Beaches – A Chance Meeting Turns into a Lifelong Friendship

Apr 23, 2026 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Two Sues on the Aisle, Susie Rosenbluth and Sue Weston

An unlikely life-long friendship develops from a random meeting on an Atlantic City beach in Beaches, the new musical at The Majestic Theatre. Based on the 1985 novel written by Iris Rainer Dart and was adapted in collaboration with Thom Thomas (who passed away in 2015). This emotionally powerful musical, filled with laughter and tears and extraordinary voices, features Jessica Vosk as Cee Cee Bloom and Kelli Barrett as Bernie White.

Their story is heartwarming, two children connected by a dream of becoming more. The girls couldn’t be more different. Bernie, a sophisticated WASPy blueblood in white gloves and frilly socks, shoes, and a dress, gets lost on the beach. Her cries for help wake the brash vaudeville performer, Cee Cee, who is napping under the boardwalk. They become Besties, pen pals who share everything, and encourage each other to reach their full potential.

Becoming Besties

Beaches follows the girls as they mature and create a bond that becomes the pivotal force in their lives. Bernie recognizes Cee Cee’s talent and admires her lack of filters, blurting out anything that pops into her head, including vulgarity. She sees these qualities as the freedom she wishes she had. Bernie is a people pleaser, a sharp contrast to Cee Cee’s free spirit. Cee Cee encourages Bernie to defy her overbearing mother (Lael Van Keuren), apply to college in Pennsylvania, and pursue a law degree rather than marry her pedigreed suitor (Ben Jacoby).  Each provides the other with balance, stability, and support.

Cee Cee laments that she wants to be normal, “Bertie, let’s face it: you’re a delicate cucumber from a prize-winning garden, and I’m the spicy kosher pickle that fell out of the barrel and ended up on the sidewalk. I’ve got more flavor, but I’m definitely not invited to the tea party.” Bernie assures Cee Cee that she will never be ‘normal’ because she has much more to offer.

Jewish Connection

When they first meet on the beach, Cee Cee introduces herself with bravado, “The name’s Cee Cee Bloom. I’m from the Bronx, I’m Jewish, and I’m going to be a very big star. You can start asking for my autograph now, so you don’t have to fight the crowds late.”

Over their friendship, Cee Cee educates Bernie in the Jewish vernacular, “No, no, Bertie! You’ve got to put some muscle into it. It’s not ‘oh dear’ or ‘goodness gracious.’ It’s ‘Oy Vey.’ You have to feel it in your kishkes! It’s the sound of five thousand years of relatives asking why you’re not married yet. Try it with me: OY. VEY.”

A Special Bond

So many of the lines hit home and are hilarious. Beaches bridges the ethnic gap, creating a shared experience, finding love and acceptance, which is a welcome relief in a time of dissonance. Cee Cee and Bertie appreciated their differences, each wishing they could be more like the other. They shared everything, often giggling about who knows what. They were each other’s heroes, each completing the other.

Their bond was broken twice, both times because of a man. A separation due to foolish pride, which caused them pain and unnecessary loneliness. Ultimately, their relationship withstood petty jealousy. Although Cee Cee tried to convince herself, ‘I’m all I need!’ she found herself missing Bernie, a mutual regret expressed in the touching song, The Words I Should Have Said.

They loved each other in a way that only Besties can. While relationships with men can be temporary, girlfriends are forever.

The Production

Beaches follows Cee Cee and Bernie, beginning with their first meeting in Atlantic City, tracking them as they grow up, marry, and as Cee Cee’s career takes off. The show uses young actresses to portray their younger selves. Often, the young girls appear on stage, miming their time on the beach in the background. Other actresses play their teen-selves, showing how the two maintained a closeness, writing, sharing everything, and supporting each other’s dreams. We were not certain that having the teen actresses was necessary or furthered the storyline. It was an attempt to show how they built a strong, supportive friendship, sharing their every thought through letters, which would have been the norm in a world before cell phones and the Internet.

The show is two acts. The first provides background and feels slower, partially because it attempts to cover the growth from children to mature adults. By Act Two, we were committed to the story, rooting for the friends to reconcile, but knowing, from the first scene, that something catastrophic would happen.

The staging was minimal, relying on the strength of the performers to carry Beaches. And when Vosk and Barrett were on stage, it did. These are powerful performers with exceptional voices, and it is worthwhile seeing Beaches just to be in the presence of these great actresses. They are the story. Beaches felt authentic, which is a tribute to their fine acting. Regrettably, the show will be compared to the movie and will fall short.

We found ourselves haunted by the song ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ days later, a poignant end to a great performance.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) to see the play, show, film, book, or exhibit being reviewed.

Beaches at The Majestic Theatre received 4 Challahs

Running time approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission