Mary Testa Is Queen of the Mist Again, Beginning February 20 in New Jersey

Michael John LaChiusa's Queen of the Mist gets a concert staging at New Jersey's PEAK Performances at Montclair State University beginning February 20 and continuing through February 23. Broadway favorite Mary Testa is leading the concerts, reprising her performance from the musical's 2011 world premiere. Kirsten Sanderson directs.

Joining Testa in the cast are George Abud, Klea Blackhurst, Erin Davie, Kelvin Moon Loh, Anthony Norman, and Leo Roberts. The performances are being held in the institution's Alexander Kasser Theater.

Queen of the Mist features words and music by LaChiusa (The Gardens of Anuncia, The Wild Party) and orchestrations by Michael Starobin. The work was commissioned by Off-Broadway's Transport Group, which gave it its world premiere.

Testa once again stars as Annie Edson Taylor, a real-life figure who was the first woman to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survive. The performances are presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals.

PEAK's production features music direction by Jude Obermüller, lighting design by Keith A. Traux, sound design by Ken Travis, costume design by Lara de Bruijn, and projection design by Sanderson.

Tickets are available at PeakPerfs.org.

See photos from the 2011 original production of Queen of the Mist below: