IMPOSSIBLE BUT TRUE to Return to New York for 250th Anniversary
The tavern musical features Anthony Shepard as Rip Van Winkle alongside new and returning cast members at the Old Stone House, Fraunces Tavern and Maple Grove Cemetery.
Brooklyn Tavern Theater's Impossible But True, the immersive musical that playfully turns the story of the American Revolution on its head, returns this fall for a special 2026 season celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.
You thought Hamilton and Washington won the American Revolution? Nope! Impossible But True introduces audiences to Rip Van Winkle and a spirited bunch of New Yorkers armed with mugs of ale, ghost stories, songs and seemingly impossible ideas.
Blending history, folklore, comedy and original music, Impossible But True invites audiences into the world of colonial New York for an unconventional theatrical experience inspired by Washington Irving's legendary characters and the revolutionary era.
The 2026 production features new songs and six new cast members, alongside three returning performers.
Anthony Shepard joins the company as Rip Van Winkle, with Jack Kehoe as Ben / Jonathan Doolittle, Ray Kao as Nicolaus Vedder / Reverend William Gansevoort / Henrick Hudson, Cameron Reese as Hubert Oosterhout, Antonio Loya as Brom Dutcher and Nicole Goldstein as Dame Anna Van Onderdonk.
Returning to Impossible But True are Laura Bright as Rebecca Van Winkle, Shelby O'Brien as Jenny / Dame Rachel Vedder and Victoria Underhill as Ripje / Judy.
The production opens October 16 at the Old Stone House in Brooklyn, with additional performances there on October 17, 24, 25 and 30. The show then travels to Fraunces Tavern in Manhattan on November 8 and Maple Grove Cemetery in Queens on November 14.
The historic settings are an integral part of the experience, bringing Impossible But True and its larger-than-life New Yorkers into spaces that connect contemporary audiences with the city's past.
'Impossible But True has always been about finding the extraordinary stories hiding inside New York history,' said Dan Furman, the show's creator. 'With America turning 250, there couldn't be a better year to return to the tavern, raise a glass and look at the Revolution from a very different-and much funnier-point of view.'
IMPOSSIBLE BUT TRUE -
2026 PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Old Stone House - Brooklyn
October 16, 17, 24, 25 & 30
Fraunces Tavern - Manhattan
November 8
Maple Grove Cemetery - Queens
November 14
Book, Music & Lyrics: Dan Furman
Director: Joe Castinado
Additional Lyrics: Mary-Liz McNamara
Produced by: Brooklyn Tavern Theater
ABOUT IMPOSSIBLE BUT TRUE
Impossible But True is an immersive tavern musical blending New York history, Washington Irving-inspired folklore, comedy and original music. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the American Revolution, the show invites audiences to meet Rip Van Winkle and a colorful collection of New Yorkers whose stories suggest that history may be a little stranger-and a lot more entertaining-than we remember.
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