An enormous heartfelt “Thank You” to all the designers, technicians, staff, interns, and, of course, performers, who collaborated on this Western production of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD. I sincerely hope you learned as much, maybe more, working on this project, as I did. And, as always, a big hug to my husband Steve for his constant support.
About the Musical
Jason Robert Brown (born June 20, 1970) is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, and playwright. He grew up in the suburbs of New York City, and attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He began his career in New York City as an arranger, conductor, and pianist, working on shows such as William Finn's A New Brain, and playing at several nightclubs and piano bars in the city. SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD marked his first major New York production.
According to the composer, SONGS is “neither a musical play nor revue, it’s closer to a theatrical song cycle, a very theatrical song cycle…it’s an abstract musical, a series of songs all connected by a theme: the moment of decision…it's about hitting a wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back."
A workshop of the show was produced in Toronto, Canada and then opened Off-Broadway for 28 performances at the WPA Theatre in New York City in 1995. It was revived in New York City in 2008 and again in 2018. SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD premiered in London at the Bridewell Theatre in 2001 and was revived at the St. James Theatre in 2015. In July 2020, as theatres around the world remained dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Other Palace (formerly the St James Theatre) again revived the show as a digital production filmed entirely in isolation with contemporary news footage interwoven with the musical numbers. Western Theatre is pleased to present this work on its 25th anniversary.
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