Picnic at Hanging Rock – 19 December 2025

While this season on Broadway is offering a smattering of low stakes, light new musicals, Off-Broadway musicals like Picnic at Hanging Rock are serving as primary reminders that there are still brave new ideas to conquer and writers willing to explore them. The haunting score of Picnic at Hanging Rock (Greta Gertler Gold) combined with bewitching lyrics (Hilary Bell) seduced the audience into a world where expectations come at a price and young women, simultaneously filled with hope and rage, yearn for something more and decide how far they’re willing to climb towards it. The story takes place at Appleyard College in 1900, in a world where Australia is under British rule. The young women of the college go on a chaperoned picnic to Hanging Rock/Ngannelong, with two classmates and one chaperone never to return. Told partially through memory, trauma, and impossible dreams, this story asks us to be present with society’s restricting expectations for women and uses tools like musical dissonance, beguiling choreography (Mayte Natalio), and effervescent world building, to bring this vivacious musical to life. Using every inch of Greenwich House to its fullest, this bold production is absolutely enchanting. It was thrillingly entangling the whole time.

The show is riddled with social commentary, including some queer coded moments between Miranda (Gillian Han) and Sara (Sarah Walsh), as well as normalizing the masculinity of some women, represented in Miss McCraw (Kaye Tuckerman). In general, all of the school girls displayed high intelligence, interest in the workings of the world around them, and a verve for life societally uncharacteristic of young women, especially those attending rigid all female boarding schools. Though the school mistress, Mrs. Appleyard (Erin Davie) was restrictive and seemingly cruel, it seemed as though all of the school girls were developing the ability to think on their own, and many, like Sara, Miranda, Irma (Tatiana Cordoba), and Marion (Kate Louissant), were developing the desire to be more than just wives. There is a scene after the disappearances in which Mrs. Appleyard  longs for the masculine guidance of Miss McCraw, subtly implying the possibility that they had a romantic relationship. This would explain some of Mrs. Appleyard’s hatred of Sara— seeing a reflection of herself in one of her students. Either way, it is clear that the school is producing headstrong girls, and that it is Mrs. Appleyard’s desire to keep the school running at all costs. In moments that wander into queer territory, the path is carefully thought out and sensitively handled. All characters are written and performed lovingly, without judgment.

One of the greatest joys of watching Picnic at Hanging Rock was the highly talented cast and musicians. In particular, Gillian Han, Sarah Walsh, Tatiana Cordoba, and Kate Louissant, brought a pure tone to their performances that was delightful to listen to. These four young actresses were truly phenomenal and I enjoyed their moments of similarity and unique expression alike. The women in the show were written to be much more interesting than the men, which was a delightful departure from much of the musical theatre canon. The musicians were exceptionally well mixed, with attention paid to melodic moments and percussive moments. 

More than anything, I was impressed with director Portia Krieger’s use of the space. Scenic design (Daniel Zimmerman) extended into the audience, and the actors used the aisles, a small onstage balcony, and an area inset into the building wall, as playable space. The production bordered on immersive, with lighting design (Barbara Samuels) keeping the boundaries between the actors and audience very clear, as well as illuminating the difference between memory and reality. Costume design (Ásta Bennie Hostetter) drew class distinctions and sound design (Nick Kourtides) created a rich world all around us of inviting animals, past echoes, frightful warnings, and sharp moments of clarity. This creative team came together in a stunning collaboration, transforming a very small playing space into an exquisite theatrical experience.

Picnic at Hanging Rock was truly one of my most enjoyable new musical experiences of the year. It was flirtatious, distinct, and exciting – and I reveled in it. The originality of its score, peculiarity of its subject material, and unapologetic feminism, were emboldening and inspiring. I hope there will be other productions following the trail Picnic at Hanging Rock is so enthusiastically blazing.

I attended this performance on a press pass from Candi Adams PR.