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Ashley D. Kelley and the company of Bella; photo by Joan Marcus

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Paolo Montalban and Ashley D. Kelley; photo by Joan Marcus

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The company of Bella; photo by Joan Marcus

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Ashley D. Kelley, Kevin Massey, and the company of Bella; photo by Joan Marcus

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Ashley D. Kelley, Natasha Yvette Williams, and Kenita R. Miller; photo by Joan Marcus

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Kirsten Childs photo by Zack DeZon

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!

Featuring
Marinda Anderson
Ida Lou/Aunt Dinah
Yurel Echezarreta
Diego Moreno/CP Conyers
Brandon Gill
Nathaniel Beckworth
Olli Haaskivi
Gabriel Conyers/Scooter
Kevin Massey
Snaggletooth Hoskins/Bonny Jonny
Jo’Nathan Michael
Mr. Dinwiddie/Scumbucket
Kenita R. Miller
Miss Cabbagestalk/Mama
Paolo Montalban
Tommie Haw/Skeeter
Clifton Oliver
Aloysius T. Hunnicut
Gabrielle Reyes
Mrs. Dinwiddie/Nurse
NaTasha Yvette Williams
Grandma/Spirit of the Booty
Creative Team
Clint Ramos
Scenic Designer
Dede M. Ayite
Costume Designer
Japhy Weideman
Lighting Designer
Lindsay Jones
Sound Designer
Jeff Sugg
Projection Designer
Dave Bova and J. Jared Janas
Hair, Wig and Makeup Designers
Daryl Waters
Orchestrations
Kirsten Childs
Vocal Arrangements
Rona Siddiqui
Music Direction and Additional Arrangements
John Miller
Music Coordinator
Erin Gioia Albrecht
Production Stage Manager

Design Team Bios

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.

Reviews
  • “★★★★ 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