Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown at Birmingham Festival Theatre

Directed by Brandon Bruce; Musical Direction by John Allen Bankson.Starring Jalen Brown, Christopher Charleston, Sara James & Leah Luker. Understudies: Mackey Atkinson & Amy Coenen.Its about one moment. Its about hitting the wall and having to make a choice or take a stand or turn around and go back. These are the stories and characters of today, the Songs for a New World. The first musical from Tony Award winner, Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Bridges of Madison County), this moving collection of powerful songs examines life, love and the choices that we make.Brown transports his audience from the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship to a ledge, 57 stories above Fifth Avenue, to meet a startling array of characters that range from a young man who has determined that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich nabs her the man of her dreams and a soulless marriage.With a small, powerhouse multi-ethnic cast and a driving, exquisitely crafted score that runs the gamut of todays popular music, Songs for a New World is a great way to bring the next generation into the theatre.Performance dates are July 25th through August 10th. (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, one Sunday matinee on August 4). Opening night will have a reception immediately following the performance. The second Thursday night (August 1) is pay-what-you-can-afford.Tickets and more info available at www.BFTOnline.org.