'Glimmerglass' New Musical Premieres March 5 in Norwich

America's first literary hero - Natty Bumpo - comes to life on stage at The Spirit of Broadway Theater in Norwich, CT from March 5 - June 6, 2008 with the new musical Glimmerglass by Douglas J. Cohen, Ted Drachman and Jonathan Bolt. Featuring a cast of 15, this inspirational and moving new musical is headlined by New York City actors Richard Rodgers (as Leatherstocking), Mark Christine (as Natty Bumpo) Brad Heikes (as Harry), Keithon Gipson (as Chingachgook), Christine Nolan (as Elizabeth) and Holly Pierson (as Judith).

Based on characters from "The Leatherstocking Stories" of James Fenimore Cooper, Glimmerglass begins in 1809, with Natty Bumpo - now in his 60's and called by the name of Leatherstocking, - and his Indian brother, Chingachgook, returning to Glimmerglass, the place where he received his Indian name some 40 years earlier. The shores of the once pristine lake are now home to a town, and much of the hillside has lost its trees to industry. An unexpected and unwelcomed discovery will drive Leatherstocking to revisit the past 40 years of his life.

James Fenimore Cooper was born James Cooper on September 15, 1789 in Burlington, New Jersey. (The "Fenimore" was legally added only in 1826.) His parents, William Cooper and Elizabeth Fenimore Cooper. James was the twelfth of thirteen children, of which only four brothers and two sisters survived childhood. In 1790 the family moved to Lake Otsego, in upstate New York, where William Cooper had purchased a large tract of land and founded a settlement he called Cooperstown. Early experiences in a frontier town gave James the background for The Pioneers (1823), among other frontier novels.

Bernardini is even pushing to raise the level of musical excellence with by hiring New York composer, Jeffrey Lodin to serve as Musical Director. Mr. Lodin is no stranger to The Spirit of Broadway Theater having had three of his works: Rebels, A Hundred Years into the Heart and most recently Top of the Heap

Glimmerglass runs March 5 - April 6, 2008. Performances are Wednesday - Saturday evenings at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $30.00 for adults, $25.00 for students / seniors. Special events connected with this production include Thursday. March 13, Educator's Night at the Spirit. Saturday, March 15 Glimmerglass Black Tie Opening Night Gala, Sunday, March 15 Page2Stage Matinee, Sunday, March 30 High School Matinee. For information about special events ticket pricing, general reservations or more information, please contact the Box office at 860.886.2378. Or visit www.spiritofbroadway.org