LaChiusa's Giant to Premiere at Virginia's Signature Theatre

Michael John LaChiusa's musical adaptation of Edna Ferber's Giant will have its world premiere at the Signature Theatre of Arlington, Virginia, as part of the company's 2008-2009 season. Featuring a book by Sybille Pearson and directed by Signature artistic director Eric Schaeffer, the musical is scheduled to run from April 28 to May 31, 2009.

LaChiusa, along with Ricky Ian Gordon and Joseph Thaiken, had been commissioned to create a new musical as part of a $1 million grant to Signature from the Shen Family Foundation. Giant best known for its 1956 movie version starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean is the first work resulting from the grant's American Musical Voices Project.

Giant tells the story of a Texas rancher and his Virginia-born wife as they face challenges in their marriage and family in an ever-changing American landscape. Running simultaneously with Giant at Signature will be the Washington area premiere of LaChiusa's See What I Wanna See, directed by Matthew Gardiner April 7-May 24.

Signature's season will begin with Schaeffer's premiere production of Ace, a new musical featuring music by Richard Oberacker and book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Oberacker. The story of a 10-year-old foster child who is transported back in time through the gift of a toy plane, the musical will run from August 26 to September 28, 2008.

The season will continue with the Washington area premieres of Martin McDonagh's The Lieutenant of Inishmore, directed by Jeremy Skidmore September 23-November 9 and Douglas Carter Beane's The Little Dog Laughed, directed by Michael Baron January 13-March 1, 2009.