Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver to Close on December 31
Almost Heaven weaves together the songs of Denver to create a theatrical narrative that reflects upon the country during the years in which he wrote them. Twenty-nine of Denver's songs--including "Rocky Mountain High," "Sunshine on My Shoulders," "Annie's Song," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Calypso"--are featured, performed against a backdrop of visual images of late '60s and early '70s America. Originally conceived by Harold Thau, Almost Heaven was adapted by Peter Glazer, with orchestrations, vocal arrangements and music supervision by Jeff Waxman.
Almost Heaven, directed by Randal Myler, opened off-Broadway on November 9. In his Broadway.com Review of the mounting, William Stevenson wrote: "Less exciting than the flashy Broadway newcomer Jersey Boys about the Four Seasons and less moving than the 2001 off-Broadway hit Love, Janis about Janis Joplin, Almost Heaven does offer solid renditions of Denver's country-folk songs performed by six actors who have very distinct voices… No doubt [Denver's] diehard fans--who tend to live in the country, not New York City--will be interested. But they may also be somewhat disappointed that the arrangements stray from Denver's country-folk sound. On the other hand, people who usually don't care for country or folk music may be surprised by how many of Denver's songs they like, at least the way they are performed in Almost Heaven."