Shereen Ahmed Joins Cast of THE EYES OF THE WORLD: FROM D-DAY TO VE DAY with Boston Pops

Broadway actress Shereen Ahmed (My Fair Lady) will join the cast of John Monsky's The Eyes of the World: From D-Day to VE Day, with the Boston Pops Orchestra at Boston Symphony Hall (301 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02115) on Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m.

In The Eyes of the World: From D-Day to VE Day, historian and writer John Monsky narrates the dramatic story of the final months of WWII in Europe through the words and images of Ernest Hemingway, Vogue-model-turned-photojournalist Lee Miller, daredevil war photographer Robert Capa, and the heroic 761st Tank Battalion. The Eyes of the World fuses music, meticulously researched history, rare film and photographs sourced from the National Archives, as well as flags that were carried onto the beaches and paved the way to victory to illuminate stories often lost to history.

As Americans prepare to honor the June 6th, 80th anniversary of D-Day, Boston Pops' Keith Lockhart will conduct the famed orchestra and lead top Broadway vocalists Shereen Ahmed (My Fair Lady), Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls), Nicholas Rodriguez (Company) and Daniel Yearwood (Hamilton, Sweeney Todd) in a stirring mix of music that captures the essence of the times, featuring compositions from Aaron Copland, Glenn Miller, Richard Rodgers, Frank Loesser, and John Williams.

In the production, Monsky guides the audience through the Battle of the Hedgerows, the liberation of Paris, the Battle of the Bulge, the horrors of the Hürtgen Forest, Germany's spiderweb of concentration camps and Munich, through the letters, journal entries and photographs of his “witnesses.” Along the way, as their journeys unfold in breathtaking fashion, they meet in the most unlikely of places and cross paths with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Pablo Picasso, Marlene Dietrich, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion and Hemingway's estranged wife, trailblazing war correspondent Martha Gellhorn.

The Eyes of the World: From D-Day to VE Day is produced by American History Unbound Inc. John Monsky is writer, creator, narrator and executive producer. Ian Weinberger, associate music director of Broadway's Hamilton, serves as the music director and arranger. Peter Flynn directs. Meredith Wagner is executive producer. Alexander Diaz is producer/production manager. Eric Duran is media producer. Gene Graham and Randy Chaplin are producers; Reece dos Santos is assistant producer.

For tickets and more information please visit https://www.bso.org/events/eyes-of-the-world

ABOUT AMERICAN HISTORY UNBOUND INC.

The American History Unbound series combines live music performed by leading orchestras and celebrated Broadway actors, photographs and films from the National Archives, historic American flags and material culture to explore watershed moments in American history.

These critically acclaimed lectures, created and narrated by historian John Monsky, have explored the Vietnam War, the race to the moon, D-Day, and World War I.

These lectures have been presented at Carnegie Hall; New-York Historical Society; John F. Kennedy Center Opera House; Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York; Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida; Yale University and New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. American History Unbound's latest production, November 1918: The Great War & The Great Gatsby, was performed to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage in 2023. American History Unbound Inc. is a 501(c)(3).  americanhistoryunbound.com

ABOUT THE BOSTON POPS

For more than 135 years, the Boston Pops has entertained audiences in Boston and beyond, with Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart leading the orchestra since 1995. It all began in 1885, thanks to the vision of Civil War veteran Henry Lee Higginson. Four years earlier, in 1881, he founded the Boston Symphony Orchestra, calling its establishment "the dream of my life." From the start he intended to present, in the warmer months, concerts of light classics and the popular music of the day. From a practical perspective, Higginson realized that these "lighter" performances would provide year-round employment for his musicians. The "Promenade Concerts," as they were originally called, were soon informally known as "Popular Concerts," which eventually became shortened to "Pops," the name officially adopted in 1900.  The following year the orchestra performed for the first time in its new home, Symphony Hall.

In 1930, Arthur Fiedler became the first American-born musician to lead the orchestra. In Fiedler's nearly 50-year tenure as Pops Conductor (1930-1979), he established the Boston Pops as a national icon and began the tradition of offering free Fourth of July concerts on the Esplanade. When John Williams (1980-1993) succeeded Arthur Fiedler, he was the most highly acclaimed composer in Hollywood, and today, with 54 Academy Award nominations, he is the most-nominated living person in Academy history.

Keith Lockhart was named conductor in 1995 and has since led over 2,100 concerts with the Pops. He has created programs that reach out to a broader and younger audience by presenting artists—both established performers and rising stars—from virtually every corner of the entertainment world, all the while maintaining the Pops' core appeal. He has made 81 television shows, led 45 national and five overseas tours with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, led the Pops at several high-profile sports events, and recorded twelve albums. Lockhart's tenure has been marked by a dramatic increase in touring, the orchestra's first Grammy nominations, the first major network national broadcast of the July 4 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular from the Esplanade, and the release of the Boston Pops' first self-produced and self-distributed recordings. Last fall, Lockhart led a Pops tour in Japan and conducted 34 Holiday Pops programs in December.

Shereen Ahmed most recently appeared as “Adele Rice” in the Off-Broadway production of A Man of No Importance. Prior to that she starred as “Eliza Doolittle” in the 1st National Tour of My Fair Lady. Broadway: My Fair Lady (Eliza u/s). Off-Broadway: Meet Me in St. Louis (Esther) at The Irish Repertory Theatre. Television: NBC's “New Amsterdam.” Regional: Jekyll/Hyde (Lucy), The Sound of Music and The King and I (Anna). Her concert career has taken her across Europe, North America and most recently she made her Carnegie Hall debut in the title role of IOLANTHE in the Master Voice's production. She has also been recognized as one of '40 Under 40' accomplished Arab Americans in the U.S. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Towson University.

To post a comment, you must register and login.