“Amazing Grace”
Previews: June 25-July 15, 2015
Opening Night: Thursday, July 16, 2015
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
Manhattan
Amazing Grace, a new musical, is based on the awe-inspiring true story behind the world’s most beloved song. A captivating tale of romance, rebellion and redemption, this radiant production follows one man whose incredible journey ignited a historic wave of change that gave birth to the abolitionist movement.
John Newton (Tony Award nominee Josh Young), a willful and musically talented young Englishman, faces a future as uncertain as the turning tide. Coming of age as Britain sits atop an international empire of slavery, he finds himself torn between following in the footsteps of his father – a slave trader – and embracing the more compassionate views of his childhood sweetheart (Erin Mackey). An unforgettable musical saga, Amazing Grace captures the spirit of history’s sweetest and most powerful sound: freedom.
Music and lyrics by Christopher Smith, Book by Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron, directed by Gabriel Barre (Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party) and choreographed by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies).
The cast: Tony Award nominee Josh Young (Jesus Christ Superstar), Erin Mackey (NY Philharmonic’s concert production of Sweeney Todd, Chaplin), Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper (Act One, The Life), Tom Hewitt (Dr. Zhivago), Chris Hoch (Matilda, Far From Heaven), Stanley Bahorek (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Big River), Harriett D. Foy (Mamma Mia!, Crowns), Laiona Michelle (The Book of Mormon national tour), Rachael Ferrera (Broadway debut), and Elizabeth Ward Land (Scandalous, The Green Heart).