The new musical that tells the story of the tumultuous life of the man who composed the hymn "Amazing Grace," will have played 24 previews and 114 regular performances at the Nederlander Theatre.
It arrived on Broadway after an out-of-town Chicago try-out last fall. The musical struggled at the box office since previews began June 25. For the week ending Sept. 13, Amazing Grace had its best week on Broadway, taking in only $332,663 out of a possible $1,097,840.
"With the cost of a Broadway ticket, the piece needs to be excellent, and worth people's time and money," she show's producer, Carolyn Rossi Copeland, told Playbill.com last spring. "We saw it in Chicago. People of all backgrounds came to the theatre and left entertained and uplifted."
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In a statement announcing the show's closing, Copeland expressed dissapointment in the show's box office performance on Broadway. "We are incredibly disappointed in the show’s performance at the box office on Broadway. Our successful engagement in Chicago led us to make the decision to bring Amazing Grace to Broadway. The audiences who do come leave the theater uplifted, and we are honored to have introduced the important story of John Newton to the Broadway community. John Newton’s story of redemption resulted in him being the first abolitionist in the British Empire. I look forward to bringing this story of hope and redemption to audiences around the country with our upcoming national tour." (Troika Entertainment will present the tour.) Read reviews for the musical here.
The musical was written by newcomer Christopher Smith, a self-taught musician who was a former police officer and a youth outreach and education director in Pennsylvania.
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In addition to the title song, the show has music and lyrics by Smith, who co-wrote the book with Arthur Giron.
Directed by Gabriel Barre (Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party) and choreographed by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies), the cast is headed by Tony nominee Josh Young, Tony nominee Tom Hewitt, Erin Mackey, Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper, Chris Hoch, Stanley Bahorek, Harriett D. Foy, Laiona Michelle, Rachael Ferrera and Elizabeth Ward Land.
The ensemble features Leslie Becker, Sara Brophy, Rheaume Crenshaw, Miquel Edson, Mike Evariste, Sean Ewing, Savannah Frazier, Christopher Gurr, Allen Kendall, Michael Dean Morgan, Vince Oddo, Oneika Phillips, Clifton Samuels, Gavriel Savit, Dan Sharkey, Bret Shuford, Evan Alexander Smith, Uyoata Udi, Charles E. Wallace, Toni Elizabeth White and Hollie E. Wright.
Amazing Grace is described as a "new original musical based on the awe-inspiring true story behind the world’s most beloved song. A captivating tale of romance, rebellion and redemption, this radiant production follows one man whose incredible journey ignited a historic wave of change. John Newton (Tony Award nominee Josh Young), a willful and musically talented young Englishman, faces a future as uncertain as the turning tide. Coming of age as Britain sits atop an international empire of slavery, he finds himself torn between following in the footsteps of his father – a slave trader – or embracing the more compassionate views of his childhood sweetheart (Erin Mackey). Accompanied by his slave, Thomas (Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper), John embarks on a perilous voyage on the high seas. When that journey finds John in his darkest hour, a transformative moment of self-reckoning inspires a blazing anthem of hope that will finally guide him home."
The creative team also includes Eugene Lee and Edward Pierce (scenic design), Toni-Leslie James (costume design), Ken Billington and Paul Miller (lighting design), Jon Weston (sound design), Robert–Charles Vallance (hair design), David Leong (fight and military movement), Gillian Lane-Plescia (dialect coach), Kenny Seymour (orchestrations), Michael Keller (music coordinator) and Joseph Church (music director, arranger, incidental music).
Amazing Grace is produced by Carolyn Rossi Copeland and Alexander Rankin.
Tickets for Amazing Grace are on sale via Ticketmaster.com or by calling (877) 250-2929. Ticket prices range from $65-$139 (all prices include a $2.00 facility fee).
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