Amazing Grace heads to the Great White Way

It has been officially announced that Amazing Grace, a new musical which recently enjoyed its world premiere engagement in Chicago, will begin previews at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre on 25 June 2015, before an official opening on 16 July 2015.

Directed by Gabriel Barre, Amazing Grace features music and lyrics by Christopher Smith and a book by Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron, with choreography by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli.

Synopsis: "Amazing Grace is based on the true story behind the world's most beloved song. A tale of romance, rebellion and redemption, this radiant production follows one man whose incredible journey ignited a historic wave of change that gave birth to the abolitionist movement. John Newton (Josh Young), a willful and musically talented young Englishman, faces a future as uncertain as the turning tide. Coming of age as Britain sits atop an international empire of slavery, he finds himself torn between following in the footsteps of his father - a slave trader - and embracing the more compassionate views of his childhood sweetheart (Erin Mackey). Amazing Grace captures the spirit of history's sweetest and most powerful sound: freedom."

The cast includes Tony Award nominee Josh Young, Erin Mackey, Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper, Chris Hoch, Stanley Bahorek, Harriett D. Foy, Laiona Michelle, Rachael Ferrera, and Elizabeth Ward Land, with additional casting to be announced in the coming weeks.

The creative team for Amazing Grace features scenic design by Eugene Lee and Edward Pierce, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Ken Billington and Paul Miller, sound design by Jon Weston, hair design by Robert-Charles Vallance, fight and military movement by David Leong, dialect coaching by Gillian Lane-Plescia, orchestrations by Kenny Seymour, music coordination by Michael Keller, and music direction by Joseph Church.

Amazing Grace is produced on Broadway by Carolyn Rossi Copeland and Alexander Rankin.

- by Tom Millward