GLENS FALLS – Adirondack Theatre Festival announced its 28th season. The season includes exclusive first looks at new drafts of cutting-edge titles that have generated major buzz throughout American theater.
“Our season represents a reinvestment in the festival’s core strengths,” said Miriam Weisfeld, who as producing artistic director is presenting her first ATF season. “Audiences can expect a diverse range of groundbreaking artists as we nurture new work traveling from Glens Falls to the world.”
The summer season at the Charles R. Wood Theater includes:
• An exclusive look at a new draft of Mystic Pizza musical that Broadway World says “beautifully places mostly tunes from the 1980s by such well-known artists as John Mellencamp, Van Morrison, Melissa Etheridge and others around an engaging true-to-life story and characters that matter.” Presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
• ATF is presenting an “athletic” new adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s much beloved The Hobbit. • In 1834, 16-year-old Afong Moy sailed into New York Harbor and was put on display for a paying public who were mesmerized by her graceful tea ritual and shocked by her tiny bound feet. The Chinese Lady shares her impressions of a young country struggling to define itself as Moy travels from the Oval Office to a circus tent in this incredible true story. Shannon Tyo, star of the Public Theater’s recent sold-out run, directs. • Last Stop on Market Street has been described as a “hip-hoppin’, heart-thumpin’, toe tappin’ musical joy ride.” This concert presentation of new all-ages musical features songs by legendary songwriter Lamont Dozier, co-writer of many Motown hits including “Heatwave” and “Where Did Our Love Go,” and his son Paris Ray Dozier, and book by Cheryl L. West, author of the upcoming Broadway shows Jar the Floor and Shout, Sister, Shout! The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Subscriptions are $155 for adults and $95 for youth age 18 and younger are available by phone (518-480-4878) or in person from noon to 5 p.m. Tues,-Sat. at the Charles R. Wood Theater Box Office at 207 Glen St., or through atfestival.org.
The 2022 Adirondack Theatre Festival season
The Chinese Lady
June 15 – 26
“Extraordinary.” (The New York Times)
Fresh from a sold-out run at NYC’s Public Theater, this show is quickly becoming one of the most widely produced plays in America. In a little-known true episode from the 19th century, a fourteen-year-old girl is brought from China to New York Harbor and put on display as the first Chinese woman in America. Her surreal journey takes her from Andrew Jackson’s Oval Office to P.T. Barnum’s circus tent to the harsh reality of the Chinese Exclusion Act. This haunting portrait allows us to gaze into a hidden past, as the past gazes back at us.
The Hobbit
July 6 – 17
“Magical.” (The Star Tribune)
An athletic new adaptation of one of the best-selling fantasy books of all time. Bilbo Baggins lives a complacent life until the Dwarfs, robbed of their riches and displaced from their homeland, call on him to be their ally. Five virtuosic actors transform into goblins, spiders, wolves, elves, eagles, and more in a battle against the forces of greed and corruption. A theatrical tour-de-force for lovers of great storytelling.
Last Stop on Market Street
July 28 – 31
“Marvelous.” (The Sun-Times)
A concert presentation for all ages based on an award-winning picture book about a bond between grandparent and grandchild, this new musical features a script by Cheryl L. West, author of two upcoming Broadway shows, and songs by the father-son team of Paris Ray Dozier and Lamont Dozier, co-writer of iconic Motown songs including Stop in the Name of Love, Heat Wave, Come See About Me, How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You, and more. An irresistible musical experience and a heartwarming lesson in service to others.
Mystic Pizza
August 5 – 7
“Brilliant.” (Broadway World)
A concert presentation based on the beloved 1980’s movie starring Julia Roberts, this new musical features a treasure trove of hit songs by Melissa Etheridge, John Cougar Mellencamp, Debbie Gibson, Cyndi Lauper, Van Morrison and more. Adirondack Theatre Festival was proud to host a developmental retreat for this show last winter. Now ATF audiences can be the first to hear the new draft in a concert presentation before the show travels the country. Mystic Pizza is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. (www.concordtheatricals.com)
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