Independent Arts News Reporting Bucks County Playhouse’s “Hard Road to Heaven” - On Stage Now
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Pictured Above: Cast members of Hard Road to Heaven . Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.
Newsroom Post: NEW HOPE, PA
Bucks County Playhouse world premiere production of “Hard Road to Heaven will be on stage through March 23rd
New Hope, PA -Bucks County Playhouse released photos of its world premiere production of “Hard Road to Heaven,” which officially opens Saturday, March 8 and runs through March 23. A link to an assortment of photos by Joan Marcus can be found above.
“Hard Road to Heaven” is the first production in the Playhouse’s 2025 Season. Sponsored by Bank of America, the season includes five, self-produced original productions in the 2025 subscription series, and represents a calendar shift for the Playhouse as it becomes a year-round producing theater.
Nashville meets Broadway in the new country musical, “Hard Road To Heaven.” With songwriters from both the musical theatre and country music worlds, “Hard Road to Heaven” is a powerful new musical that explores the heart and soul of country music through the themes of fame, family, and faith. Jenny Dixon, the reigning queen of country, navigates the ups and downs of a superstar career and the gospel-singing family she left behind. With unforgettable songs and a gripping narrative, “Hard Road to Heaven” is a tale of ambition, sacrifice, and the unbreakable bonds of family.
Pictured Above: Cast members of Hard Road to Heaven . Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.
“Hard Road to Heaven” is produced by special arrangement with Gary and Joane Reamy and Cody Lassen.
“Hard Road to Heaven” features a book by Willy Holtzman (Pulitzer nominee for “Hearts”) and score by David Spangler (“The Magic Show,” “Seesaw”), the late Jerry Taylor (more than 150 of his songs recorded by such legends as Kenny Chesney, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, B.J. Thomas, Reba McEntire, Johnny Cash and more) and Marty Dodson (writer of Kenny Chesney’s “Everyone Wants to Go to Heaven” and Billy Currington’s “Must Be Doing Something Right.”) Christian Parker serves as dramaturg. The playhouse production features choreography by Brandon Kelly (Ogunquit Playhouse’s “Escape to Margaritaville”) and direction by Jackson Gay (Cleveland Playhouse’s “A Christmas Story”).
The cast includes Jackie Burns (Broadway’s “Wicked” and “Titanique” Off-Broadway) as Jenny Dixon, Leah Hocking (Broadway’s “The Last Ship,” “Billy Elliot”) as Linnell Dixon, Elizabeth Teeter (Broadway’s “Beetlejuice”) as Anna Grace Dixon, J. Robert Spencer (Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” and “Next to Normal”) as Hank Dixon, Bryan Fenkart (Broadway’s “Memphis”) as Jimmy Lee Stanley, Jerry Dixon (Broadway’s “Once on This Island” and “If/Then”) as Charlie Morgan, Nathaniel Hackmann (Broadway’s “Back to the Future”) as Kellin Wayne and Marcus Gladney Jr. (“Choir Boy” at Manhattan Theatre Club) as Marcus Dorsey.
Pictured Above: Cast members of Hard Road to Heaven . Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.
Rounding out the cast is Imani Brissett (Ball State University’s “Our Town”), Brad Greer (“The Big Gay Jamboree”), Alec Ludacka (“The Perfect Game”), Christopher McCrewell (National Tour of “The Prom”), Claire Neumann (Broadway’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”), Shannon Mullen (Broadway’s “Pretty Woman”) and Cecilia Trippiedi (National Tour of “Hadestown”).
The creative team includes Riw Rakkulchon (Set Design), Vanessa Leuck (Costume Design), Kirk Bookman (Lighting Design), Jeff Sherwood (Sound Design), J. Jared Janas (Hair/Wig Design), and Jacob Yates (Music Supervisor). Avery Trunko is the Production Stage Manager. Casting is by Daryl Eisenberg, CSA.
Tickets to “Hard Road to Heaven” start at $39. Student rush tickets of $20 are available for all performances (based on availability). “Hard Road to Heaven” will play the following schedule: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm, with matinees on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 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: Cast members of Hard Road to Heaven . Photo Credit: Contributed.
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.
