Thursday, February 10, 2011

Amazing Grace Readings, With Josh Young, Matt Bogart, Quentin Earl Darrington


This announcement by Andrew Gans appears on Playbill.com. I'll be there this afternoon. I've been following this show since seeing a concert/reading in Bucks County at the invitation of creator Christopher Smith in October 2007. Two songs from the show have been featured at Broadway Blessing.

By-invitation-only readings of the new musical Amazing Grace will be presented Feb. 10-11 at 3 PM at The New 42nd Street Studios in Manhattan.

Directed by Gabriel Barre, the cast includes Josh Young (Che in Evita at Stratford Festival) as John Newton, Terrence Mann (The Addams Family, Les Miserables), Matt Bogart (in photo, Jersey Boys, Aida), Katie Rose Clarke (Wicked), Quentin Earl Darrington (Ragtime), Harriet D. Foy (Mamma Mia!) and Laiona Michelle (Black Nativity) with Courtney Balan, Rheaume Crenshaw, Trevon Davis, Struan Erlenborn, Rachel Ferrera, Scott Richard Foster, Christopher Kale Jones, Allen Kendall, Kevin Smith Kirkwood, Sarah Knapp, C. Mingo Long, Dominique Plaisant, Aaron Ramey, Dan Sharkey, Sasha Sloan, Paul Michael Valley, Kayla Vanderbilt, Robin S. Walker, and Charles E. Wallace.

Amazing Grace features music and lyrics by Christopher Smith and book by Smith and Arthur Giron. The new musical, according to press notes, is described as "an epic musical love story based on the life and trials of John Newton, the former slave-trader who authored one of the world's most recognized songs. The story is told from the point of view of his childhood friend Mary Catlett, the woman who never lost faith in him and whose love, courage and unshakable conviction helped to transform his life. Their journey to find the meaning of their own existence will lead them to love, heartbreak and an epic quest to end the scourge of slavery."

The music supervisor for the readings is Kimberly Grigsby.

The New 42nd Street Studios is at 229 W. 42nd St. For more information visit www.agmusical.com.

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