The Best of Times! A Tale of Two Cities to Open at Broadway's Hirschfeld Theatre on Sept. 18
Set against an epic backdrop of the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities is a musical about injustice, vengeance and the redemptive power of love. When Dr. Manette is released from the French Bastille after 17 years, he must be resurrected from the brink of madness by his daughter, Lucie. In England they meet two very different men: the exiled French aristocrat, Charles Darnay, whom Lucie marries, and the drunken cynic, Sydney Carton. Soon family secrets and political intrigue combine to draw Lucie and her family back to Paris. At the height of the Reign of Terror, the musical finds an unlikely hero in Carton. Since its inaugural publication on August 30, 1859, A Tale of Two Cities has sold over 200 million copies in several languages, making it one of the most famous books in the history of fictional literature.
The design team consists of three-time Tony-winning set designer Tony Walton, costume designer David Zinn, lighting designer Richard Pilbrow and sound designers Carl Casella and Domonic Sack. Orchestrations are by Edward B. Kessel and Bob Krogstad; arrangements are by Kessel and Wendy Bobbitt Cavett.
The musical made its debut at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida, where it played a sold-out run from October 13 through November 18, 2007.
A Tale of Two Cities is being produced by Barbra Russell and Ron Sharpe, Bernard Brogan, Sharon A. Fordham, Theatre Associates/David Sonnenberg, The Monagle Group, Fanok Entertainment, Mary Laminack, Gasperino Entertainment, Vincent Russell, William Broderick, Harry Casey and David Bryant.
Curtains, the current tenant at the Hirschfeld Theatre, is scheduled to play its final performance on June 29.