FREEZE FRAME: Julia Murney, Mary Testa & QUEEN OF THE MIST Company Meets the Press!

Queen of the Mist begins performances Tuesday, October 18 at The Gym at Judson Memorial Church in anticipation of a November 6 opening.  Queen of the Mist stars D.C. Anderson (The Phantom of the Opera, The Life Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby), Stanley Bahorek (See Rock City & Other Destinations, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Theresa McCarthy (Titanic, Floyd Collins), Julia Murney (Wicked, The Wild Party, First Lady Suite), Andrew Samonsky (South Pacific, Tales of the City), Tally Sessions (The House of Blue Leaves, Yank!), and Mary Testa (On The Town, Marie Chrtistine, Xanadu, 42nd Street). The production was created by Michael John LaChiusa and directed by Jack Cummings III and choreographed by Scott Rink.

Today, October 5, the company met the press and below, we bring you a sneak peek teaser of the event. Stay tuned for complete photo coverage and video interviews with the cast!

Based on an astounding, outrageous, and haunting true story, Queen of the Mist stars two-time Tony nominee Mary Testa as Anna Edson Taylor, who, in 1901 at the age of 63, set out to be the first woman to shoot Niagara Falls-in a barrel of her own design. Navigating both the treacherous Falls and a fickle public with a ravenous appetite for sensationalism, this unconventional heroine vies for her legacy in a world clamoring with swindling managers, assassins, revolutionaries, moralizing family, anarchists, and activists. Convinced that there is greatness in her and determined not to live as ordinary, she sets out to battle her fear and tempt her fate. With a score that incorporates turn of the century themes with signature LaChiusa elements, Queen of the Mist is the story of a single great fall, and how one woman risked death so that she could live.

Queen of the Mist continues the long collaboration between Transport Group and Mr. LaChiusa, which includes the critically acclaimed Drama Desk Award-nominated productions of First Lady Suite and Hello Again. Queen of the Mist is the inaugural production of Transport Group's 20th Century Project, a ten-year initiative spanning ten productions, each production focusing on a different decade of the 20th century.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.

D.C. Anderson, Stanley Bahorek, Theresa McCarthy, Julia Murney, Andrew Samonsky, Tally Sessions & Mary Testa