REACHING FOR MORE

An engaging journey,
once it finds its rhythm.

Company of A Walk on the Moon

Based on the 1999 film of the same name, the new musical A Walk on the Moon makes its New York premiere at the Laura Pels Theatre with book and additional lyrics by original screenwriter Pamela Gray, music and lyrics by AnnMarie Milazzo, and direction by Sheryl Kaller.

Max Chernin and Talia Suskauer

“Welcome to Dr. Fogler’s Bungalow Colony! This promises to be an unforgettable summer,” declares the voice over the PA system (a pre-recorded but hilarious Tovah Feldshuh). Brooklyn housewife Pearl (Talia Suskauer) has arrived with her family for their annual Catskills vacation in a Jewish bungalow colony. But this isn’t just another summer getaway. It’s also the summer of the Apollo 11 moon landing and nearby Woodstock Music Festival. Against the backdrop of that iconic summer of ’69, Pearl’s family enters a season of exploration, adventure, self-discovery, and the courage to embrace change. These forces threaten to tear the family apart, but Pearl’s sage mother-in-law, Lillian (Andréa Burns), keeps this musical comedy mild by quickly resolving conflicts and instilling optimism for the incoming 1970s.

Andréa Burns and Sam Gravitte

While the score’s 16 songs are eclectic, energetic, and heartfelt, the story, following both mother and daughter, unfolds along predictable lines: Pearl falls for the handsome, carefree “Blouse Man” Walker (Sam Gravitte), and Pearl’s teenage daughter Alison (Sophie Pollono) falls for the endearingly awkward Ross (Oscar Williams).

Sophie Pollono and Oscar Williams

The family is joined by three neighboring couples, played by Andrew Faria, Megan Kane, Caroline Pernick, Becca Suskauer, Michael Tacconi, and David R. Gordon, bringing the cast to an impressive 14 performers, an unusually large ensemble for an Off-Broadway musical.

Company of A Walk on the Moon

Tal Yarden‘s scenic and projection design makes striking use of the upstage LED wall, creating vivid images of rolling hills, radiant skies, and a rising moon. Front projections range from full-stage psychedelic imagery to intimate reflections of a TV screen in a cabin window. A rolling scrim shifts the projected locations effortlessly, while the physical set remains appealingly simple, mostly relying on the exterior of the family’s cabin and a gliding platform. Robert Wierzel‘s lighting works beautifully in tandem with the LED wall and projections, Ricky Lurie‘s costumes instantly transport us back to the late 1960s, and Justin Stasiw‘s excellent sound design ensures every lyric and line of dialogue is heard with precision—a particular pleasure in an intimate theater.

Sophie Pollono, Talia Suskauer, Caroline Pernick, Becca Suskauer, Megan Kane

A five-piece ensemble, under the music direction of Jillian Zack with music supervision and arrangements by Andy Einhorn, gives the score warmth and vitality. Josh Prince‘s choreography favors expressive movement over elaborate dance numbers, complementing the score’s infectious energy. Kaller’s direction likewise feels smooth, confident, and unforced.

Talia Suskauer and Sam Gravitte

As tie-dye, psychedelics, and sexual liberation swept across America, Pearl—like so many—begins to imagine a life beyond the one she has always known, a prospect that feels both exhilarating and irresponsible. Suskauer delivers a performance that seems tailor-made for her, matched beautifully by Burns’s Lillian. The male members of Pearl’s family receive less attention. Danny is her young son (Leo Caravano and Reid Gardner Clarke, alternating the role), who basically only runs on- and offstage as a bundle of energy. Her husband Marty (Max Chernin) is blind to how his own actions have led his marriage astray. Despite his limited stage time, he has a lovely, tender song with his daughter, “We Made You.”

Sam Gravitte and Talia Suskauer with the Company

Although a compelling conflict eventually surfaces, much of the first act follows a well-worn path. However, after intermission, the emotional stakes deepen, allowing the musical’s warmth and sincerity to shine through.

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photos by Joan Marcus

A Walk on the Moon
Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre
111 W. 46th St. in New York City
2 hours, 20 minutes with one intermission
ends on August 22, 2026
for tickets ($54-$121), visit A Walk on the Moon

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Gregory Fletcher is a writer and director. His publishing credits include a craft book on playwriting entitled Shorts and Briefs, as well as a collection entitled A Playwright’s Dozen: 13 short plays. Other publishing includes two YA novels (Other People’s Crazy, and Other People’s Drama), 2 novellas in the series Inclusive Bedtime Stories, 2 short stories in The Night Bazaar series, and five essays. Website, Facebook, Instagram.