America's
first literary hero – Natty Bumpo - comes to life on stage at The Spirit of
Broadway Theater in Norwich,
CT from March 5 – June 6, 2008
with the new musical Glimmerglass by
Douglas J. Cohen, Ted Drachman and Jonathan Bolt. Featuring a cast of 15, this
inspirational and moving new musical is headlined by New
York City actors Richard Rodgers (as Leatherstocking), Mark Christine
(as Natty Bumpo) Brad Heikes (as Harry), Keithon Gipson (as Chingachgook),
Christine Nolan (as Elizabeth)
and Holly Pierson (as Judith).
Based on characters from "The Leatherstocking Stories" of
James Fenimore Cooper, Glimmerglass
begins in 1809, with Natty Bumpo - now in his 60's and called by the name of
Leatherstocking, – and his Indian brother, Chingachgook, returning to
Glimmerglass, the place where he received his Indian name some 40 years
earlier. The shores of the once pristine lake are now home to a town, and much
of the hillside has lost its trees to industry. An unexpected and unwelcomed
discovery will drive Leatherstocking to revisit the past 40 years of his life.
James Fenimore Cooper was born James Cooper on September 15,
1789 in Burlington, New Jersey. (The "Fenimore" was legally
added only in 1826.) His parents, William Cooper and Elizabeth Fenimore Cooper.
James was the twelfth of thirteen children, of which only four brothers and two
sisters survived childhood. In 1790 the family moved to Lake
Otsego, in upstate New
York, where William Cooper had purchased a large tract of land and
founded a settlement he called Cooperstown.
Early experiences in a frontier town gave James the background for The Pioneers
(1823), among other frontier novels.
Bernardini is even pushing to raise the level of musical
excellence with by hiring New York
composer, Jeffrey Lodin to serve as Musical Director. Mr. Lodin is no
stranger to The Spirit of Broadway Theater having had three of his works: Rebels,
A Hundred Years into the Heart and
most recently Top of the Heap
Glimmerglass runs
March 5 – April 6, 2008. Performances are Wednesday – Saturday evenings at 8pm
and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $30.00 for adults, $25.00 for students /
seniors. Special events connected with this production include Thursday. March
13, Educator's Night at the Spirit. Saturday, March 15 Glimmerglass Black Tie Opening Night Gala, Sunday, March 15 Page2Stage
Matinee, Sunday, March 30 High School Matinee. For information about special
events ticket pricing, general reservations or more information, please contact
the Box office at 860.886.2378. Or visit www.spiritofbroadway.org
