Free Family Fun: We the People: America Rocks! Opens Off-Broadway July 14

By Adam Hetrick
14 Jul 2010

Colin Campbell McAdoo
Colin Campbell McAdoo
Photo by Joan Marcus

Grown-ups had Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson earlier this summer at the Public Theater, and now American history rocks for kids in the new musical We the People: America Rocks!, which officially opens July 14 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

Theatreworks USA presents the free summer run of We the People, which began July 8 and will run through Aug. 13. Gordon Greenberg directs the 60-minute musical with choreography by Michele Lynch (Everyday Rapture).

 

The cast includes F. Michael Haynie as John Adams, Abe Goldfarb as Benjamin Franklin, Jamie LaVerdiere as Thomas Jefferson, Colin Campbell McAdoo as George Washington and Badia Farha as Dawn. Understudies for the production are Justin Flagg and Brittany N. Williams.

Joe Iconis (The Black Suits, Things to Ruin) penned the book for We the People, which has songs contributed by Brad Alexander and Kevin Del Aguila; Sam Forman and Eli Bolin; Tommy Newman; Ryan Scott Oliver; Adam Overett; and Erik Weiner, Mark Weiner and Jordan Allen-Dutton. Songs by Iconis are also featured in the musical.

Here's how Theatreworks describes the production: "On a quest to win her school election, Dawn cares more about padding her college applications than making her school a better place. With the help of these Fab Four, she discovers that 'We the People' have the power to raise a patriotic ruckus and make a difference!"

Designing the production are Adam Koch (scenic design), Lora LaVon (costume design), Jeff Croiter (lighting design) and Michael Eisenberg (sound design). J. Oconer Navarro musical directs with orchestrations by Greg Pliska.

Visit TWUSA.org. The Lucille Lortel is located at 121 Christopher Street in Manhattan.