// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did The Bardy Bunch say? "To brunch or not to brunch
| The Bardy Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady | |
|---|---|
| Music | Stephen Garvey |
| Lyrics | Logan Medland |
| Premiere | 2011: FringeNYC |
| Productions | 2014 Off Broadway 2016 Chicago |
| Awards | Overall Excellence Award for Outstanding Ensemble |
The Bardy Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady is a musical parody written by Stephen Garvey. The show is a mash-up of a dozen Shakespeare plays and set in the 1970s amid a war between the popular sitcom families Partridge and Brady. The musical features 15 songs made famous on The Partridge Family and The Brady Bunch including "I Think I Love You," "It's a Sunshine Day," and "I Woke Up In Love This Morning." [1]
Productions
[edit]The Bardy Bunch premiered in 2011 at the New York International Fringe Festival, where it won an Overall Excellence Award for Outstanding Ensemble. It went on to play a sold-out Off-Broadway run at the Theatre at St. Clement's in spring 2014.[2]
Both productions included the creative team of director Jay Stern, choreographer Lorna Ventura, music director Logan Medland, scenic designer Craig Napoliello and technical director Matt Schiffman. Tony Award-winning lighting designer Howell Binkley joined the Off Broadway production.
In September 2016, the show opened at the Mercury Theatre in Chicago, again directed by Jay Stern, and featuring the creative team of Lorna Ventura and Logan Medland. Mike Timoney and Disappearing Dog, LLC produced.[3]
In March 2026, the show opened at 3Below Theaters in San Jose, California, for the show's professional west coast premiere. Thos production is a condensed version with characters doubled to trim the cast from eighteen to fifteen people.[4][5]
Plot
[edit]In 1974, the Brady and Partridge families meet when they are booked for the same event. A conflict begins between the two families. Keith Partridge and Marcia Brady develop a relationship.
That night, Keith woos Marcia outside her window and together they hatch a plan to bring peace to the warring families, by convincing Greg Brady and Laurie Partridge that they are secretly in love with each other. Laurie disguises herself as a man to befriend Greg and test his loyalty.
Other, more nefarious, plots abound: Carol Brady, a la Lady Macbeth, convinces Mike to murder his boss, Mr. Phillips, and take his job. Meanwhile, a conniving Chris Partridge schemes to take over as bassist in the family band by driving his brother Danny to madness and persuading him to believe that their manager, Reuben Kincaid, killed their father to win the hand of their mother, Shirley. Confusing? Perhaps. But this is how Shakespeare rolled.
The plot includes various deaths and the presence of ghosts. The production features jokes and songs. By the final act, most characters have been removed from the narrative, coinciding with the cancellation of their respective shows in the summer of 1974. "The Brady Bunch" and "The Partridge Family" continue to be broadcast in syndication.
Musical numbers
[edit]- “Keep On” - The Brady Kids
- “Looking For A Good Time” - The Partridge Family
- “Together We’re Better” - Carol Brady, Mike Brady
- “I Woke Up In Love This Morning” - Keith Partridge, Marcia Brady, Mike Brady, Carol Brady, Shirley Partridge, Reuben Kincaid
- “It’s a Sunshine Day/Sunshine” - The Company
- “I Can Feel Your Heartbeat” - The Company
- “Time To Change” - Peter Brady, Cindy Brady
- “I’ll Meet You Halfway” - Shirley Partridge, Danny Partridge
- “Roller Coaster” - The Company
- “Doesn’t Somebody Want To Be Wanted” - Jan Brady
- “I’m On My Way Back Home” - Mike Brady, Carol Brady, Danny Partridge, Shirley Partridge, Reuben Kincaid, Greg Brady
- “It’s One Of Those Nights (Yes, Love)” - Keith Partridge
- “I Think I Love You” - Keith Partridge, Marcia Brady, Greg Brady, Laurie Partridge
- “Together We’re Better/Finale" - The Company
Cast
[edit]| Character | FringeNYC (2011) | Off Broadway (2014) | Chicago (2016) | 3Below Theaters (2026)[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Brady | Nick Ruggeri | Sean McDermott | Stef Tovar | Stephen Guggenheim |
| Carol Brady | Susan J. Jacks | Lori Hammel | Cory Goodrich | Susan Gundunas |
| Greg Brady | A.J. Shively | Zach Trimmer | Sawyer Smith | David Salper |
| Marcia Brady | Cali Elizabeth Moore | Olivia Renteria | Sophie Schulman | |
| Peter Brady | Jonathan Grunert | Matthew Dorsey Moore | Dan Gold | Noah Lerner |
| Jan Brady | Annie Watkins | Rheagan Rizio | ||
| Bobby Brady | Steven Singer | Chaz Jackson | Jake Nicholson | Brian Conway |
| Cindy Brady | Talisa Friedman | Callie Johnson | Heather Mae Steffen | |
| Alice Nelson | Joan Lunoe | Tina Gluschenko | Sheila Savage | |
| Sam the Butcher/Mr. Phillips | Mike Timoney | Bret Tuomi | Eric Stephenson | |
| Shirley Partridge | Michelle Mazza | Kristy Cates | Brianna Borger | Tanika Baptiste |
| Reuben Kincaid | Craig Wichman | Thomas Poarch | Jeff Max | Brian Herndon |
| Keith Partridge | Erik Keiser | Skyler Adams | Dave Abrams | |
| Laurie Partridge | Carina Zabrodsky | Christiana Cole | Erin McGrath | Madelynn Crimi |
| Danny Partridge | Adam Wald | Chuck Bradley | Jared Rein | Kyle Caldwell |
| Chris Partridge | Olli Haaskivi | Alex Goley | Timothy Eidman | Eric Stephenson |
| Chris Partridge | Aaron Phillips | Mitch McCarrell | Jake Stempel | Brian Herndon |
| Tracy Partidge | Elizabeth Wharton | Danielle Sacks | Mary-Margaret Roberts | Sheila Savage |
References
[edit]- ↑ Gans, Andrew (March 20, 2014). "Sean McDermott, Lori Hammel, Kristy Cates Star in The Bardy Bunch, Beginning March 20 Off-Broadway". Playbill. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ↑ Gioia, Michael (August 23, 2016). "Original Star of Off-Broadway's Bardy Bunch Will Reprise Role in Chicago". Playbill.
- ↑ "The Bardy Bunch Parody Musical Finds Its Chicago Cast | TheaterMania". www.theatermania.com. 19 July 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
- ↑ "The Bardy Bunch". 3Below Theaters. 2026-01-05. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ Janiak, Lily (April 7, 2026). "This Bay Area theater is closing. Its owners blame a dispute with the city". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ↑ "The Bardy Bunch". 3Below Theaters. 2026-01-05. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ "The Bardy Bunch". 3Below Theaters. 2026-01-05. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ "Mercury's 'Bardy Bunch' hilariously pits iconic Brady and Partridge families in epic Shakespearean grudge match for the (middle) ages". www.chicagolandmusicaltheatre.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-02. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
- ↑ Davenport, Misha. "BWW Review: All's Well With THE BARDY BUNCH". Retrieved 2016-09-30.
- ↑ Tribune, Chicago. "Danny Partridge as Hamlet? I think I love you not". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2016-09-29. Retrieved 2016-09-30.