Emporia State Summer Theatre opens its 62nd season with “Coming to America,” a cross between an old book musical and a musical revue telling the true stories of five unknown Ellis Island-American heroes who changed the face of this country. This show features ragtime music, sketch comedy and landmark composers of the early 20th century, including Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and George M. Cohan.
Celebrating the lives of immigrants who came through Ellis Island from 1893 through 1916 in search of the great American dream, “Coming to America” presents a humorous picture of the melting pot that was the American experience at the turn of the century though the eyes of Ambrose (Andrew Ralston, Topeka), Yankel (Justin Tinker, Henderson, Nevada), Pedro (Tyler Lang, Wichita), Pernilla (Rachel Muirhead, Hays) and Kaitlin (Torin Horvik, Fargo, North Dakota). Mary (Aubrey Jenkins, Admire) also appears in the production.
“Coming to America” is under the direction of Jim Bartruff and Lindy Bartruff. Assisting with the production are musical director Anna Ryan, technical director Chris Lohkamp, scenographer Rick Rasmussen, sound designer Andrew McCutcheon (Garden City), assistant set designer Dustin Bittel (Ellis), assistant costume designer Courtney Romero (Kansas City), production stage manager Lisa Tinker (Derby), and assistant stage manager Jingyi Hua (Dalian, China). Musicians include pianist Sue Seeman, bassist Jacob Rankin and percussionist Trevor Landreth.
“Coming to America” runs June 15 through 18 at 7:30 pm. All performances will be in the Karl C. Bruder Theatre located at 1301 Market Street. For tickets to this performance, visit the Memorial Union Ticket Office or call 620-341-6378. For media inquiries and more information about the show season, contact Jim Bartruff, director of theatre, at 620-341-5701 or jbartruf@emporia.edu.