The acclaimed song cycle will be offered at the Theatre at St. Luke's in Manhattan with an encore presentation Dec. 11. The cast, headed by Tracy Jai Edwards and Rick Delancy, also includes Hector Corris, Jason Kane, Holli Leggett, Eric Martin, Julie Reyburn, Shelby Rose, Andrea Rutherford, Stephanie Schrader, Alicia St. Louis and Stephanie Streisand. Show time is 8 PM.
About the production, Samsara artistic director Jason Kane said in a recent statement, "At a time when America is faced with some 'big' choices, Songs for a New World can remind audiences of what we were and what we’ve become. With songs like 'The Flagmaker 1775,' which is about the uncertainty of living in a country at war, Songs for a New World explores timeless human struggles. From the woman lamenting her youthful priorities in 'Stars and the Moon,' to the man who can’t make ends meet in 'The River Won’t Flow,' everyone can relate to some part of the show."
Tracy Jai Edwards was seen on Broadway in Hairspray and Off-Broadway in The Great American Trailer Park Musical. Edwards will also be part of the cast of the new musical Legally Blonde. Rick Delancy was Ben Vereen's standby in Fosse and has also appeared in tours of Chicago and Dreamgirls.
Songs for a New World is a series of tunes loosely focused on change, newness and discovery. "Stars and the Moon" — which has been recorded by Audra McDonald and Betty Buckley — was the break-out hit of the show. The song cycle also features comic numbers — the frantic and dark "Just One Step" and the Christmas parody "Surabaya-Santa" — as well as quiet ballads like "The World Was Dancing" and "I'd Give It All for You."
Jason Robert Brown, who was the musical director and arranger for the musical Urban Cowboy, won the Tony Award for Best Score for his Broadway debut, Parade. His two-person musical, The Last Five Years, played a brief run at Off-Broadway's Minetta Lane Theatre, and was preserved on Sh-K-Boom Records. Brown also composed the score for Songs for a New World and wrote incidental music for Fuddy Meers, Kimberly Akimbo, The Waverly Gallery and the Irish Repertory Theatre's production of Long Day's Journey Into Night. His newest musical is titled 13. The Theater at St. Luke's is located in Manhattan at 308 West 46th Street. Tickets, priced at $40, are available by calling (212) 352-3101.
