Independent Arts News Reporting Bucks County Playhouse Releases Production Photos from "Leader of the Pack"
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Pictured Above: Cast members of “Leader of the Pack. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.
Newsroom Post: NEW HOPE, PA
A high-octane, bio-musical about songwriter Ellie Greenwich, “Leader of the Pack” runs through July 20
New Hope, PA -Bucks County Playhouse has released new production photos of its high-energy production of the musical “Leader of the Pack: The Ellie Greenwich Musical.” The show celebrates the life and legacy of pop music icon Ellie Greenwich.
This Broadway musical traces the rise of Greenwich, whose doo-wop inspired sound helped define the girl-group era of the 1960s. Recognized as one of the first modern biographical rock musicals built around an artist’s own catalog, “Leader of the Pack: The Ellie Greenwich Musical” premiered on Broadway in 1984. The original production featured Greenwich herself alongside fellow rock legends Annie Golden and Darlene Love, all portraying versions of themselves.
Pictured Above: (L-R) Kyra Kennedy as Ellie Greenwich with cast members of “Leader of the Pack. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.
The show features a book by Anne Beatts and music and lyrics by Ellie Greenwich and friends, based on an original concept by Melanie Mintz. Audiences can expect a vibrant, dance-filled Broadway musical that highlights chart-topping hits such as “Be My Baby,” “Chapel of Love,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “River Deep, Mountain High,” and the title song, “Leader of the Pack.
Pictured Above: The cast of“Leader of the Pack: The Ellie Greenwich Musical.” Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.
Performances continue until Sunday, July 20. Directed and choreographed by Shea Sullivan, the cast of “Leader of the Pack” features Kyra Kennedy (“Teeth: The Musical”) as Ellie Greenwich, Galyana Castillo (Broadway’s “Sweeney Todd”) as Darlene Love, Giuliana Augello (BCP’s “The Bridges of Madison County” and “Grease”) as Annie Golden, Michael Evan Williams (“Titanique”) as Jeff Barry, Danny Rutigliano (BCP’s “Last of the Red Hot Mamas”) as Gus Sharkey, and Jenny Lee Stern (Broadway’s “Rocky”) as Rosie/Lounge Singer. Sy Chounchaisit (BCP’s “Mamma Mia!”) is Pattie, and LaRaisha DiEvelyn Dionne (City Stage Theater’s “Brooklyn: The Musical) is Jasmine Guy. The ensemble includes David Nick Alea (BCP’s “Grease”), DeShawn Travis Bowens (BCP’s “The Apple Boys”), Halley Daigle-Saez (Florida Rep’s “Beguiled Again?), Elena Doyno (NCL’s “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”), Sofia Douvikas (Greasepaint Theater’s “Heathers”), Fabi Gallmeister (National Tour of “Escape To Margaritaville”), Fiona Claire Huber (National Tour of “An American in Paris”), John Michael Peterson (Arizona Theatre’s “Scrooge: The Musical”), Lexie Plath (National Tour of “The Prom”), Ethan Eisaiah Rualo (IAMT’s “A Chorus Line”) and Elizabeth Yanick (National Tour of “Chicago”).
“Leader of the Pack” is the third production of Bucks County Playhouse’s 2025 Season, which is sponsored by Bank of America. The Opening Night sponsor is The Logan Inn.
Pictured Above: Galyana Castillo as Darlene Love with the cast of “Leader of the Pack: The Ellie Greenwich Musical.” Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.
“Leader of the Pack” plays the following schedule: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm with matinees on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 pm. Special performance on July 4 at 1:30 pm. Tickets may be purchased now via the Bucks County Playhouse box office by calling (215) 862-2121, or online at BucksCountyPlayhouse.org.
Pictured Above: LaRaisha DiEvelyn Dionne, Giuliana Augello (as Annie Golden) and Lexie Plath in “Leader of the Pack. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.
ABOUT BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE
Steeped in a theatrical history that stems back to its founding in 1939 by a roster of theatrical royalty, Bucks County Playhouse is celebrating the twelfth anniversary of its 2012 re-opening and restoration. With more than 75,000 patrons walking through its doors every year, the Playhouse is leading the economic resurgence of New Hope and the surrounding community. In 2014, Tony Award-winning producers Alexander Fraser, Robyn Goodman and Josh Fiedler took the helm of the Playhouse, and it has reclaimed its reputation of attracting Broadway and Hollywood artists. Playhouse productions of “Company” starring Justin Guarini, and William Finn’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” were named by Wall Street Journal to its “Best of Theatre” list for 2015. In 2018, the Wall Street Journal again hailed the Playhouse and Artistic Associate Hunter Foster in its Best of the Year listings for its production of “42nd Street” and in 2019 labeled the Playhouse “one of the best regional theaters on the East coast.” Box office records have been repeatedly broken by signature productions of “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” “Steel Magnolias” directed by Marsha Mason, “Million Dollar Quartet,” “42nd Street,” and “Guys & Dolls” (all directed by Hunter Foster) and “Mamma Mia!” directed by John Tartaglia and choreographed by Shannon Lewis. The 2023 season was the brightest yet, featuring hit productions of Jonathan Larsen’s “Tick, Tick Boom” directed by Eric Rosen, “Bridges of Madison County” directed by Hunter Foster, who also led “The Rocky Horror Show” starring Frankie Grande. “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas” became the top-selling show in Playhouse history. In 2024, more than 40% of the audience was new — flocking to record-breaking productions of “Grease!” and “Anastasia: The Musical.” The creative teams who come to create new productions at the Playhouse are among the most talented artists working in the professional theatre today and relish the opportunity to work on the historic stage where Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, and Jessica Walter began their careers.
