A new musical about Lewis and Clark will be making its World Premiere this July at the NY Theatre Festival. The show, Great Frontier: A Poorly Researched Musical About Lewis And Clark, was co-written by comedians, Kevin Froleiks and Patrick J. Reilly, and features 16 original songs and zero historical accuracy. This hilarious musical adventure tells a story of friendship, corrupt government, and what it means to be an American Hero.
This will be Great Frontier's official off-off-Broadway premiere, coming just a few months after selling out an early public reading at The Creek and the Cave in Long Island City, Queens. Audience members have described the show as "very funny" and "impressive",with songs that are "incredibly catchy." A high school history teacher who attended the reading described the show as, "Historically inaccurate but very, very fun."
The show is as relevant today as it would have been in Lewis and Clark's time. "At its core, this is a story about Lewis and Clark's friendship, which faces its first real test when they go on this adventure together," says director, Joe Harris. Alongside this heartwarming tale of brotherly love, there is also some serious commentary about our current political climate. "We started writing this during Obama's last year, sort of making fun of the complaints people made about him," co-writer Patrick J. Reilly explains, "but a lot of the political jokes took on a completely different meaning after Trump took office. Amazingly they work even better and have become even more relevant."
Not only does Great Frontier poke fun at history, it also takes jabs at classic and contemporary theatre, providing non-stop laughs for history buffs, news junkies, and fans of musical theatre alike. "I really wanted each song to have a distinct style, while still sounding like part of a complete work," says co-writer and composer, Kevin Froleiks. "Each song is grounded by its limited piano and vocal instrumentation, but the genres and song styles vary so much that it keeps things interesting and touches on a lot of different musical theatre tropes."
There will be a total of 3 performances, on Monday, July 24th at 6:15pm, Friday, July 28th at 9pm, and Sunday, July 30th at 3:30pm. All performances will take place at The Hudson Guild Theatre, located at 441 W. 26th Street, New York, NY 10001. Tickets can be purchased today by visiting http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2942892.
Videos