From My Hometown Closes Off-B'way August 21
From My Hometown centers on three strangers played by Kevin R. Free, André Garner and Rodney Hicks who arrive in New York City in 1980 from R&B meccas Detroit, Memphis and Philadelphia with one goal in mind: to headline at the world famous Apollo Theatre. Bonded initially by their wide eyes and empty pockets, they develop a 10-year brotherhood that spans the lows of their initial meeting to the highs of their shared debut on Harlem's brightest stage. The new musical, which contains 24 top-40 classics including "Dock of the Bay," "Land of a Thousand Dances," "Chain Gang," "Working in a Coal Mine" and "Have You Seen Her?" as well as eight original songs by Lee Summers, Ty Stephens and Will Barrow, was conceived by Summers and features a book by Summers, Stephens and Herbert Rawlings Jr.
Directed by Kevin Ramsey and choreographed by Leslie Dockery, the show had its world premiere at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in 1998 and was presented by Amas Musical Theatre at the Kirk in the summer of 2003. It opened at the Gramercy on July 22. In his Broadway.com Review, Ron Lasko wrote: "Way too much of the show is mash-ups, snippets and medleys. These often make the show feel more like a live music encyclopedia than the revue it was probably meant to be. And while the original songs are generally very good particularly the title song, the show is at its best when the guys are center stage singing full songs… Ultimately, From My Hometown is a charming crowd pleaser. On more than one occasion the audience spontaneously started clapping and singing along. Even days after seeing the show, I still find myself humming these unforgettable tunes. No doubt you will, too."