“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … ."
APOD Productions’ “A Tale of Two Cities” opens Friday, Nov. 4, at the Viola Community Center, bringing Broadway’s musical rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic story to the small-town stage.
“This is the most ambitious show we have ever done,” APOD co-founder and artistic director Todd Payne said in a news release. “The biggest cast, biggest set, most complex staging … even more than what we were able to accomplish last year with ‘Jane Eyre.’ ”
This production, which runs through Nov. 12, marks the premiere of Jill Santoriello’s “sweeping Broadway musical drama” on the Palouse, according to the news release.
“The story has it all, like you would expect from any Dickens novel — romance, plot twist and an ending that is tragic, sad, inspirational and triumphant all at once,” Payne said. “The music is wonderful, and the cast really tells the story in an amazing way.”
Directed by Payne, with musical direction by Peter Hanes, the play features local actors, in keeping with the company’s mission. The nonprofit organization has been bringing performances to rural communities on the Palouse since 2011, focusing on developing and showcasing local talent, according to the news release.
The show launches a season of Dickens adaptations, continuing in March with “Pickwick Papers” and concluding in June with “Oliver!,” based on “Oliver Twist.”
If You Go
What: “A Tale of Two Cities” Broadway musical
When: 7 p.m. Nov. 4-5, 10-12; 2 p.m. Nov. 5-6 and 12.
Where: Viola Community Center, 1007 Rothfork Road, Viola.
Tickets: In advance at BookPeople in downtown Moscow and apodproductions.org, $14 adults, $10 kids ages 6-12. At the door, $16 adults, $12 kids.
