Performances: March 4 @7pm; March 5 @3pm; March 11 @2pm and 7pm

A year after 9/11, actress Felicity Knox makes a surprise appearance as Iris, the messenger goddess of joy, on the Channel Four morning news. The stunt is meant to publicize the Broadway premiere of her late husband’s retro-musical, The Joy Gods Return, but it blossoms into a campaign of joy that lifts the spirits of the entire city. New York falls in love with Iris, and so does jaded newscaster Brian Banning, whose quest for an exposé nearly wrecks everything. The Joy Gods Return celebrates the resurgence of joy after isolation and grief. It’s about the return of laughter, music, color, glamour, life – and love. After the hiatus of the pandemic, it’s exactly the show we need.

Tickets: $5; advance sales at (301) 397-2208, starting February 6.