Vanities
Written by Jack Heifner
Directed by Roy Steinberg
June 4th – June 29th
Wednesday – Saturday at 7 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
“Unnervingly funny… Fast moving, sneakily stinging dialogue.”
~ Newsweek ~
“Endearing and Engaging – a play that will stay with you long after the curtain falls.”
~ New York Stage Review ~
This poignant comedy follows the lives of three Texas women as they transition from high school cheerleaders in 1963 to independent adults in 1974 New York. Over the course of a decade, their evolving friendship is shaped by changing dreams, personal growth, and the challenges of adulthood. With a perfect balance of humor and emotional depth, Vanities explores the complexities of relationships, ambition, and identity. This heartwarming and bittersweet play reminds us of the beauty and struggle of growing up—and the inevitable drift that comes with it.
Starring Meredith Beck, Kyra Adams, and Elise Hudson. See “Cast Bios” below for more details.
Special Show Dates:
- Wednesday, June 4: Preview Night with discounted tickets
- Thursday, June 5: Opening Night with Post-Show Party
- Friday, June 13: Best Value Night – All tickets available at the best value price of $35
- Saturday, June 14: Cast Talk Back Night
- Friday, June 20: ASL Interpreted Performance
- Sunday, June 22: Pay-What-You-Wish Rush tickets – All available tickets on the day of the performance can be purchased at the box office for whatever price you wish to pay. Starts one hour before curtain, cash only.
Age Guide: 13+
Running Time: 90 minutes, No intermission.
Advisory: This play contains mature language and adult themes.
* One of the longest-running plays in Off-Broadway history! *
Just as our three characters experience innocence to skepticism, so does our country experience the feeling of “Camelot” in 1963 through the upheaval of assassinations in 1968 to the skepticism informed by the Watergate scandal of 1973. Mounting “Vanities” in 2025 after overturning Roe v Wade (passed in 1973), we view this story with a new understanding. The dissolution of the friendships of these women over that decade mirror what many in today’s audience may have experienced in our recent history. Though told with humor and heart, “Vanities” makes us laugh, but today’s audience surely has a laugh that is informed by so much knowledge of what transpired since 1973 – and since that first production in 1976.
Roy Steinberg, Producing Artistic Director
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Producers for this show will be announced soon.
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“Vanities” stars Meredith Beck, Kyra Adams, and Elise Hudson.
Meredith Beck is thrilled to be debuting at Cape May and returning to Vanities! She is a multi-hyphenate theater artist who finds joy in all aspects of theater; whether that’s on stage acting, building and singing concerts, directing or stage managing. Recent on-stage credits include: Ann-Margaret in Elvis! A Musical Revolution at Walnut Street Theater, Ursula March in Sweet Charity at Montgomery Theater, and Mary Martin in her 2-person show Merman & Martin; Together ON-Broadway! at Act 2 Playhouse, Gretna, Montgomery, and as the premiere grant recipient for the Philadelphia Women’s Theater Festival. In addition to her theater work, Meredith can often be found performing on vocals, Flute, autoharp and her spoons with her Irish band The Galway Girls. She serves on the National Council for Actors Equity and is a graduate of Ithaca College’s BFA program. Love to John. @meredithashleybeck
Kyra Adams is thrilled to return to Cape May Stage for Vanities! A Cape May native and LCMR alum, Kyra made her professional debut in The Shuck and is honored to be back at her hometown theatre. An NYC-based actor and proud graduate of NYU Tisch, Kyra’s notable stage credits include Million Dollar Quartet (GVT), Merrily We Roll Along (Playwrights Downtown), and Syd Norman’s Pour House (NCLH), among others. On screen, she has appeared in HBO’s The Deuce and The Gen Z Next Door (Tubi). Endless gratitude to Sandra Beane-Fox, Paul Mathis and all of her teachers for their love and guidance. As always this one’s for Mom, Dad and Alan. @kyraaadams
Elise Hudson is thrilled to be back at Cape May Stage, having previously performed in The Taming! Other favorite theatre credits include: Noises Off (Delaware Theatre Company), The Revolutionists and Silent Sky (Hippodrome Theatre Gainesville), A Christmas Carol (Trinity Repertory Company), A Moon for the Misbegotten (Playhouse on Park), The Show Off (Off-Broadway), Laughing Stock (Peterborough Players), Twelfth Night and Macbeth (Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre), and Coriolanus (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company). TV: both seasons of Spike Lee’s Netflix show She’s Gotta Have it, Law and Order: SVU, A Crime to Remember. FILM: BlacKkKlansman, Lock It Up, Brave the Dark. MFA in Acting from Brown/Trinity Rep. Big Love to Josh. Instagram: @hudson_elise www.EliseHudsonActor.com
“Vanities” is written Jack Heifner.
Jack Heifner is the author of over thirty plays and musicals produced in New York, Los Angeles and theatres around the world. He is best known for the play version of Vanities, which ran for five years in New York, is published by Samuel French, and became one of the longest-running plays in off-Broadway history. He is also the author of Patio/Porch, Boys’ Play, Home Fires, Comfort and Joy, Heartbreak, Bargains, Earth To Bucky, The Lemon Cookie, China Dolls, Natural Disasters and many other plays. His musicals include Leader of the Pack and Vanities – The Musical, both also published by Samuel French. A graduate of Southern Methodist University, Mr. Heifner was Playwright-in-Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas from 1997 to 2021. He has also worked in television and film.
Press photos coming soon!
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