An inspirational musical about the British slave trader who composed “Amazing Grace” will open on Broadway this summer.
The musical, also called “Amazing Grace,” tells the story of John Newton, a sailor and slave ship captain who converted to Christianity and became an Anglican clergyman and an abolitionist. He lived in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Staged in Chicago last fall, the musical has been revised since then at Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut, where it was initially developed. Reviews in Chicago were not great, but the show’s producers say audience reaction was enthusiastic, and they believe there is a market, and a need, for earnest shows with a redemptive theme; they are comparing the show to “Les Misérables.”
“It’s a traditional big Broadway musical, but it’s different in that it’s also an opportunity for church group audiences to come to something and feel pretty confident they’ll walk out feeling uplifted,” said the lead producer, Carolyn Rossi Copeland. “The story is exciting and dramatic, with big romance and this amazing thing that happens where his life is changed.”