ROBIN'S SHOW REVIEW: THE HISTORY MYSTERY

TADA! YOUTH THEATER latest production is THE HISTORY MYSTERY. My son and I saw the show, and it was the first time we attended a TADA production.  It will not be the last.

THE HISTORY MYSTERY is a musical time travel adventure--Meet Martin Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, the Wright Brothers and other characters when they were children.  Imagine how events from their childhoods could have shaped them into the adults they became – the adults who helped to form the world, as we know it today.

The takeaway from the show is a strong, positive life lesson.  If you dream it as a child, and put effort behind it, it can manifest.  One person can make a huge difference for many in this world.  I loved being able to share this message with my son, and hope that it's one he will sustain.

The production was well done, and is an inspiring, informative, affordable family show.  I applaud the efforts of TADA and hope to take in future shows they present. 

This production stars members of TADA!’s Resident Youth Ensemble; talented kids between the ages of 8 and 18 from the NYC area who participate in this FREE year-round youth development program.  They are:

Alex Costello (Paramus, NJ, 11 years old)

Amanda Prescod (Brooklyn, NY, 13 years old)

Annalee Tai (New York, NY, 13 years old)

Austin Tipograph (New York, NY, 15 years old)

Brian Ward (Brooklyn, NY, 14 years old)

Brooklyn Fuentas (Brooklyn, NY, 9 years old)

Ceanna Bryant (New York, NY, 13 years old)

Chloe Pae (New York, NY, 10 years old)

Clara Kim (Flushing, NY, 11 years old)

Danielle Palmer (Bronx, NY, 12 years old)

Derek Johnson (Brooklyn, NY, 10 years old)

Diana Kagan (Great Neck, NY, 10 years old)

Donna Falzon (Astoria, NY, 17 years old)

Elsa Chung (Bronx, NY, 10 years old)

Jaden Dudley (New York, NY, 10 years old)

Jennifer Wais (New York, NY, 17 years old)

Kaitlyn Pohly (New York, NY, 8 years old)

Maddie Rubin (New York, NY, 12 years old)

Maddy Abrahams (New York, NY, 13 years old)

Martin Lewis (Staten Island, NY, 16 years old)

Milo Bernfield-Millman (New York, NY, 13 years old)

Molly Grub (New York, NY, 11 years old)

Nataki Purvis (Brooklyn, NY, 15 years old)

Nathan Love (Brooklyn, NY, 9 years old)

Nicole Zivkovic (Forest Hills, NY, 13 years old)

Romello Rodriguez (Bronx, NY, 14 years old)

Samantha Pohly (New York, NY, 11 years old)

Santiago Parra (New York, NY, 10 years old)

Shanya Thomas (New York, NY, 10 years old)

Sophie Smith-Brady (New York, NY, 12 years old)

Subiya Mboya (Hackensack, NJ, 11 years old)

Tristan Hickey (New York, NY, 13 years old)

Tyrek Haynes (New York, NY, 13 years old)

Book by JANINE NINA TREVENS

Music by ERIC ROCKWELL

Lyrics by MARGARET ROSE 
Directed by JANINE NINA TREVENS

The production features choreography by Associate Artistic Director Joanna Greer, musical direction by Jim Colleran, scenic and lighting design by Steve O’Shea, costume design by Virginia Monte and projections designed by Norman Franklin.

THE HISTORY MYSTERY plays the following regular schedule:

Saturdays at 2pm and 4pm

Sundays at 2pm and 4pm

Additional Performance:

Friday, February 17 at 7 pm

Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for children; Limited cheap tickets (also available for every performance) are $20 for adults and $8 for children and are available first come, first serve.  Tickets are available online at www.tadatheater.com/currentseason.asp. Tickets may also be purchased in-person a half hour prior to performance.  Non-Profit Group rates start at $6 per child for groups of 20+; birthday party packages are also available.  The limited engagement is at TADA! Youth Theater (15 West 28th St. 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10001).  Performances began Friday, January 20 and continue through Sunday, February 19.

Running Time:  approximately 60 minutes

Website: www.tadatheater.com

ABOUT TADA!:

Since 1984, TADA! Youth Theater has been providing young people of all different backgrounds the opportunity to explore and perform musical theater together in an educational, supportive and professional environment. In 2009 with a Special Drama Desk Award for "providing an invaluable contribution to the future of the theater.” TADA! is the only youth theater to have won this prestigious award.

TADA! has also received many other honors and awards including the American Alliance for Theater Education’s Anne Flagg Multicultural Award, Family Circle Magazine’s 1st Annual Halo Award, and more than a dozen National Youth Theatre Awards. Additionally, in 2008 TADA! was honored with a Coming Up Taller Award, our nation’s highest honor for youth development from the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

Every year, TADA! produces: original musical theater productions performed by kids for family audiences; a discounted ticket program; free pre-professional training and youth development opportunities through the Resident Youth Ensemble composed of over 80 NYC kids ages 8-18; renowned Arts Education in-school residencies and after-school programs; and theater classes and camps for kids of all ages taught by professional teaching artists and for which need-based financial aid is available.