November 23, 2025 • 12 mins
We spoke with Dan McMahon, Goodspeed Musicals’ Director of Marketing, about the heartwarming holiday show, White Christmas, and upcoming shows in the 2026 season.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Alison de Murz. My guest today is Dan McMahon. He
is director of Marketing at the Good Speed.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good Morning, Good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
How are you this morning?
Speaker 1 (00:11):
I'm great, Thank you for being here, appreciate it pleased
to be. For those who don't know about the Good Speed.
Where is it located.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
We are in East Adam, which is basically the center
of the state.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
And what is the Good Speed's history? How did it
come about?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Well, you know, we are Good Speed Musicals and we
operate in the Good Speed Opera House, which was built
in eighteen seventy six as a shipping terminal and over
the years it fell into disrepair. But then in the
late fifties and early sixties the building was restored and
turned into what we know now as the Good Speeder
(00:54):
with the theater and the lobbies and et cetera. And
over the years, in the last sixty years, we've spent
twenty one shows to Broadway and won a couple of
Tony Awards and have created a whole campus dedicated to
producing musical theater.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And it's absolutely beautiful, you know.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
It really is. We talk about the Good Speed experience
because when you come to good speed, you know it's
in a rural area and most people come driving across
the East Adam Swing Bridge across the Connecticut River, and
the building is a big old Victorian white wedding cake
looking building right on the banks of the river. And
(01:32):
as you come across that bridge, it's like, wow, this
is really a special place, and it feels the same
when you come in too.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Yes, right now you have a heartwarming holiday show for
the whole family going on, and then we're going to
talk about the twenty twenty sixth season. But first let's
talk about White Christmas.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
White Christmas. So I think there are very few people
who don't know the movie, but it's you know, an
old movie with Bing Crosby and Danny k that that
there's now a stage musical of it, and it's you know,
it's really such a great musical for the whole family,
starting with you know, the songs that people know. I
(02:13):
mean the song White Christmas obviously came from there, but sisters,
and there are so many other songs that people know
and enjoy, and this is really it's just a heartwarming
show full of dance numbers. Your eyes will pop at
the tap dancing, and I don't know how the dancers
are doing it because there's so much dance, big fun
numbers and you know, and in the end, it's just
(02:36):
like a big warm Christmas hug.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Oh that's so nice. If I were there, you would
have to warn me, please do not sing out loud.
It wouldn't be the only one because you want to
sing along.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Right. There is a point I will spoiler alert that
they do ask the audience to sing along.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Oh that's so great.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Yeah, what are the costumes in the stage?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Like, oh, well, you know, the stage is set kind
of like a barn because there's the show in the
movie takes place in the barn, and the costumes are
you know that they're that time period of the fifties.
But you know, the dresses, some of the dresses are
just exquisite. And then you know the end when they're
(03:23):
singing White Christmas. You know, you see them in the
long like red tapes with the white trim, the Santa
Claus looking kind of gowns and suits and it's really
it's everything you'd expect from White Christmas. You know. The
stets is pretty simple, so they can use it for dancing,
but you'll feel like you're at the at the Inn
(03:44):
up in Vermont or in New York as the Ed
Sullivan Show and all the great places that happen in
the show.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Oh, it sounds so beautiful. What is your favorite part
of the show.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Oh, oh, that's a tough one. I think the end
of the first act is a song called Blue Sky,
and it was there was just a few bars. There
were just a few bars of it in the movie,
but they've expanded it to the full song and it
is this pamp dance number that you can feel the
(04:19):
wall shake and it's really great. It's a great way
to send out for intermission.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
And what do you hope people take away with them
when the show is over?
Speaker 3 (04:28):
You know, I think it's the idea that most people
are coming with their spouse or their family and their friends,
and you know, right now Thanksgiving is just coming this week.
It's getting ready for the holiday spirit and feeling that
holiday spirit for more than just a couple of days.
We can now, you know, kick it off now and
feel it all the way through the end of the year.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
You know, you're not completely sold out yet, but in
case it does get kind of packed do you have
some tips what people should do to get some seats.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yeah, thanks for bringing it up, because the show is
selling like hotcake and we've heard people are saying, oh,
we can't get tickets. Well, the best thing to do
is check last minute, you know, the day of or
a couple of days before, because sometimes people will turn
back their tickets or other tickets are released. Also, you
(05:17):
can usually get singles. You know, it's at that point
where a show is really popular. But you know, if
you don't have to sit next to your friends, you
can go together and sit apart but still see the
show and enjoying each other at intermission. Evening shows have
more tickets generally than the that ames and you know,
and we want to make sure to let everyone know.
