In 1933, Charlie, a Polish-born Jew who emigrated to America a decade earlier, returns to his hometown of Rovno in search of a bride. There Charlie meets Chava, who works at a hat shop and hopes to become a scholar. However, Chava’s ambitions for the future and the growing clouds of European anti-Semitism and persecution threaten both their dreams.
March 17 – April 19, 2026
Tickets at 59E59
Book by Cary Gitter
Music by Neil Berg
Lyrics by Neil Berg and Cary Gitter
Directed by SuzAnne Barabas
With Harris Milgrim and Becca Suskauer
Article on Broadway World
Inspired by the true story of how his grandparents met, the book is written by Cary Gitter. The musical features music by Neil Berg and lyrics by both Neil Berg and Cary Gitter. The production will be directed by Suzanne Barabas and star Harris Milgrim and Becca Suskauer.
“New Jersey Repertory Company consistently develops and produces some of the finest new work in the tri-state area, and How My Grandparents Fell in Love is no exception. This musical is filled with laughter, warmth and sincerity, and we’re thrilled to welcome this personal story to 59E59 audiences,” said Val Day, Artistic Director of 59E59 Theaters.
Review by Tally Daniels for NY Weekly 3/30
…The historical context is ever-present but never overwhelming. Gitter approaches the material with a delicate tonal balance. “I tried to imagine I was writing a romantic comedy that just happened to be set in a dark historical period,” he explained. The result is a work that acknowledges the rising threat of fascism and antisemitism without allowing it to eclipse the humanity at its center. The audience, of course, brings its own knowledge of what is to come. The musical trusts that awareness, choosing instead to foreground warmth, humor, and the stubborn persistence of love.
What emerges is not just a portrait of two people falling in love, but a meditation on how opposites attract, and endure. Gitter delights in their differences. Chava, modeled in part on his grandmother, is “serious and education-minded,” while Charlie is “an absent-minded dreamer with his head in the clouds.” Their friction becomes the engine of the piece, yielding moments of humor that feel both character-driven and deeply recognizable.
