Gooey's Toxic Aquatic Adventure
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Feb 2026
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Gooey's Toxic Aquatic Adventure » Feb 2026 »
Concept, Book & Lyrics by La Daniella
Music, Arrangements & Lyrics by Ben Langhorst
Directed by Sammy Zeisel
Presented by The Bushwick Starr in association with ¡Oye! Group
A new puppet musical about an orphaned sorta mermaid living in Newtown Creek in her search for family. Amidst the backdrop of a near apocalyptic Brooklyn bought by entertainment and tech giant G’wond’rLand Inc., Gooey spends each day escaping her putrid reality into a world of her own creation: a world in which she’s perfect, beautiful and loved. But when her radio sends her on a journey to G’wond’rLand Theme Park, Gooey comes face-to-face with a streetwise rat, a severed arm, anthropomorphised toxic sludge, and a couple’a wiseguys who confront her with the truth about her dreams and how she came to be. Situated somewhere between Sweet Charity, The Sopranos, The Wiz, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, and 80's body horror, Gooey disgusts and delights in equal measure as it examines the difficulty of finding true belonging in a gentrifying New York City.
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Amanda Centeno
Performer
Amanda Centeno is glad to be back at the Bushwick Starr for the first time since Big Green Theatre's 2018 show. She has worked with various companies, including Ma-Yi Theater, Clubbed Thumb, Playwrights Realm, Ars Nova, Pan Asian Rep, The Flea, The People's Theatre Project, The National Playwrights Conference at The O’Neill, Powerhouse at Vassar, New York Theatre Workshop, Speakeasy Stage, and Berkshire Theatre Group. Her short film, Disaster Panties, was screened at Cucaloros and The Asian American Film Festival, where she was nominated for Best Screenplay in the shorts division. She is a current member of the Mercury Store Acting Company. Upcoming: Vanilla (short film)
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La Daniella
Performer, Concept, Book & Lyrics
La Daniella is an AfroDominican/Nuyorican playwright, actor/performer and teaching artist from Bushwick, Brooklyn, where her family has lived since 1968, so she's especially proud to have her playwriting debut right here at The Bushwick Starr. As a playwright, her work has been supported by The Public Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, Bushwick Starr, New York Theater Workshop, The New Group, Checkmark Productions, United Solo Festival, Barrington Stage Company and San Diego Repertory Theater. Her play Get Your Pink Hands Off Me Sucka and Give Me Back (FKA Columbus Play) won the 2020 Burman New Play Award, was a finalist for the 2022 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and made the 2025 Kilroys List. As an actress, she is best known for her role as Zirconia on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. For the last 3 years, she's been a teaching artist with Future River's Big Green Theater eco-playwriting program. La Daniella is a graduate of Juilliard’s Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program and NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama. Website: LaDaniella.com
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Sushma Saha
Performer
Broadway: 1776 (Roundabout). Off-Broadway: Interstate (NYMF). Off-Off Broadway: You Must Wear a Hat (Interstitial), Presencia (Bushwick Starr), 7 Minutes (Waterwell), Girlfriend (Drama League). Regional: Fun Home (Huntington), Maybe You Could Love Me (Theatre Mu), Interstate (Mixed Blood), The Wolves (ATL). Sushma Saha (pronoun inclusive) is a queer South Asian-American multi-hyphenate artist (actor, singer, dancer, voiceover artist, model, & songwriter) based in NYC. She won ‘Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role’ at New York Musical Festival for playing Henry in “Interstate” by Melissa Li & Kit Yan. Working on their debut EP “This Isn’t About You”. Instagram & TikTok: @sushmasahahaha
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Jon Schneidman
Performer, Music Director
Jon Schneidman is a New York-based music director, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, and Yankee enthusiast. Favorite credits include High Fidelity (Refuge Theatre Project), The House Theatre of Chicago's Nutcracker, Avenue Q, Little Shop of Horrors (Mercury Theatre), and the three separate times he has played "Piano Man" at a friend's wedding/bachelor party. Jon also serves as the music director at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, where he is reminded every day why this all matters. Special thanks to Mom and Dad for their endless support, Alex and Mariah for keeping his head on straight, and MK for everything else. Camelot.
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León Ramos Tak
Performer
León Ramos Tak (he/they) is a New York–based actor and singer and a recent graduate of NYU Graduate Acting. Select credits include Figaro/Faggots (Baryshnikov Arts Center) and The Seat of Our Pants (The Public Theater) IG: @leontak
Scenic Design Cat Raynor, Costume Design Hahnji Jang, Lighting Design Kyle Stamm, Sound Design Kathy Ruvuna, Puppet Design Gaby Febland, Props & Assistant Scenic Design Jonathan Schatzberg, Music Director Jon Schneidman, Choreographer Maya Quetzali Gonzalez, Stage Manager Sarah Jones, Assistant Stage Manager Anica Acuña, Line Producer Leigh Honigman, Associate Line Producer Leah Plante-Wiener
Gooey’s Toxic Aquatic Adventure was developed through Lincoln Center, Peabody Essex Museum, Hubbard Hall, and Bethany Arts Center.
Gooey’s Toxic Aquatic Adventure is made with support from: the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, The Puffin Foundation, Puppeteers of America, the Edith Lutyens and Norman Bel Geddes Design Enhancement Fund through A.R.T./New York, The Anna Sosenko Assist Trust and Materials for the Arts.