Mary Testa will star in “Queen of the Mist” at Montclair State University.
“Queen of the Mist” is, literally, daring theater. Featuring words and music by five-time Tony nominee Michael John LaChiusa (“The Wild Party,” “Marie Christine,” “Chronicle of a Death Foretold”), it tells the story of the amazingly brave Annie Edson Taylor, who — in 1901, at the age of 63 — became the first person to ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel, and survive.
The Peak Performances series at Montclair State University will present a musical-in-concert version of “Queen of the Mist” at the university’s Kasser Theater, Feb. 20-21 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 23 at 3 p.m.
“Queen of the Mist” premiered Off-Broadway, at The Gym at Judson, in 2011, with three-time Tony nominee Mary Testa (“On the Town,” “42nd Street” “Oklahoma”) as Edson Taylor. Testa will reprise the role in Montclair.
Kirsten Sanderson will direct. “Annie’s 15 minutes of fame fails to lift her out of poverty,” Sanderson said, in a press release. “Instead she has a profound spiritual experience while going over the falls, one which sustains her through the final years of her life. Annie Edson Taylor — brazen, stubborn, brave and determined, with her one-of-a-kind, larger-than-life story and uncommon world view, is such a great musical theatre character. I’m inspired by the way she defied the conventional restrictions placed on women in her time. Successfully pursuing ideas that others believe are impossible is so important. It’s the very thing that empowers humanity and advances civilization, and that’s why Edson Taylor’s crazy adventure is a tale worth sharing.”
“We at Peak Performances value musicals with something on their minds and in their hearts,” said Wiley Hausam, director of arts and cultural programming at Montclair State, in the press release. “I’m always on the lookout for artful works that might have been overlooked or underappreciated at their debut. Michael John LaChiusa is one of the most important writers of musical theater of the past thirty years. He is also extraordinarily productive. I believe that his ‘Queen of the Mist,’ which I loved when I first saw it in 2011, is more relevant — and more touching — than ever.”
For information and tickets, visit peakperfs.org/events.
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