Idina Menzel, Beth Malone, Jose Llana, Mykal Kilgore & More to Star in THE BIG MIX at Little Island

Little Island, New York City's new public park in Hudson River Park by W. 13th Street, announced today the complete casting for The Big Mix, a three-week, three-holiday, one-of-a-kind performance party. Conceived and directed by Little Island Artist-in-Residence and Tony Award nominee, Tina Landau (SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts, Old Hats), The Big Mix will offer a unique show centering around and celebrating one of three summer holidays - Juneteenth, LGBTQIA+ Pride, and Independence Day. Performances will begin on Thursday, June 16 and run through Sunday, July 3.

The Big Mix - Juneteenth will play June 16 to 19 at 8:00 p.m., hosted by Tony and Grammy Award nominee Joshua Henry (Into the Woods, Waitress, Carousel). With performances from Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins ("All My Children," Mother Courage and Her Children, Holler If Ya Hear Me), Mykal Kilgore (Motown: The Musical, The Wiz Live!, and Hair), singer-songwriter Chanese Elifé, and special acts including parkour artists Reap Genius & Falco, fire artist Sage Sovereign, dance performances from Step It Up/HANAC Secret Society Dance Company, choral performances from Vy Higginsen's Sing Harlem Choir, and marching band performances by The Empire Marching Elite. Plus, newly commissioned work from Brinae Ali & Tamar-kali and new music by Jacinth Greywoode.

The Big Mix - LGBTQIA+ Pride will have two hosts along with two special guests. June 23 and 24 at 8:00 p.m. will be hosted by Peppermint ("RuPaul's Drag Race," Head Over Heels, co-founder of Black Queer Town Hall) with a special guest performance by Tony Award nominee Beth Malone (Fun Home, Angels in America: Perestroika & Millennium Approaches). June 25 at 6:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. will be hosted by Qween Jean (Costume Designer for Wedding Band, On Sugarland, founder of Black Trans Liberation) with a special guest performance by Tony Award winner Idina Menzel (Wicked, Rent). All four dates will feature performances from Brandon Contreras ("WeCrashed," Almost Famous) & Jose Llana (The King and I, Here Lies Love, Twelfth Night), singer-songwriter Chanese Elifé, Carmen Castillo, Carmen Lobue & Mariyea, and special acts including poetry and spoken word artist Arhm Choi, circus artists Ben Franklin & Joshua Dean, House of LaBeija, House of Us, and Pride Puppets. Plus, newly commissioned work from James Alsop and an arrangement by Will Van Dyke.

The Big Mix - Independence Day will run June 29 to July 3 at 8:00 pm, hosted by Tony Award winner Faith Prince (Guys and Dolls, Annie, A Catered Affair). With performances from Ty Defoe (Masculinity Max, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"), Tony and Grammy Award nominee Judy Kuhn (Fiddler on the Roof, Fun Home), and special acts including FogoAzul NYC Brazilian American Style Samba Reggae Band, poetry and spoken word artist Denice Frohman, harmonicist Jiayi He, yoyo artist, Brian Klimowski, Heidi Latsky Dance, and composers and musicians Jaime Lozano & Florencia Cuenca.

All three weeks will feature our triple-threat ensemble of Marla Louissaint (The Visitor, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Beautiful The Carole King Musical), Zach McNally (West Side Story, The Plot Against America and Hightown), Ianne Fields Stewart ("Dash and Lily", "The Bold Type", "Pose"), and Allan K. Washington ("High Fidelity", Once on This Island, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical). The ensemble has also contributed select material within the show.

The house band is led by Musical Director Kimberly Grigsby (Flying Over Sunset, To Kill a Mockingbird, Head Over Heels) and features Jami Dauber on Trumpet, Alejandro Espinosa on Trombone, Abe Fogle on Drums, Ann Klein on Guitar and Parker McAllister on Bass. With arrangements and orchestrations by Jacinth Greywoode and Britt Bonney serves as Music Assistant/Copyist.

The Big Mix features costume design by Ari Fulton assisted by Jessica Irvin, lighting design by Adam Honoré assisted by Shannon Clarke, props coordination and set dressing by Matt Carlin, an opening number written by Ronvé O'Daniel, and opening number choreography by Jon Rua. Kenneth Ferrone serves as Associate Director, lark hackshaw serves as production stage manager and Alex Hajjar serves as assistant stage manager. Niiamar Felder serves as Wardrobe Supervisor, Alissa Jaquin serves as Stitcher, Cait Johnson serves as Production Assistant, and Laurence Plonsky serves as the COVID Safety Manager whose services are provided by Production COVID & Safety Officers.

For a full schedule of The Big Mix performances, CLICK HERE!

Health and Safety Protocols

In accordance with New York State and CDC guidelines, Little Island is an outdoor park and does not have any masking or vaccination requirements. You are welcome to wear a mask if that makes you feel more comfortable. If you have received a positive Covid-19 diagnosis in the last 5 days or if you are feeling any symptoms of Covid-19, please stay home.

Ticketing

The Big Mix will take place in The Amph and will be ticketed. Our mission for our ticketed events is to be accessible, so 30% of tickets are distributed for free to Little Island's non-profit partners including the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, NYC DOE Office of Arts and Special Projects, Greenwich House, Hudson Guild, PS 33 Chelsea Prep, The Door, and Westbeth Artist Residents Council; 30% of tickets are sold at $25 through the Theatre Development Fund or through Little Island's website for anyone under the age of 25 or over 65 years old, and 30% of tickets are sold through Little Island's website at $45 for regular price. All tickets are general admission, and your show ticket also serves as your timed entry reservation.

Please note there will be two performances of The Big Mix on Saturday, June 25 at 6:30 pm and 10:00 pm. There will be no performance on Sunday, June 26.

Little Island will once again partner with Body Language Productions to offer American Sign Language interpretation for the following performances: The Big Mix on Saturday, June 18 at 8:00 pm and Saturday, June 25 at 6:30 pm. For more information, please visit https://littleisland.org/accessibility/.

How to Get Tickets

All tickets will be electronic/mobile-only and are available for purchase now by visiting www.littleisland.org or by visiting tdf.org. There will be no tickets available to purchase on-site. Your ticket also serves as your timed entry reservation to the park.

About Little Island

Little Island is a new public park, primarily funded by the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation with support from the City of New York, in Hudson River Park. The park features a lush, seasonal, landscape with rolling hills, walking paths and open lawns, and dazzling views of New York City. Little Island is one of the latest additions to the four-mile-long Hudson River Park, which runs from Chambers Street to W. 59th Street.

Little Island has a 687-seat amphitheater, an intimate stage and lawn for 200 visitors, and an open plaza, all designed to host a range of programming for all ages, from theater, dance, and music to food and beverage experiences to educational programs and community events. Little Island provides New Yorkers, and its visitors, with a unique urban oasis-a place for experiences that ignite imagination, foster spontaneity and play, and support camaraderie and connection.