We鈥檒l Meet Again: A New American Musical Comes to 海角社区鈥檚 Norton Auditorium Sept. 8
Aug. 22, 2023
Michelle R. Eubanks , 海角社区, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – We’ll Meet Again: A New American Musical will come to life at Norton Auditorium on the 海角社区 campus Friday, Sept. 8. A patriotic, 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.
“海角社区's School of the Arts and Advancement team is honored to bring We'll Meet Again: A New American Musical to the Norton stage,” said Dr. Meghan Merciers, Interim Assistant Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering. “James Harris has written a beautiful play based on the life of Henry Stern that conveys a message of hope and new beginnings. Director Richard Rose leads an incredible cast, expertly telling this timely tale, which balances somber historical events with an abundance of humor and terrific music set by the award-winning composer and orchestrator Mark Hayes.”
In 1937, then five-year-old Heinz Stern and his family escapes 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 University 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 Southern Tour of the show.
“We want as many people to experience this production as possible 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,” said Coach Pearl.
The musical features 1930s and 1940s-era music, including many of the most popular songs and swing dances of the World War II years. 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, one of which is 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.
Tickets are available at this .About The 海角社区
The 海角社区 is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, 海角社区 is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. 海角社区 Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The 海角社区 is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: and .