| Dessa Rose | |
|---|---|
| Music | Stephen Flaherty |
| Lyrics | Lynn Ahrens |
| Book | Lynn Ahrens |
| Basis | novel by Sherley Anne Williams |
| Productions | 2005 Off Broadway |
Dessa Rose is a musical based on the book by Sherley Anne Williams with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. It tells the story of a young black woman and a young white woman and their journey to acceptance in 1847 in the ante-bellum South, as they tell their story to their grandchildren.
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Dessa Rose had a work shop in Summer 2003 with Donna Murphy and LaChanze.[1]
Dessa Rose premiered at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre at Lincoln Center, New York City, from February 17 in previews, officially March 21 to May 29, 2005. The director and choreograher was Graciela Daniele, with Set Design by Loy Arcenas, Costume Design by Toni-Leslie James, Lighting Design by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, and Orchestrations by William David Brohn and Christopher Jahnke. The cast featured LaChanze as Dessa Rose and Rachel York as Ruth.[2]
A regional production was staged by TheatreWorks, Palo Alto, California, October 7, 2006 through October 29. Linda Mugleston and Carly Hughes were featured.[3][4]
The New England Premiere was at New Repertory Theatre in 2008. It was directed by Rick Lombardo. Music direction was by Todd Gordon, choreography by Kelli Edwards, fight direction by Meron Langsner, sets by Peter Colao, costumes by Frances Nelson McSherry, and lights by Frank Messiner Jr. It starred Leigh Barret, Uzo Aduba, and Todd Allan Johnson.
A cast album was recorded on May 2, 2005 and released by Jay Productions.[5]
The music contains "American roots music — blues, folk, different hymns, early kinds of gospel, the idea of call-and-response, which was a coded way the slaves communicated so that the white people thought they were just singing."[6]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| LaChanze | Dessa Rose (ages 16 and 80) |
| Rachel York | Ruth (ages 20 and 84) |
| Tina Fabrique | Rose, House Slave, Ada, Auntie Chole |
| Rebecca Eichenberger | Ruth's mother, Mrs. Steele, Susannah |
| Kecia Lewis | Dorcas, Field Hand, Gemina, Janet |
| Eric Jordan Young | Kaine, Field Hand, Philip |
| David Hess | Sheriff Hughes, Trader Wilson, Bertie Sutton, Parishioner, Auctioneer |
| Michael Hayden | Adam Nehemiah |
| William Parry | Robert Steele, Parishioner, Auctioneer, Mr. Oscar, Sheriff Pine |
| Norm Lewis | Nathan |
| James Stovall | Haker, Field Hand |
| Soara-Joye Ross | Field Hand, Parishioner, House Slave, Annabel |
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