Amazing Grace (musical)

Amazing Grace is a musical with music and lyrics by Christopher Smith and a book by Smith and Arthur Giron.^[1] The musical is Smith's first foray as a professional writer or composer.^[2][3] It is based loosely on the life of John Newton, an English slave trader who later became an Anglican priest and eventually an abolitionist. He wrote many hymns, including "Amazing Grace".

The musical had a 2012 production by Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut and a pre-Broadway run in Chicago in 2014.^[4] It opened on Broadway on July 16, 2015 and closed on October 25, 2015.^[5]

Synopsis

Act I

It is Christmas, 1743, and Englishman John Newton returns from the sea to greet Mary Catlett, his childhood friend and an aspiring singer, but she finds him a changed young man. He has become involved in his father's business as a slave trader. While at the dock, Mary shows compassion to a pregnant slave being offloaded from the ship. A commotion ensues when the slave is kidnapped by a group of hooded men; John is tasked by Major Gray to find and retrieve her. Later that day, Mary is secretly invited to join an abolitionist group. She talks with her own black maidservant about how she became a slave. Mary's mother encourages her to pursue a relationship with the handsome and aristocratic Major Gray. Mary, John and Gray all attend a ball during which Redcoat soldiers drag in two badly beaten abolitionists and the pregnant slave, also beaten. Major Gray scornfully points out that his soldiers, rather than John and his civil authorities, retrieved the slave. Gray leaves with Mary.

The next day, Mary meets with the abolitionists. She agrees to begin a relationship with Major Gray to act as their spy. Meanwhile, John is press-ganged into the Navy, but his father persuades the Navy caption to promote John to the rank of midshipman. At her home, Major Gray proposes to Mary. As a relative of King George II, he must introduce Mary to the King to obtain royal consent to the marriage. Tyler, an emancipated slave who works as an abolitionist, urges that Mary to confront the King publicly about the evils of slavery.

Act II

In the jungle in Sierra Leone, John and his trusty slave Thomas are captured by African warriors and their Princess Peyai, who threatens to kill John. Thomas tells her that John's father is head of the Royal Africa Company, so she sends a letter to John's father, Captain Newton, demanding 5000 pounds sterling as ransom. Captain Newton prepares to sail to Sierra Leone, and Mary asks him to give John a letter. Meanwhile, John is now working for Princess Peyai, helping her to break up African families and assign slaves to ships. But the Princess becomes annoyed when Thomas tries to help one of her slaves and sells Thomas as a slave bound for Barbados. Thomas feels betrayed when John does not help him.

Captain Newton arrives in Sierra Leone. The Princess refuses to release John, but the Captain shoots one of her warriors. The Princess grabs a dropped pistol and shoots the Captain, and John kills the Princess. John orders his father's men to burn down the village. On the ship, Captain Newton's wound is infected, and he dies. John finds Mary's letter, which gives him a change of heart. He sails to Barbados to find Thomas.

Mary’s voice teacher, Mr. Whitley, reveals to Major Gray that Mary is working with the abolitionists. Gray captures Mary’s maidservant and threatens to harm her if Mary does anything foolish when meeting the King. Despite his threats, Mary speaks openly to the King and court about her feelings on slavery. She is seized by Major Gray and the Redcoats, as the King and Gray try to quiet her. John and Thomas (now a free man) arrive, and John bolsters Mary’s argument, confessing that he has been guilty of slave trading. He says that he now knows slaves are humans with souls. Mary is overjoyed by John's conversion, and they reunite.

Production history

Tryouts

Amazing Grace was first presented after a number of readings in a developmental production at Goodspeed Musicals in Chester, Connecticut in the summer of 2012.^[6] The production was directed by Gabriel Barre and starred Chris Peluso and Whitney Bashor.^[1]

The musical had a pre-Broadway run in the fall of 2014 at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. The show was again directed by Barre and featured choreography by Christopher Gattelli. This production starred Josh Young as John, alongside Erin Mackey as Mary, Tom Hewitt as Captain Newton, Chuck Cooper as Pakuteh/Thomas, and Stanley Bahorek as Robert Haweis.^[4]

Broadway, 2015

Amazing Grace opened on Broadway on July 16, 2015 at the Nederlander Theatre after 20 preview performances. The production featured the same principal cast and creative team as the Chicago production.^[7] It received mixed reviews.^[8][9] The show closed on October 25, 2015 after 116 performances. A cast recording is scheduled to be released in January 2016.^[10]

Original Broadway cast

• Mary Catlett – Erin Mackey
• John Newton – Josh Young
• Robert Haweis – Stanley Bahorek
• Pakuteh (Thomas) – Chuck Cooper
• Yema – Rachael Ferrera
• Princess Peyai of the Sherbro people – Harriett D. Foy
• Captain Newton – Tom Hewitt
• Major Gray – Chris Hoch
• Nanna – Laiona Michelle
• Mrs. Catlett – Elizabeth Ward Land
• Mr. Tyler – Mike Evariste
• Rabbi Einhorn/Prince Frederick of Wales – Michael Dean Morgan
• Mr. Quigley – Vince Oddo
• Briggs – Gavriel Savit

Songs

From the 2015 Broadway production^[7]

References

External links

• Amazing Grace at the Internet Broadway Database
• Song excerpts from the show