A concert presentation of Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, celebrating the September 16 release of the musical’s world-premiere recording, is held October 24 at The Lindeman.
Written by Douglas Lyons, Melvin Tunstall III, and Greg Borowsky, Polkadots is a new musical inspired by the true events of the Civil Rights pioneers Ruby Bridges and The Little Rock Nine.
The album features Shanice Williams (The Wiz), Alex Newell (Glee), Lilli Cooper (SpongeBob), Alysha Deslorieux (Hamilton), John Arthur Greene (American Idol), Katie Thompson (Giant), Julia Knitel (Beautiful), Brittney Johnson (Motown), Gerard Canonico (Off-Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen), Sara King (Hair), and Talia Thiesfield (Veep).
The 9 PM concert presentation, directed by Melvin Tunstall III and Amy Corcoran, features Johnson as Lily Polkadot, Canonico as Sky Square, Thiesfield as Penelope Square, and Jennifer Sanchez (On Your Feet) as Mama/Ms. Square with additional appearances by album cast members Williams, Newell, Cooper, Deslorieux, Greene, and Thompson as well as musical direction by Ted Arthur.
A CD signing follows. The album is available both on Amazon and ITunes.
Polkadots, according to press notes, “follows 8-year-old Lily Polkadot who just moved to the “Squares Only” small town of Rockaway. As the first Polkadot in an all Square school, Lily faces an almost impossible task of gaining acceptance from her peers. From daily bullying, to segregated drinking fountains, Lily’s quest seems hopeless until she meets Sky, a shy Square boy whose curiosity for her unique polkadot skin blooms into an unexpected pal-ship. Polkadots serves as a colorful history lesson for children, reminding them that our differences make us awesome, not outcasts.”
Following a reading in August 2015, Polkadots had two developmental runs at Carnegie Mellon University and The Ivoryton Playhouse, where it was awarded the Bully Free Communities Spotlight Award. Polkadots now has licensed productions around the country through June 2017.
The Lindeman is located at 508 West 42nd Street. Tickets are $9. Wearing polkadots is encouraged. For more information and tickets, click here.
(Updated October 24, 2016)
