The new musical The Willard Suitcases will make its world premiere at the American Shakespeare Center this fall. Performances will begin September 25 and continue in repertory with the company's fall programming through December 1. Opening night is set for October 4.
The musical is set to star Olivier, Drama Desk and Helen Hayes Award-nominated Nancy Anderson (Sunset Boulevard). Ethan McSweeny will direct.
With music and lyrics by Julianne Wick Davis, the show is inspired by photos of abandoned suitcases and their contents discovered in the attic of the now-shuttered Willard Psychiatric Center in upstate New York.
The musical joins what ASC refers to as its Roman Trio, comprised of the McSweeny-helmed staging of Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra directed by Sharon Ott, and Eric Tucker's Shaw-inspired hybrid, Caesar and Cleopatra.