(05:38):
Please be aware of ticket resellers because if you just
go to google them but good Speed tickets, there are
other websites not connected to us, and they don't have
tickets and they'll take your money and they're asking for
hundreds and hundreds of dollars. So please make sure you're
at Goodspeed dot org or call our box office because
we hate to see that happen. People show up and
(06:00):
we don have tickets for them, so please just go
to good Speed dot org.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Absolutely White Christmas is at good Speed now through December
twenty eighth. Again, go to goodspeed dot org to get
your tickets. Let's talk about the twenty twenty sixth season.
What are we starting with.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Oh, it's going to be a great season. So we'll
open in the spegiest Christ Superstar, which, believe it or not,
we believe it's over fifty years old. It's a big
musical from the seventies from Andrew Lloyd Webber. So I
think a lot of people can hear that opening song
of Jesus Christ Superstar. I won't sting it for.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
You, not at all. Do it? Do it? Do it?
Speaker 3 (06:41):
No? No, It'll be a great start to kick off
the seasons again in April.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah, because Easter.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
It's like the perfect time to have that, right, right,
that's a beautiful show. I'm actually an ordained minister and I.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Just love Jesus.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
When I see that show and I hear Mary mad
Dylan singing, I don't know how to love him.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Oh my gosh, it's so good.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah, I know, it gives me chills about it. We
go from that to a huge Gershwin show called I'm
Crazy for You, And you know, this is your your
musical comedy extravaganza, boy meets Girl, boy Phone from Love,
(07:24):
that whole kind of show with huge tap dance numbers
and Gershwin songs that that everyone knows, you know, I
got rhythm and embraceable you and someone to watch over me,
and so it's really just you know, it's one of
those shows you want to see and and just really
feel good and walk out happy.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Love those songs.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Yeah, I know another one we want to sing along with. Yeah,
they're all just in our heads, like you know what,
I didn't play these songs on the record or here
I'm on the radio, right, They've been around. So we
go from that to a world premiere musical called The
snow Goose, which is based on a novella, a short
(08:10):
book by Paul Gallico, and it's a beautiful story set
on the coast of England about a man who's kind
of shunned from society and lived near the lighthouse and
he and this young girl from the town nurse a
snow goose that had been shot. It's a low This
is during World War One and through helping the geese,
(08:33):
they become friends and help each other. And it's really
just a beautiful heart warning story and being told in
a really creative way with this kind of puppet for
the goose that was just extraordinary. So it's really something
that I think people will enjoy.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Oh my goodness, I read about this and I live
on a lake with geese, and I'm like Pavlov's dog
or Pavlov's bell. When I walk out there with the
geese food, they all come around me.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
They don't hiss. They sure I have to see this production.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Yeah, it's it really is. It's going to be, you know,
really kind of different in ground baking and something people
will really I think enjoy. The Bigspeed commissioned. We've never
done this before where we actually commissioned the writers and said, please,
let's write this musical. And I've been working on it
for a couple of years now. Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
And then finally we have.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
The fiftieth anniversary of Annie. And for anyone who doesn't know,
Annie had its ruld premiere fifty years ago on the
Good Speed stage.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
And so have we not done the show Annie as
a musical would never have happened.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Holy? Wow.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Yeah, So like that's the legacy of good Speed doing
new musical so snow Goos maybe like that someday too,
we hope. But for Annie to come back home that show.
The show is, you know, obviously, but on Broadway for
multiple iterations, several movies, TVs, live TV presentations. It's been
done around the world and now Annie will will real
(10:13):
be the fiftieth anniversary celebration for Annie.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
I studied voice and Andrew mcgartel was the first Annie,
and that she did it for me.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
That was it.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
My parents got me in Oregon. I sat down, I
didn't even know how to play it, and the next
thing you know, I was singing maybe and NYC.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Oh my goodness. It's so exciting.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Yeah. Yeah, it's going to be a big, a really
exciting production. Because I'm hearing from people saying, you know,
I was there at Goods people when this happened. I
can't wait to come back and see it, and others
who want to introduce their children to it, and others
who knew it as a child and want to come
back and an adult. It's really it's this. We're going to
(10:54):
be in the same situation with Annie like we are
with White Christmas right now, where it's going to be
really hard to get a ticket.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
How can people get ticket packages if they'd like to
maybe advanced?
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yeah, job right now, we are selling subscriptions for next
year to our members, so you can if you are
a member grade if you're not, you can easily become
a member. Because tickets don't go and sale to the
public until February. So the best thing to do to
make sure you can you have seats and good seats
(11:26):
for all the shows is to subscribe. Now.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
You just made my day. I'm in the best mood ever.
I just got so excited like I would over chocolate.
I'm speaking with Dan McMahon, director of marketing at the
good Speed Again. White Christmas is a good Speed now
through December twenty eighth, and then their twenty twenty six
season kicks off in April with Jesus Christ Superstar. Get
(11:50):
your subscriptions now or get tickets to see the show
at Goodspeed dot org. Thank you so much for being
here today.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Oh thank you for having me. I really enjoy talking
with you.
