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The curtain will go up at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Woodfin-Patterson Auditorium on the Brewton campus of Coastal Alabama Community College to signal the beginning of the series of productions from the Brewton Council of the Arts.
“We’ll Meet Again: A New American Musical” comes to life Thursday. A patriotic and life-affirming story, “We’ll Meet Again” is inspired by the life of Henry Stern and his family’s remarkable odyssey and narrow escape from Nazi Germany, their immigration to America, and their integration and settlement in Alabama.
In 1937, then 5-year-old Heinz Stern and his family escaped Westheim, Germany, under Nazi occupation. They were welcomed with open arms by the small town of Opelika, Alabama, where Stern’s family found love and acceptance. However, war left missing pieces for Henry Stern, as he became known, and for more than 60 years, he continued to search the United States for other family members who survived the Holocaust.
After experiencing “We’ll Meet Again,” renowned Auburn basketball Coach Bruce Pearl and his wife, Brandy, immediately knew its importance as a moving story that everyone should experience with their families. Subsequently, the Pearls helped encourage and support this current Southern Tour of the show.
“We want as many people to experience this production as possible,” said Coach Pearl, “so that others can laugh and cry and be moved and inspired by the music, the story, and the dancing – just like Brandy and I were.”
The musical features 1930s and 1940s-era music, including many of the most popular songs and swing dances of the WWII era. Classics include “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “I’ll Be Seeing You,” and “Juke Box Saturday Night,” as well as several beloved Jewish and Hebrew songs intimately integrated into the story, including the favorite “Hava Nagila.”
“We’ll Meet Again” was created and written by Jim Harris, directed by Richard Rose, with vocal arrangements and musical orchestrations by Mark Hayes. “Our hope in creating this show is to capture the essence of what America has meant to the world in our best moments,” said playwright Jim Harris. This show is made possible by the generous support of Yellawood.
Tickets are available online at http://www.brewtoncouncilofthearts.com/index.html