Bella: An American Tall Tale
Mainstage Theater
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Kirsten Childs
Directed by Robert O'Hara
Choreographed by Camille A. Brown
Playwrights Horizons Commission
Co-World Premiere
All aboard for a Western musical adventure the likes of which you’ve never experienced. As a wanted woman of mythic proportions looks to begin life anew out west, Bella takes us on the trip of a lifetime to escape her scandalous past and bounce into the arms of her awaiting Buffalo Soldier. Rowdy, wild, and hilarious, Kirsten Childs (Bubbly Black Girl…) infuses this tall tale with soulful tunes and madcap antics aplenty. Giddy-up to our get-down!
Bella: An American Tall Tale was commissioned, developed, and produced through the Playwrights Horizons Musicals in Partnership Initiative, with leadership support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Bella: An American Tall Tale was supported in part by the National Fund for New Musicals, a program of National Alliance for Musical Theatre, with funding from The Hollywood Pantages, in honor of the late James M. Nederlander — www.namt.org
Additional support for Bella: An American Tall Tale was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the 21st Century ILGWU Heritage Fund, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, and the Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation.
“★★★★ Critic’s Pick. Impossible to ignore. Bella’s a winner!”
— Raven Snook, Time Out New York“With Kirsten Childs’ versatility as a composer, this story turns social tragedy into comedy.”
— Ben Brantley, The New York Times