HAPPY IF HAPPY WHEN: A Musical Comes to the Gene Frankel Theatre

The LaMothe Gee Family will perform their upbeat, life-affirming, family-friendly musical, HAPPY IF HAPPY WHEN, at the Gene Frankel Theatre, December 27 - 30!

Happy If Happy When is a humorous, heart-warming musical about two artists and their five children who pursue a dream of moving to the country. Not only is this musical based on a true story, it was written and will be performed by the family who lived it.

The musical begins as this family of seven looks back on the series of events that changed their lives. Mom and Dad, though dreaming of rural life, are stuck in the city. The kids, wanting to move for their own reasons, decide to make it happen. Working through fear and frustration, the kids finally persuade Mom and Dad to buy a run-down farm on 96 acres, only to discover that the place has its own ideas of what it wants the family to be - farmers. When tensions flare, conflicts erupt, and one child (Eliza) runs away, the family learns how much they need one another in order to fulfill their dreams.

Happy If Happy When is a rousing response to the question: What does it take to be HAPPY NOW? It is about the dreams that evolve. It is about the earth that demands our care. It is about the love that draws us into and through the hardest and most rewarding moments of our lives.

Kimerer LaMothe (Book, Lyrics, Music) is the award-winning author of six books, a play, numerous articles, and over a hundred blog posts for Psychology Today. In everything she does, Kimerer is an advocate for dance. www.kimererlamothe.com.

Geoffrey Gee (Music, Arrangements), is a pianist and composer who premiered a solo piano concert of original music in Carnegie Hall/Weill Hall in December 2015. Geoffrey has released five CDs of original music, and has performed in 18 countries around the world. www.vitalartsmedia.com/play/html.

In addition to creating this musical, Kimerer and Geoffrey appear on stage as "Mom" and "Dad" alongside their five children, Jordan Geoffrey LaMothe (23) playing "Hank"; Jessica Kimerer Gee (21) as "Sarah"; Kyra Lewis Gee (17) as "Eliza"; Kai Evenson LaMothe (13) as "Joe," and Leif LaMothe Gee (9) as "Ted."

Happy If Happy When had its premiere in July 2017 at the Fort Salem Theater in Salem, New York, produced by artistic director Jay Kerr. In July 2018, the musical opened in New York City as part of the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, and was nominated for two awards: Outstanding Music and Lyrics, and Outstanding Supporting Actress (Kyra Lewis Gee as Eliza). In September 2018, an abbreviated version of the musical was presented to producers at the premier theatre in Theatre Row, as part of the New York New Works Theatre Festival, founded by Gene Fisch, Jr.. There Ron first saw the show, and decided to produce it at the Frankel. Gene Fisch, Jr. will also serve as Executive Producer for the Frankel production.

The Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street, New York City, NY 10012, 212-777-1767 www.genefrankeltheatre.com. Tickets: $30 adult/ $25 student/ $10 age 13 and under. Available at Smarttix.com.