Photo Coverage: Inside Opening Night of HARD TIMES

Hard Times the new Stephen Foster musical served up an Irish Wake in honor of the show's opening Off Broadway on January 13th---the 150th Anniversary of Foster's death. At a post-performance party all audience and cast members will share shots of Irish Whiskey to salute the acclaimed "father of American music", and pre-eminent 19th century songwriter. Check out photos from opening night below!

Foster's songs - "Oh! Susanna", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home" ("Swanee River"), "Hard Times Come Again No More", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", and "Beautiful Dreamer" - remain popular over 150 years after their composition. "Hard Times" is set in New York's infamous Five Points during the Draft Riots of July 1863 when Foster was a resident. He died exactly six months later on January 13th, 1864, at the age of 37 with 38 cents in his pocket.

Having received critical and popular acclaim last season, Larry Kirwan's Stephen Foster musical 'Hard Times' will return to Off Broadway at the the cell, A Twenty First Century Salon (Founding Artistic Director, Nancy Manocherian), (338 West 23rd Street), opening Monday, January 13th (7PM) --- to commemorate the 150 anniversary of Mr. Foster's death. Directed by Kira Simring, choreographed by Joe Barros and produced by the cell, Hard Times will start preview performances on Thursday, January 9th (8PM). For more information, visit www.thecelltheatre.org.

Photo Credit: Stephen Sorokoff

"Hard Times"

The Cast

Larry Kirwan, creator

A Toast to Stephen Foster

Stephen Foster

EDa Sorokoff , Stephane Duret, Jennifer Lorae

Jamie deRoy & Jed Peterson

Larry Kirwan & EDa Sorokoff

Rona Siddiqui, Music Director