Samantha Massell Will Star in ‘Double Helix’ at Bay Street Theater

Bay Street Theater has announced that Samantha Massell has been cast as Rosalind Franklin in the lead role of the world premiere of the new musical “Double Helix,” scheduled to begin previews on Tuesday, May 30, as the opening show of Bay Street’s 2023 mainstage season.

“Double Helix” tells the story of the race to discover the structure of DNA in the 1950s and follows the brilliant young researcher, Rosalind Franklin, as she contends with adversity, anti-Semitism, and love to uncover one of life’s great mysteries. The premiere coincides with the 70th anniversary of that discovery, in which Franklin’s contributions played an integral role.

Samantha Massell, who has appeared on Broadway, television, in movies and alongside symphonies, was last seen on Broadway as Hodel in the acclaimed revival of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Her involvement in Madeline Myers’s “Double Helix” has been since the very beginning, when the musical was selected in Bay Street Theater’s 2022 “Title Wave: The New Works Festival.”

“When I began writing Double Helix In 2019, I knew I wanted the role of Rosalind Franklin to be played by Samantha Massell,” said Madeline Myers, writer and composer behind “Double Helix.” “She is an actor whose extraordinary skill as a musical storyteller felt profoundly aligned with the force of character that is Rosalind Franklin. My goal in writing this character has been to render Rosalind as truthfully as possible — not just as a scientist but also as a woman. It’s particularly meaningful to me, as a Jewish woman, for Rosalind Franklin, a Jewish woman, to be brought to life by Samantha, a Jewish woman. The artistry and humanity Samantha brings to this role is something really, really special.”

“After developing the role of Rosalind Franklin for more than four years, I am thrilled to finally get to share ‘Double Helix’ with the Bay Street Theater audience this summer,” said Massell. “Madeline’s work is extraordinary and pushes the boundaries of musical theater into new and exciting territory, not unlike how Rosalind pushed to be taken seriously as a Jewish woman in a man’s world post-WWII. I’m thrilled to see this Jewish story cast authentically, helmed by a predominantly Jewish team, to explore the topic of science after these last few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to dig into this inspiring role and show.

“It is a tragedy that Rosalind’s immense contributions to the greatest scientific discovery of our time have been left out of the history books,” she added. “It is my great honor and privilege to stand in her shoes.”

Previews of “Double Helix” begin at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor on Tuesday, May 30, followed by the world premiere opening night on Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at baystreet.org.