The new musical features music and lyrics by Christopher Smith and a book by Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron, directed by Gabriel Barre (Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party) and choreographed by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies).
Performances will begin June 25.
The Broadway cast of Amazing Grace will include members of the show’s world premiere run in Chicago: Tony Award nominee Josh Young (Jesus Christ Superstar), Erin Mackey (NY Philharmonic's concert production of Sweeney Todd, Chaplin), Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper (Caroline, or Change; The Life), Chris Hoch (Matilda, Far From Heaven), Stanley Bahorek (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Big River), Harriett D. Foy (Mamma Mia!, Crowns), Laiona Michelle (The Book of Mormon national tour), Rachael Ferrera (Broadway debut) and Elizabeth Ward Land (Scandalous, The Green Heart).
Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.
Amazing Grace, according to press notes, is a "world-premiere 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 (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 – and embracing the more compassionate views of his childhood sweetheart (Erin Mackey)."
The musical, which received mixed notices in Chicago, has raised $10 million for the production, according to a report last fall in The New York Times.
Amazing Grace is produced by Carolyn Rossi Copeland and Alexander Rankin. The production and design 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).
Ticket information will be announced soon.
The show's website is AmazingGraceMusical.com. Here are photos from the Chicago premiere:
