Character guide
Summer Hathaway
Summer Hathaway is the ambitious, rule following student who becomes the band's manager in School of Rock: The Musical, the 2015 show with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- Show
- School of Rock: The Musical
- Broadway premiere
- 2015
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Andrew Lloyd Webber
Summer Hathaway: from the film to Broadway
Broadway compared with the 2003 film
Isabella Russo originated Summer on Broadway in 2015; Miranda Cosgrove played Summer 'Tinker Bell' Hathaway in the 2003 film. In both versions, Dewey makes Summer the band's manager.
The musical keeps most of the film's band and classmates but renames a few: Shonelle and Marcy replace the film's Alicia and Marta, Mason replaces Gordon, and James replaces Frankie. It also changes Tomika's family, giving her two adoptive fathers instead of her biological parents.
Summer Hathaway: role facts
- Originated on Broadway by
- Isabella Russo (2015)
- Voice type and range
- Mezzo-soprano, A3 to F5
- Songs Summer Hathaway sings
- Time to Play (with students)
Who is Summer Hathaway?
Summer Hathaway is a driven, perfectionist student who initially resists Dewey Finn's chaotic classroom methods, preferring order and academic achievement to creative chaos. When she is not given an instrument to play in the band, Dewey instead makes her the group's manager, a role that lets her ambitious, organizational instincts find a productive outlet.
Summer's arc traces her gradual loosening up, learning that her drive and leadership skills have value beyond traditional academic success, and that being part of something creative does not mean giving up her ambition.
Summer's role in School of Rock: The Musical
Summer Hathaway is a supporting role built around sharp comic delivery and a strong sense of character voice, since she often narrates and organizes the band's efforts from the sidelines. The part rewards a young performer with confident stage presence and precise comic timing.
Audiences remember Summer for her assertive personality and the satisfaction of watching a character built around control learn to embrace a more spontaneous, creative side of herself by the show's end.
Summer Hathaway: frequently asked questions
Who is Summer Hathaway in School of Rock?
Summer Hathaway is a driven, high-achieving student in Dewey Finn's class, with far more gold stars on the achievement board than any of her classmates. She initially despises Dewey, but once she is running his band she will do almost anything to see it succeed.
Who played Summer Hathaway on Broadway?
Isabella Russo originated the role of Summer Hathaway when School of Rock: The Musical opened on Broadway in December 2015, in what was her Broadway debut. She played Summer until November 2016.
Why does Summer Hathaway become the band's manager instead of a musician?
When Dewey Finn hands out band jobs, Summer is angry to be left without one and flatly rejects his first suggestion, groupie, so he makes her the band's manager instead. She throws herself into the job, convinced that winning the Battle of the Bands will look good on her college application.
Who is Mrs. Hathaway in School of Rock?
Mrs. Hathaway is Summer's mother, one of the Horace Green parents in the Broadway musical; Jaygee Macapugay played her in the original 2015 cast. At the Battle of the Bands, she is the parent who has to pull Zack's father away when he freezes with pride during the band's performance.
What show is Summer Hathaway from?
Summer Hathaway is a supporting character in School of Rock: The Musical, which opened on Broadway in 2015.
Is Summer Hathaway a lead or supporting role?
Summer Hathaway is a supporting role as the band's manager.
Who wrote the music for School of Rock: The Musical?
Andrew Lloyd Webber composed the music, with lyrics by Glenn Slater.
Think you can name today's mystery character in eight guesses?
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School of Rock: The Musical show guideMusical theatre characters A to Z