Book by George Abbott and Richard Bissell
Music and Lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
Directed and Choreographed by James Beaudry
Music Direction by Matt Marco
Apr. 25 - 26, 2025 and May 2 – 3, 2025
7:30 p.m.
Apr. 27, 2025 and May 3 - 4, 2025
2 p.m.
Morning Program:
Apr. 25, 2025
10 a.m.
UB Center for the Arts Drama Theatre
$22 Adults
$17 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$12 Students
$7 UB Students
(Ticketmaster fees apply when purchasing online.)
*Playbill will be available 48 hours before performance.
A union strike at a pajama factory generates plenty of steam heat in this toe-tapping, comedic love story.
The Pajama Game was awarded the 1955 Tony for Best Musical and, over half of a century later, claimed the award for Best Revival of a Musical, proving that the story is truly timeless. With an energetic score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross (Damn Yankees), The Pajama Game is brimming with songs and dances that have become musical theatre standards, including "Steam Heat" and "Hernando's Hideaway."
Conditions at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory are anything but peaceful as sparks fly between new superintendent, Sid Sorokin, and Babe Williams, leader of the union grievance committee. Their stormy relationship comes to a head when the workers strike for a 7 ½ cent pay increase, setting off not only a conflict between management and labor, but a battle of the sexes as well.
Featuring plenty of fun and splashy production numbers, The Pajama Game is filled with standout featured roles and a large ensemble, making it a perfect choice for high schools and community theatres. This perennial favorite is a surefire crowd-pleaser and a glowing example of solid, classic musical comedy.
The Pajama Game is rated PG by Music Theatre International.
Content note: This production has mild stage violence and depicts alcohol use.
American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters will also be provided for the May 3, 2 p.m. public performance.
*Students, senior citizens and the general public are welcome to attend the morning program. Tickets may be purchased online or in person at the Box Office. Backstage tours for groups available upon request. Contact: td-theatredance@buffalo.edu
THE PAJAMA GAME is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
www.mtishows.com
The Pajama Game
Curricular Connections & Ideas for Discussions
The Romeo and Juliet-like story of two people from opposing groups who fall in love. But in comedies, like The Pajama Game, these stories have happy endings. What other books or stories use the device of two characters with a conflict who fall in love?
Pin and Needles. In The Pajama Game, the song “Steam Heat” is part of a show put on by the union. Way back in 1937--before anyone heard of Wicked, Hamilton, The Lion King and The Phantom of The Opera--The International Ladies Garment Workers Union staged its own Broadway musical called Pins and Needles. The hit show was a comedy “revue” featuring short skits and songs make fun of (or “satirize”) everything from the Depression-era world of workers to the rise of fascism in Germany, Italy and the Soviet Union.
- The “revue” format is also called a “variety show” or a “vaudeville,” which means “voice of the city.” Saturday Night Live is one example of a tv show that still uses this format. In 2025, how do television shows, comedians and social media creators use comedy today to poke fun at those with more power?
Teamwork. In the company picnic scene, the workers all come together to win various picnic and party games in the song “Once A Year Day.” How does this sequence “foreshadow” the end of the story? Can you think of examples in other books, films or stories where a scene or event “foreshadows” what is going to happen?
The changing roles and opportunities for women in the workforce in the 20th Century. How does gender diversity in leadership promote better conditions for workers?
The rise of unions after World War II, and the subsequent decline of unions in the 1970s and 1980s. What happened in U.S. and World History that caused manufacturing jobs to be sent to other countries?
The International Ladies Garment Workers Union and the rise of “social unionism” in the 20th Century. Beyond collective bargaining, Social Unionism takes a broad approach to the role of a union in the lives of its members, offering educational, recreational and community building opportunities.
The history of minimum wage and the ethics of profits going to shareholders and CEOs rather than workers. How do the labor issues in The Pajama Game relate to today’s economic issues?