Broadway actress, singer, and performer Courtney Reed chatted about starring in the new Off-Broadway musical production of “Reunions.”
It is being performed from October 24th to December 14th, 2025, at New York City Center.
Background on ‘Reunions’
“Reunions” is a new musical adaptation of two famous one-act plays with a common theme: lovers met by chance after many years apart. It was directed by Gabriel Barre.
Aside from Reed, the cast features Janet Aldrich, Bryan Fenkart, Joanna Glushak, Keith Lee Grant, Chilina Kennedy, Pearl Rhein, Daniel Torres, and Chip Zien.
“The Twelve Pound Look” is based on the play by J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan. The play takes place in Downton Abbey-era London.
Harry Sims is about to be knighted when the past catches up with him in this ripped-from-the-headlines look at issues of social class, a woman’s “place,” and the high price of success.
“A Sunny Morning” is based on the enchanting play by Spain’s prolific Quintero Brothers. The action takes place in a park in Madrid where the hope of love springs eternal, even among septuagenarians.
Reed originated the role of Princess Jasmine in “Aladdin” on Broadway, and she also played Satine in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”
Reed on ‘Reunions’
On starring in “Reunions,” Reed stated, “Oh, my gosh. It’s so good!”
“I am so excited about ‘Reunions.’ It is one of the most remarkable companies I’ve ever been a part of,” she said. “It’s very exciting because it’s a really magical show and it’s kind of cool.”
“It’s something I’ve never done before,” she admitted. “I’ve done a play with music, but these were plays that are now adapted into musicals. So it’s like you’re watching a really intimate play, but then, all of a sudden, it’s like a musical.”
“The acting is phenomenal, and the cast is incredible. Oh my gosh, I am just so excited,” she reiterated.
Playing Lady Sims in ‘Reunions’
On playing Lady Sims, she said, “Well, selfishly, this a role that I had never been able to play before. I seldom get cast in roles like this. She is very suppressed.”
“The play takes place in 1910,” she noted. “So, there’s a lot of social class, a woman’s place, sort of like the high price of success and her husband is being knighted.”
“You see that, because there are a couple of flashbacks, and you see that there was a lot of life in her until she got married all of a sudden,” she said.
“It takes place in London, so I have a standard British accent. So, this is really fun as an actor. It’s a really fun role to play and unlike anything I’ve ever done,” she noted.
“Women didn’t have much independence back in the day, and so she’s been kind of broken down to this kind of timid and meek kind of character,” she acknowledged.
“Lady Sims doesn’t take up a lot of space in the world, and this is so the opposite of like every character I’ve ever played,” she said with a sweet laugh.
“So, playing Lady Sims is unlike anything that I’ve ever done,” she added.
Lessons learned from the show ‘Reunions’
On the lessons learned from this play, she reflected, “I think it reminds me that I’m so grateful to be a part of the generation that I am in. I am so lucky to be alive right now.”
“I feel so lucky to be alive right now, because if I was born in the 1900s, that would have been real tough,” she conceded.
“So, it taught me to be really grateful for how far we’ve come since then, for sure,” she explained.
Reed on John Cardoza
Reed also had kind words about her “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” leading man John Cardoza for being the “absolute best.” “John is just so great,” she exclaimed. “I loved working with him in ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”
Closing thoughts on ‘Reunions’
For fans and viewers, Reed expressed, “I want them to be reminded that we all need entertainment, and I want them to be able to escape into another world. What I love about ‘Reunions’ is that it’s hysterical. It is so fun and it’s so funny.”
“I would love for people to be reminded of the special people in their lives that perhaps they would like to be reunited with,” she noted.
“This show has a lot of heart to it,” she underscored. “You are basically going to see a masterclass in acting from some of the greats of the industry. It reminds us that we can’t take any day for granted.”
For more information on the show “Reunions,” visit the official New York City Center website.
To learn more about Courtney Reed, follow her on Instagram.
