Around this time last year news that a new musical was going to play at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Florida, with hopes the show would then be Broadway Bound. The time has finally come and Asolo Repertory Theatre will present the world premiere of the new musical Josephine beginning April 27, with an official opening May 6.
The musical stars Deborah Cox (Aida) with a book by Ellen Weston and Mark Hampton, music by Stephen Dorff, lyrics by John Bettis, based on a story by Kenneth Waissman, and directed and choreographed by Joey McKneely.
The musical is described on the Asolo Rep Theatre website as;
Romance, intrigue and plenty of excitement will fill the stage next spring when Asolo Rep presents the world-premiere of Josephine, the original new musical bound for Broadway following its Sarasota run. The entrancing Josephine Baker was beautiful, ambitious, and the toast of Europe at the height of her fame in the 1920s-30s. Born into poverty in St. Louis, she rose to become an icon of the Jazz Age, captivating Paris audiences as a dancer, singer, actress and the twentieth-century’s first international black female sex symbol. Directed and choreographed by Tony nominated Joey McKneely and starring Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling recording artist Deborah Cox, this dazzling new musical revolves around Baker’s stint as the star of the Folies-Bergere in Paris from 1939-45, her scandalous affair with Swedish Crown Prince Gustav IV, and her service in the French Resistance during World War II.
The show will run from April 27 until May 29 at Asolo Rep Theatre’s Mertz Theatre (5555 N. Tamiami Tr. Sarasota, FL 34243). Tickets are now available for purchase here.