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Alison de Murz. My guest today is Dan McMahon. He
is director of Marketing at the Good Speed.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good Morning, Good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
How are you this morning?
Speaker 1 (00:11):
I'm great, Thank you for being here, appreciate it pleased
to be. For those who don't know about the Good Speed.
Where is it located.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
We are in East Adam, which is basically the center
of the state.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
And what is the Good Speed's history? How did it
come about?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Well, you know, we are Good Speed Musicals and we
operate in the Good Speed Opera House, which was built
in eighteen seventy six as a shipping terminal and over
the years it fell into disrepair. But then in the
late fifties and early sixties the building was restored and
turned into what we know now as the Good Speeder
(00:54):
with the theater and the lobbies and et cetera. And
over the years, in the last sixty years, we've spent
twenty one shows to Broadway and won a couple of
Tony Awards and have created a whole campus dedicated to
producing musical theater.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And it's absolutely beautiful, you know.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
It really is. We talk about the Good Speed experience
because when you come to good speed, you know it's
in a rural area and most people come driving across
the East Adam Swing Bridge across the Connecticut River, and
the building is a big old Victorian white wedding cake
looking building right on the banks of the river. And
(01:32):
as you come across that bridge, it's like, wow, this
is really a special place, and it feels the same
when you come in too.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Yes, right now you have a heartwarming holiday show for
the whole family going on, and then we're going to
talk about the twenty twenty sixth season. But first let's
talk about White Christmas.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
White Christmas. So I think there are very few people
who don't know the movie, but it's you know, an
old movie with Bing Crosby and Danny k that that
there's now a stage musical of it, and it's you know,
it's really such a great musical for the whole family,
starting with you know, the songs that people know. I
(02:13):
mean the song White Christmas obviously came from there, but sisters,
and there are so many other songs that people know
and enjoy, and this is really it's just a heartwarming
show full of dance numbers. Your eyes will pop at
the tap dancing, and I don't know how the dancers
are doing it because there's so much dance, big fun
numbers and you know, and in the end, it's just
(02:36):
like a big warm Christmas hug.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Oh that's so nice. If I were there, you would
have to warn me, please do not sing out loud.
It wouldn't be the only one because you want to
sing along.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Right. There is a point I will spoiler alert that
they do ask the audience to sing along.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Oh that's so great.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Yeah, what are the costumes in the stage?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Like, oh, well, you know, the stage is set kind
of like a barn because there's the show in the
movie takes place in the barn, and the costumes are
you know that they're that time period of the fifties.
But you know, the dresses, some of the dresses are
just exquisite. And then you know the end when they're
(03:23):
singing White Christmas. You know, you see them in the
long like red tapes with the white trim, the Santa
Claus looking kind of gowns and suits and it's really
it's everything you'd expect from White Christmas. You know. The
stets is pretty simple, so they can use it for dancing,
but you'll feel like you're at the at the Inn
(03:44):
up in Vermont or in New York as the Ed
Sullivan Show and all the great places that happen in
the show.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Oh, it sounds so beautiful. What is your favorite part
of the show.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Oh, oh, that's a tough one. I think the end
of the first act is a song called Blue Sky,
and it was there was just a few bars. There
were just a few bars of it in the movie,
but they've expanded it to the full song and it
is this pamp dance number that you can feel the
(04:19):
wall shake and it's really great. It's a great way
to send out for intermission.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
And what do you hope people take away with them
when the show is over?
Speaker 3 (04:28):
You know, I think it's the idea that most people
are coming with their spouse or their family and their friends,
and you know, right now Thanksgiving is just coming this week.
It's getting ready for the holiday spirit and feeling that
holiday spirit for more than just a couple of days.
We can now, you know, kick it off now and
feel it all the way through the end of the year.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
You know, you're not completely sold out yet, but in
case it does get kind of packed do you have
some tips what people should do to get some seats.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yeah, thanks for bringing it up, because the show is
selling like hotcake and we've heard people are saying, oh,
we can't get tickets. Well, the best thing to do
is check last minute, you know, the day of or
a couple of days before, because sometimes people will turn
back their tickets or other tickets are released. Also, you
(05:17):
can usually get singles. You know, it's at that point
where a show is really popular. But you know, if
you don't have to sit next to your friends, you
can go together and sit apart but still see the
show and enjoying each other at intermission. Evening shows have
more tickets generally than the that ames and you know,
and we want to make sure to let everyone know.
(05:38):
Please be aware of ticket resellers because if you just
go to google them but good Speed tickets, there are
other websites not connected to us, and they don't have
tickets and they'll take your money and they're asking for
hundreds and hundreds of dollars. So please make sure you're
at Goodspeed dot org or call our box office because
we hate to see that happen. People show up and
(06:00):
we don have tickets for them, so please just go
to good Speed dot org.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Absolutely White Christmas is at good Speed now through December
twenty eighth. Again, go to goodspeed dot org to get
your tickets. Let's talk about the twenty twenty sixth season.
