'Phantom,' 'Dear Evan Hansen,' 'Rat Pack,' '42nd Street' coming to Gateway in Bellport

Toes will be tapping, skates will be glistening and chandeliers will be crashing at The Gateway in Bellport, which announced its 2025-26 season on Friday.

Kicking off the season from May 2 to June 1 will be the chorines of "42nd Street," the granddaddy of all backstage musicals, based on the classic 1933 movie of the same. This show was first presented at The Gateway in 2014 and will again be directed and choreographed by Randy Skinner, who created the dances for the 2001 Broadway revival.

"We wanted to open with something exciting that we haven't done in a while, and '42nd Street' has always been one of my favorite shows," Gateway executive artistic director Paul Allan said in a Newsday interview.

After meeting all those dancing feet, it will be time for a tale of boy meets girl of the streets with the Long Island premiere of "Pretty Woman" from June 20 to July 13.

A different type of romance follows with "Phantom" from Aug. 1 to 31. To be clear, this is not the Andrew Lloyd Webber version, but the one featuring a book by Arthur Kopit and songs by Maury Yeston. "While the other 'Phantom' is more of a spectacle, this one has more of a love story, and it's more emotional and the music is beautiful," Allan said. And, he promises, the chandelier will fall.

Returning after a year off will be Gateway's "Holiday Spectacular on Ice" with Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, from Nov. 28 to Jan. 4. Gateway then goes from chill to cool as "The Rat Pack Is Back" arrives from Las Vegas. The blend of song standards and comedy will run from Jan. 23 to Feb. 15 and will feature the stars of the Las Vegas production playing Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. "You'll definitely feel like you walked into the clubs of the '60s," Allan said.

Closing out the season will be the Long Island regional theater premiere of "Dear Evan Hansen" (March 13-April 12, 2026), the Tony Award-winning musical about an awkward high schooler who pens a letter that is mistaken for a classmate's suicide note.

Tickets for all shows can be purchased by calling 631-286-1133 or visiting thegateway.org.