Bucks County Playhouse continues the new book club series with “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Playhouse Books in the Barn is a book club that brings together the worlds of literature and theatre putting them in the context of Bucks County Playhouse’s 2025 mainstage season. The book club meeting will take place on August 20, 2025, at 7:00pm in the Bill Harris & Jay Manas Playhouse Barn. Reservations are required as seating is limited. Tickets are $20 and include light bites and a cash bar is available.
Chosen in conjunction with the Playhouse staff and the team at the Doylestown and Lahaska Bookshops, selections for the Playhouse Books in the Barn are designed to promote stimulating conversations and thoughtful interaction related to the production currently on stage.
Books are not included in the ticket price and participants may choose their own book supplier or receive a 20% discount if the book is purchased from the Lahaska Bookshop, 162A Route 263, Paddler’s Village in Lahaska, PA.
The current book club selection is themed to the upcoming production of “She Loves Me” with book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.
About the book: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey? Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.
About “She Loves Me”: Amalia and Georg, two clerks in a 1930s perfumery, are constantly at odds. They both find joy, however, in the romantic letters exchanged with anonymous pen pals they discovered through a “lonely hearts ad.” Little do they know, they are actually writing to each other! Based on the classic film “The Shop Around the Corner,” and the inspiration for the blockbuster film, “You’ve Got Mail,” “She Loves Me” is a delightful musical that celebrates one of the most enchanting love stories ever told.
The book club kicked off on March 5th where a sold-out group met to discuss “Run, Rose, Run” by James Patterson and Dolly Parton. The meeting also included a discussion about the music industry by a special guest, Marty Dodson. On May 7th, the book club met to chat about “At the Edge of the Orchard: A Novel” by Tracy Chevalier with special guest, Amy Manoff, owner at Manoff Market Gardens & M2 Cidery LLC who provided insight into growing an apple orchard and making cider. For the current production of “Leader of the Pack,” the book club delved deep into the girl group phenomenon of the 1960s and 1970s with “But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the ’60s Girl Groups” by Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz.
Tickets may be purchased now via the Bucks County Playhouse box office by calling (215) 862-2121, or online at BucksCountyPlayhouse.org.
