The new musical was originally scheduled to play a pre-Broadway Boston engagement in 2013, but producers announced that they would delay the musical's Broadway arrival due to the lack of an available theatre.
The Alliance Theatre will now present the premiere production Jan. 21-Feb. 22, 2015. Tuck Everlasting officially opens Feb. 4. Official Broadway plans following the Atlanta premiere have not been announced.
Based on Natalie Babbitt's popular 1975 children's novel, Tuck Everlasting has a score by Burnt Part Boys songwriters Miller (music) and Tysen (lyrics) and a book by Tony Award-nominated playwright Claudia Shear (Dirty Blonde).
Tony Award-winning Book of Mormon director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw (Aladdin, The Drowsy Chaperone) will direct and choreograph.
Atlanta based actress Sarah Charles Lewis will star as Winnie Foster, the young girl who befriends a unique family that has gained eternal life by drinking from a spring that flows from a tree in the woods. Keenan-Bolger (Newsies, "Looking") will star in the central role of immortal boy Jesse Tuck. The cast also features Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello (Scandalous, Parade) as Ma Tuck, Robert Lenzi (South Pacific) as Miles Tuck, Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann (Pippin, Beauty and the Beast) as the Man in the Yellow Suit, Michael Park (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) as Pa Tuck, Bill Buell (Cyrano de Bergerac) as Constable Joe, Michael Wartella (Wicked) as Hugo, Shannon Eubanks (The Savannah Disputation) as Nana and Liza Jaine (Mary Poppins) as Betsy Foster. Much of the Atlanta cast, who were also attached for the canceled Boston premiere, has been involved in workshops of Tuck Everlasting throughout the show's development.
The creative team includes set designer Walt Spangler (A Christmas Story The Musical), Tony Award-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes (Kinky Boots, Follies), Tony Award-winning lighting designer Kenneth Posner (Kinky Boots, Pippin) and Tony Award-winning sound designer Brian Ronan (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Book of Mormon).
"Tuck Everlasting, like all great tales of immortality, both tempts and frightens us. What makes it beloved is its romantic heart - what makes it endure is the indefinable and timeless shiver of a magical story that makes us believe," book writer Claudia Shear said in a statement.
Composer Miller added, "Nathan and I have wanted to turn Tuck Everlasting into a musical since we met at NYU, and way before that, if you count us dreaming about it separately in our childhoods. As the novel celebrates its 40th year in 2015, I can't wait to share this heartfelt, joyful show with Atlanta audiences."
According to the Alliance, "A young girl dreaming of adventure meets a family with a fabulous secret. Their chance encounter will change them all forever. Take an exhilarating journey you'll never forget in this new musical about everlasting love, never-ending life, and discovering what it means to truly feel alive. Based on the beloved, best-selling, award-winning novel by Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting comes to life on stage in a wholly original production."
For tickets, visit alliancetheatre.org.
