Thursday March 28th, 2024
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The Prince of Egypt is Now About to Enter Musical Theatre History

The same creators behind the classic DreamWorks animation are now bringing the story to life on stage.

Staff Writer

Your brain jumped into nostalgia mode as soon as you read "Prince of Egypt" and saw the above scene from the 1998 DreamWorks hit that was, in fact, banned in Egypt.

Now, the creators behind that remarkable animation, Scott Schwartz, his father and composer Stephen Schwartz, and writer Phillip LaZebink have gotten together with ThatreWorks productions to bring the Exodus story to life on stage in Mountain View, California.

A co-production between the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in California (where it's now showing) and Fredericia Teater in Denmark, the musical features about a dozen new songs by the elder Schwartz, giving fans more of what they love from the composer who actually wrote the Oscar-winning "When You Believe". RIP, Whitney.

The music isn't the only thing that you're currently itching to watch it for, though. The creators have created bold ways to recreate every scene from the movie, complete with the parting of the red sea, building of temples, and other feats previously considered unthinkable to pull off live on stage and will surely entice audiences lucky enough to get a seat.

The production then comes a little closer to home (but not quite), if you're hoping to be one of those lucky viewers. The show ends on November 5, so if you're hoping to catch a seat without having to travel literally halfway across the globe, you can catch the show in Denmark starting in 2018, after the creators have made the necessary improvements from the first run to make it even more magical. Not excatly our backyard, but you'll have ample time to plan your Eurotrip if you start now-ish. 

Danish-born Diluckshan Jeyaratnam stars as Moses, and is the only actor who will play the same role in both the USA and Denmark editions. To complete the cast, some known and beloved Broadway faces fill roles, like Jason Gotay, Brennyn Lark, Tom Nelis, and Christina Sajous.

Photo Credit: DreamWorks Studios.