Daniele to Helm JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH for Goodspeed, 10/21 - 11/12; Pasek & Paul Compose

Two-time Tony Award-winning Goodspeed Musicals has announced that they will produce an extraordinary new musical this fall at The Norma Terris Theatre, its home for developing new works in Chester, Conn. Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach will charm audiences October 21 through November 14. This production is made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts honoring Artistic Excellence.

When James is shipped off to live with his wretched aunts, he longs for a real family and a new home. All seems lost until he discovers a magical giant peach filled with a mix of fantastical creatures . Together with Green Grasshopper, Ladybug, Centipede and more, James embarks on a most extraordinary adventure sailing across the sea to distant lands. Don't miss this smart and imaginative new musical with the magic of Pilobolus. A spectacular event for all ages!

James and the Giant Peach features an original score by an exciting new writing team with Music by Justin Paul and Lyrics by Benj Pasek. Book is written by Timothy Allen McDonald, a noted playwright (Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka, Jim Henson's Emmet Otter, The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley) and director (The Phantom Tollbooth, Kennedy Center, and Dear Edwina, Daryl Roth producer.) Mr. McDonald is the Founder and CEO of New York city based iTheatrics whose clients include Disney Theatrical Productions, Music Theatre International, and Broadway musicals like Memphis. This new musical is based on the book James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.

James and the Giant Peach will be Directed by Tony Award nominee Graciela Daniele whose Broadway directing credits include Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, Once on This Island, Ragtime and the 1999 revival of Annie Get Your Gun. As a performer Ms. Daniele was in the original Broadway casts of Chicago, Follies, Coco, and Promises, Promises. Choreography will be by the internationally acclaimed sensation Pilobolus Dance Theater. Pilobolus began in 1971 as an outsider dance company and quickly became renowned the world over for its imaginative and athletic exploration of creative collaboration. Nearly 40 years later, it has evolved into a pioneering American cultural institution of the 21st century.

"With such an extraordinary creative team, James and the Giant Peach embraces a unique concept of connecting physical theater traditions with the golden age of musicals. The result will be a theatrical journey like nothing you've ever experienced before," said Michael P. Price, who will produce James and the Giant Peach for Goodspeed Musicals.

The Norma Terris Theatre is located at 33 North Main Street in Chester which was recently voted "Best Small Town in Connecticut" by Connecticut Magazine. Season subscriptions ($78) and individual tickets ($42) and are on sale now. For more information call the Goodspeed Box Office at 860.873.8668 or visit www.goodspeed.org.

Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre, Goodspeed Musicals produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn., and additional productions at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn., which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. The first of two regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement), Goodspeed also maintains the Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in the Musical Theater. Goodspeed Musicals gratefully acknowledges the support of our Official Audio Sponsor Sennheiser Electronic Corporation. Goodspeed Musicals is supported in part by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

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