What are we starting with.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Oh, it's going to be a great season. So we'll
open in the spegiest Christ Superstar, which, believe it or not,
we believe it's over fifty years old. It's a big
musical from the seventies from Andrew Lloyd Webber. So I
think a lot of people can hear that opening song
of Jesus Christ Superstar. I won't sting it for.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
You, not at all. Do it? Do it? Do it?
Speaker 3 (06:41):
No? No, It'll be a great start to kick off
the seasons again in April.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah, because Easter.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
It's like the perfect time to have that, right, right,
that's a beautiful show. I'm actually an ordained minister and I.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Just love Jesus.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
When I see that show and I hear Mary mad
Dylan singing, I don't know how to love him.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Oh my gosh, it's so good.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah, I know, it gives me chills about it. We
go from that to a huge Gershwin show called I'm
Crazy for You, And you know, this is your your
musical comedy extravaganza, boy meets Girl, boy Phone from Love,
(07:24):
that whole kind of show with huge tap dance numbers
and Gershwin songs that that everyone knows, you know, I
got rhythm and embraceable you and someone to watch over me,
and so it's really just you know, it's one of
those shows you want to see and and just really
feel good and walk out happy.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Love those songs.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Yeah, I know another one we want to sing along with. Yeah,
they're all just in our heads, like you know what,
I didn't play these songs on the record or here
I'm on the radio, right, They've been around. So we
go from that to a world premiere musical called The
snow Goose, which is based on a novella, a short
(08:10):
book by Paul Gallico, and it's a beautiful story set
on the coast of England about a man who's kind
of shunned from society and lived near the lighthouse and
he and this young girl from the town nurse a
snow goose that had been shot. It's a low This
is during World War One and through helping the geese,
(08:33):
they become friends and help each other. And it's really
just a beautiful heart warning story and being told in
a really creative way with this kind of puppet for
the goose that was just extraordinary. So it's really something
that I think people will enjoy.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Oh my goodness, I read about this and I live
on a lake with geese, and I'm like Pavlov's dog
or Pavlov's bell. When I walk out there with the
geese food, they all come around me.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
They don't hiss. They sure I have to see this production.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Yeah, it's it really is. It's going to be, you know,
really kind of different in ground baking and something people
will really I think enjoy. The Bigspeed commissioned. We've never
done this before where we actually commissioned the writers and said, please,
let's write this musical. And I've been working on it
for a couple of years now. Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
And then finally we have.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
The fiftieth anniversary of Annie. And for anyone who doesn't know,
Annie had its ruld premiere fifty years ago on the
Good Speed stage.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
And so have we not done the show Annie as
a musical would never have happened.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Holy? Wow.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Yeah, So like that's the legacy of good Speed doing
new musical so snow Goos maybe like that someday too,
we hope. But for Annie to come back home that show.
The show is, you know, obviously, but on Broadway for
multiple iterations, several movies, TVs, live TV presentations. It's been
done around the world and now Annie will will real
(10:13):
be the fiftieth anniversary celebration for Annie.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
I studied voice and Andrew mcgartel was the first Annie,
and that she did it for me.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
That was it.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
My parents got me in Oregon. I sat down, I
didn't even know how to play it, and the next
thing you know, I was singing maybe and NYC.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Oh my goodness. It's so exciting.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Yeah. Yeah, it's going to be a big, a really
exciting production. Because I'm hearing from people saying, you know,
I was there at Goods people when this happened. I
can't wait to come back and see it, and others
who want to introduce their children to it, and others
who knew it as a child and want to come
back and an adult. It's really it's this. We're going to
(10:54):
be in the same situation with Annie like we are
with White Christmas right now, where it's going to be
really hard to get a ticket.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
How can people get ticket packages if they'd like to
maybe advanced?
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yeah, job right now, we are selling subscriptions for next
year to our members, so you can if you are
a member grade if you're not, you can easily become
a member. Because tickets don't go and sale to the
public until February. So the best thing to do to
make sure you can you have seats and good seats
(11:26):
for all the shows is to subscribe. Now.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
You just made my day. I'm in the best mood ever.
I just got so excited like I would over chocolate.
I'm speaking with Dan McMahon, director of marketing at the
good Speed Again. White Christmas is a good Speed now
through December twenty eighth, and then their twenty twenty six
season kicks off in April with Jesus Christ Superstar. Get
(11:50):
your subscriptions now or get tickets to see the show
at Goodspeed dot org. Thank you so much for being
here today.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Oh thank you for having me. I really enjoy talking
with you.
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