{"id":141865,"date":"2026-02-22T16:42:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T16:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/141865\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T16:42:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T16:42:07","slug":"history-meets-imagination-in-wagner-college-theatres-first-lady-suite-spotlighting-americas-first-ladies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/141865\/","title":{"rendered":"History meets imagination in Wagner College Theatre\u2019s \u2018First Lady Suite\u2019 spotlighting America\u2019s first ladies"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Wagner College Theatre will present \u201cFirst Lady Suite,\u201d the chamber musical by composer and librettist Michael John LaChiusa, in a limited run beginning March 5 at the college\u2019s Main Hall Theatre.<\/p>\n

Through four interconnected, non-linear vignettes, \u201cFirst Lady Suite\u201d explores the private lives of Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. <\/p>\n

Blending history with surreal theatricality, the musical examines identity, marriage, legacy and the complex nature of power held by women who stood at the center of public life without formal political authority.<\/p>\n

The production runs March 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14 at 8 p.m., with matinee performances March 7, 14 and 15 at 2 p.m. All performances will take place at Wagner College Theatre\u2019s Main Hall Theatre, One Campus Road. <\/p>\n

Tickets may be purchased online at wagner.edu\/performing-arts\/tickets, by calling 718-390-3259 or by emailing boxoffice@wagner.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Silive.com readers can receive a 10% discount on tickets using promo code SILive.<\/p>\n

Tickets range from $18 to $32, depending on performance date and seating location, and include a $2 service fee. <\/p>\n

\"(PhotoCast members rehearse a scene from \u201cFirst Lady Suite,\u201d presented by Wagner College Theatre in Stage One from March 5-15 in Staten Island, N.Y. (Photo by Sophia Smith)Wagner College Theatre<\/p>\n

The production is directed by Wagner College professor Theresa McCarthy, who previously starred in LaChiusa\u2019s companion work \u201cFirst Daughter Suite\u201d at The Public Theater in 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018First Lady Suite\u2019 presents a thrilling challenge for the creative team, especially for young artists eager to apply their singing and acting skills to contemporary musical theatre,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cIts ingenious and unconventional structure invites performers and audiences alike to engage with the emotional and psychological lives of these women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rarely undertaken at the collegiate level due to its musical and dramatic complexity, the production is part of Wagner College Theatre\u2019s season theme, \u201cPortraits of America: Lived, Seen, Heard,\u201d leading up to the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n

The show includes mature themes and racially charged language presented within historical context, including references to the Little Rock Crisis of 1957.<\/p>\n

\"(PhotoCast members rehearse a scene from \u201cFirst Lady Suite,\u201d presented by Wagner College Theatre in Stage One from March 5-15 in Staten Island, N.Y. (Photo by Sophia Smith)Wagner College Theatre<\/p>\n

The company features Madison Garcia, Julianne Donohue, Rare\u0219 Dam\u0219a, Harper Saxon, Vasilisa Zhidkova, Abigail Bernesky, Emma Mastoros, Leah Romero, Bella Jarecki, Lillian Azevedo, Violet Wiley, Lilly Daisey, Matthew Abatemarco, Ava Giglia, Maddie Maclellan and Sophie Watkins.<\/p>\n

Music direction is by Dr. Lauri Young. Scenic and lighting design supervision is by Vicki Neal, with lighting design by Selina Amargo, scenic design by Aiyana Torres, costume design by Ryan Ginter and sound design by Grace Oberhofer.<\/p>\n

Special initiatives include a Pay-What-You-Will rush performance March 12 beginning at 7 p.m., with a $10 minimum; live captioning for the March 14 and 15 matinees; and an understudy performance March 14 at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

The Wagner College Box Office is open noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before each performance. <\/p>\n

The box office can be reached at 718-390-3259 or by emailing boxoffice@wagner.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Visitors using GPS are advised to enter 631 Howard Ave., Staten Island, NY. Parking is available in the Tiers Lot Visitor Parking area and the Stadium Parking Lot.<\/p>\n

Wagner College Theatre has produced live performances on Staten Island for more than 50 years and has been ranked among the top collegiate theater programs in the country by The Princeton Review.<\/p>\n

\"(PhotoCast members rehearse a scene from \u201cFirst Lady Suite,\u201d presented by Wagner College Theatre in Stage One from March 5-15 in Staten Island, N.Y. (Photo by Sophia Smith)Wagner College Theatre<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Wagner College Theatre will present \u201cFirst Lady Suite,\u201d the chamber musical by composer and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141866,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-141865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}