lyrics, tells the story of Marvin (Steve Pacek), navigating life after leaving his wife, Trina (Katherine Fried), and son, Jason (Joey Caroto), to be with his lover, Whizzer (Will Stephan Connell). Set in the early 80s, the play explores the humor, heartbreak, and complexity of finding connection in a world shadowed by the emerging AIDS crisis. Audiences will get introduced to other characters like Cordelia (Jessica Money), Mendel (Ari Axelrod), and Dr. Charlotte (Jessica Johnson), who, amidst the chaos, form new bonds and redefine what family can be.
“Falsettos is ultimately about love: who we love, how we love, and how we build our families,” says director Kevin Glaccum. “There’s no single right way to make a family, and in times of upheaval, it’s often our chosen families who hold us together. This story embraces the messy, complicated, and beautiful truth of that.”
The dynamic cast features familiar and new faces to Arden audiences, including Ari Axelrod (Mendel), a New York City-based actor making his Arden debut. Axelrod has appeared in productions at St. James Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Northshore Music Theatre, and The Lexington Theatre Company. His multi-award-winning show, A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway, has been performed for audiences around the world, including historic venues such as Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, CT, Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY, along with the Birdland Jazz Club and 54 Below in New York, NY.
Pictured Above: Jessica Money, Steve Pacek, Kevin Glaccum. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Joey Caroto (Jason) is making his Arden debut. Caroto’s regional work includes performances at Walnut Street Theatre in Elf (Michael Hobbs) and Elvis: A Musical Revolution (Kid Elvis). Caroto is a rising 8th grader and recently celebrated his own Bar Mitzvah this past May, making his role in Falsettos especially personal.
Will Stephan Connell (Whizzer) is a Philadelphia-based actor and singer making his Arden debut. Regionally, he has appeared in roles at Walnut Street Theatre, Delaware Theatre Company, Quintessence Theatre Group, Fulton Theatre, and Bristol Riverside Theatre.
Katherine Fried (Trina) is a musician, composer, performing artist, and poet well-known to Arden audiences for her roles in RENT (Maureen Johnson), Assassins (Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme), Into the Woods (The Baker’s Wife), Once (Girl), and A Streetcar Named Desire (Eunice Hubbell). Fried’s regional work includes roles at Theater Latté Da, Guthrie Theater, and the Fulton Theatre.
Jessica Johnson (Dr. Charlotte) has previously appeared at the Arden in Intimate Apparel which earned her a Barrymore Award nomination for her role as Mayme, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive (Chris), Once on This Island (Papa Ge), Ragtime (Sarah’s friend), and The Legend of Georgia McBride (Jo). Johnson’s regional work includes roles at Walnut Street Theatre, People’s Light, Gretna Theatre, and Theatre Horizon in Norristown, PA, for which she won the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical as Celie in The Color Purple.
Jessica Money (Cordelia), a graduate of Temple University’s musical theatre and acting programs, has performed numerous times at the Arden in Peter Pan (Jane Darling and others), The BFG (Sophie), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Olive Ostrovsky), and School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Mercy). Money’s regional work includes starring in roles at People’s Light, Theatre Horizon, Duluth Playhouse, and New Light Theatre.
Steve Pacek (Marvin) most recently directed RENT, the Arden’s best-selling show in its 37-year history. Pacek has also appeared in the Arden’s Assassins (Charles Guiteau), Ragtime (Choreographer), Once (Choreographer), The Light Princess (Director), and William Finn’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (William Barfée). Regionally, he has appeared and directed in productions at Theatre Horizon, Delaware Theatre Company, and 11th Hour Theatre Company.
Pictured Above: Jessica Johnson, Katherine Fried. Photo Credit: Contributed.
The production design team includes Tom Shotkin (Stage Manager), Gina Giachero (Music Director), Daniel Espie (Assistant Music Director), Billy Bustamante (Choreographer), Anna DeBlasio (Assistant Director), James Kronzer (Scenic Designer), Jeremy W. Foil (Associate Set Designer), Jorge Arroyo (Lighting Designer), Leigh Paradise (Costume Designer), and Damien Figueras (Sound Designer).
Falsettos begins previews September 25, opens Saturday, October 4, and runs through October 26. Single ticket prices vary by performance and start at $37. Tickets are available online at ardentheatre.org, by phone at 215.922.1122, or at the box office at Arden Theatre Company (40 N. 2nd Street).
Special events and performances for Falsettos include:
Pay-What-You-Choose Night with Mazzoni Center I Wednesday, September 24, at 7 pm Join us for the final dress rehearsal performance with a pre-show reception including food and refreshments. All proceeds benefit Mazzoni Center’s programming.
Post-Show Talkback| Sunday, October 12, at 2 pm and Thursday, October 23, at 7 pm Join a member of Arden’s artist team for post-show talkbacks.
Teen Night | Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 7 pm
$15 tickets and a post-show talkback for teens 13 – 18 years old. Click here to purchase tickets.
Young Friends Night! | Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 7 pm
Use code: YFARDEN for $30 tickets (Arden Young Friends is designed for audience members 40 and under and includes a pre-show networking event). Click here to purchase tickets.
Smart Caption Glasses | Starting Tuesday, October 7, 2024
Wearable, customizable Closed Captioning Glasses are available to reserve for performances. Click here to learn more.
Accessibility
The Arden is fully accessible to people with special needs and named a Keystone of Accessibility by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Resources available for families include assistive listening devices, sensory processing tools, smart caption glasses, large print programs and more. Check out all of our offerings here.
About Arden Theatre Company
Arden Theatre Company, founded in 1988, is a professional theatre company in Old City, dedicated to bringing to life great stories by great storytellers on the stage, in the classroom, and in the community. To date, the Arden has produced 46 World Premieres. The Arden has developed four distinct educational programs: Arden for All, our in-school arts education program for elementary level students; Arden Drama School, our on-site, tuition-based theatre classes for pre-K through 12th-grade students; Teen Arden, our theatre enrichment program for high school students; and the Arden Professional Apprentice program, a rigorous training program for young theatre professionals.
