World Premiere of AMAZING GRACE Begins Tonight in Chicago with Josh Young, Erin Mackey & More

Broadway In Chicago presents the the world premiere of AMAZING GRACE, the new musical with music and lyrics by Christopher Smith and a book by Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron, directed by Gabriel Barre (Andrew Lippas' The Wild Party) and choreographed by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies).

Following the run at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre, the production plans a Broadway transfer with dates and a theater to be announced.

AMAZING GRACE will star Tony Award nominee Josh Young (Jesus Christ Superstar), Erin Mackey (NY Philharmonic's concert production of Sweeney Todd, Chaplin), Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Rocky Horror Show), Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper (Act One, The Life), Chris Hoch (Matilda, Far From Heaven), Stanley Bahorek (Nerds, Honeymoon in Vegas), Harriett D. Foy (Mamma Mia!), and Laiona Michelle (The Book of Mormon national tour).

The ensemble will also feature Marie Juliette Abney, Erica Aubrey, Leslie Becker, Sara Brophy, Rheaume Crenshaw, Miquel Edson, Mike Evariste, Sean Ewing, Rachael Ferrera, Savannah Frazier, Christopher Gurr, Abdur-Rahim Jackson, Allen Kendall, Elizabeth Ward Land, Michael Dean Morgan, Vince Oddo, Oneika Phillips, Clifton Samuels, Gavriel Savit, Dan Sharkey, Bret Shuford, Evan Alexander Smith, Uyoata Udi, Charles E. Wallace, Toni Elizabeth White and Hollie E. Wright.

AMAZING GRACE begins performances at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre (18 W Monroe) tonight, October 9 and opens on Sunday, October 19. The run is currently scheduled through Sunday, November 2.

Produced by Carolyn Rossi Copeland and presented by Broadway In Chicago, AMAZING GRACE is a world premiere musical based on the awe-inspiring true story behind the world's most beloved song. A captivating tale of romance, rebellion and redemption, this radiant production follows one man whose incredible journey ignited a historic wave of change.

John Newton (Josh Young), a willful and musically talented young Englishman, faces a future as uncertain as the turning tide. Coming of age as Britain sits atop an international empire of slavery, he finds himself torn between following in the footsteps of his father - a slave trader - and embracing the more compassionate views of his childhood sweetheart (Erin Mackey). An unforgettable musical saga, AMAZING GRACE captures the spirit of history's sweetest and most powerful sound: freedom.