Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver to Play Off-B'way's Promenade

Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver will be the next jukebox musical to hit New York. The tuner, directed by Randal Myler, is scheduled to begin performances at the Promenade Theatre on October 28.

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, which originally featured a book and direction by Peter Glazer, premiered in 2002 at the Denver Center Theatre Company. The music and arrangements received positive reviews; the story did not. A revised version of the tuner, directed by Randal Myler, returned to the Denver Center Theatre Company in 2003. The show ran at the Center Repertory Company in Walnut Creek, California from September 8 through October 8 of that year.

Jennifer Allen, Terry Burell, Valisia Lekae Little, Lee Morgan, Jim Newman and Nick Rodriguez, who all appeared in the show's recent California mounting, will reprise their roles off-Broadway.

Almost Heaven is scheduled to open at the Promenade on November 9. In the Wings, the theater's current tenant, is scheduled to close on October 16.