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Spanning musicals, plays, and comedy, from beloved, well-known shows to funny and reflective student creations, check out this round-up of campus theater productions running in Fall 2025!
“Merrily We Roll Along”
Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical comedy follows friends Frank (Kaylor G. Toronto ’27), Mary (Grace G. Hawkins ’28), and Charley (Bernardo de Moura Sequeira ’26) as they pursue their ambitions over the course of 20 years, moving in reverse chronological order from 1976 to 1957. As the friends’ failures unwind backwards into youthful hopes and dreams, and their destroyed relationships into meaningful friendships, the story reflects on the path to such loss. Directed by Ben L. C. Arthurs ’27, the energetic yet moving “Merrily We Roll Along” is the only musical this semester to take place on the professional-scale Proscenium stage.
“Merrily We Roll Along” runs at the Loeb Proscenium from Oct. 22 to Oct. 25.
“The Addams Family”
Hot on the heels of Season 2 of Netflix’s “Wednesday,” the theatrical adaptation of “The Addams Family” comes to Harvard under the direction of Riley B. F. Jackson ’27 and Mia E. Schenenga ’27. The musical comedy centers on a macabre-loving family whose daughter, Wednesday (Lexi L. Sexton ’29), falls in love with a decidedly normal boy. Running during Harvard’s Family Weekend, “The Addams Family” is a family-friendly show perfect for visiting parents and siblings.
“The Addams Family” runs at the Agassiz Theatre from Oct. 22 to Oct. 26.
“The Scottish Improv Show”
An improvised take on Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” to add to your pre-Halloweekend plans, “The Scottish Improv Show” is a spot of comedy in a season that otherwise comprises musicals and plays. Directors Katie A. Silverman ’27 and Jack T. Flynn ’26 also lead Harvard’s Three Letter Acronym — fans of the improv troupe may know what to (not) expect.
“The Scottish Improv Show” runs at the Loeb Ex from Oct. 24 to Oct. 25.
“The Pirates of Penzance”
Set sail this semester with Gilbert and Sullivan’s popular 1879 comic opera, put on, of course, by the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players. “The Pirates of Penzance” narrates the comedic and romantic mishaps of Frederic (Henry D. Pahlow ’28), a young man who is released from his apprenticeship to a band of sympathetic pirates on his 21st birthday. You might have heard of “The Pirates of Penzance” from its 2025 Broadway reimagining “Pirates! The Penzance Musical” or its iconic “Major-General’s Song,” which was parodied by Minions in “Despicable Me 3.”
“The Pirates of Penzance” runs at the Agassiz Theatre from Nov. 12 to Nov. 16.
“Get a Clue”
An original murder mystery comedy set in 1920s New York City, “Get a Clue” features five colorful suspects and the detective working to solve the mystery that binds them together. “Get a Clue” is the second musical by writer-director Olivia F. Data ’26 and composer Preston C. Bushnell ’26, the duo behind Fall 2024’s “Spurned: A Wild West Tale of Love, Revenge, and Assless Chaps.” Laughs and intrigue will surely abound.
“Get a Clue” runs at the Loeb Ex from Nov. 13 to Nov. 16.
“City of Peace”
Inspired by the gothic works of 19th-century author Nikolai Gogol, “City of Peace” is an original operetta written by Paul Palmer ’26 and composed by Christian Liu ’26. A journey of two friends through the Ukrainian countryside is interrupted by terrifying demonic forces, opening up ruminations on evil, its grip on all of us, and the world which contains it. Palmer and Liu previously collaborated on 2023’s First-Year Musical, the Classics-inspired comedy “Post Mortem.”
“City of Peace” runs at the Agassiz Theatre from Dec. 4 to Dec. 7.
“The Glass Menagerie”
The 1944 play that propelled Tennessee Williams to national fame, “The Glass Menagerie” is narrated by the trapped aspiring poet Tom (Theodore R.W. Ansell ’29), whose histrionic mother Amanda (Kathleen Benson ’26) pushes his timid, disabled sister Laura (Ashley L. Miller ’29) towards a delusion of marriage. As a “memory play,” it pushed the boundaries of realism in theatrical storytelling — Harvard’s production, directed by Texaco U.M. Texeira-Ramos ’26, aims to hone in on the theme of intergenerational memories as well as the influence of 20th-century digitalization.
“The Glass Menagerie” runs at the Loeb Ex from Dec. 4 to Dec. 7.
—Staff writer Isabelle A. Lu can be reached at isabelle.lu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @IsabelleALu.
