Show/Boat: A River

First Preview: Jan 09, 2025

Opening Date: Jan 15, 2025

Closing Date: Jan 26, 2025

Running Time: 02:30

https://nyuskirball.org/events/show-boat-a-river/

Playing @

NYU Skirball

566 LaGuardia Place New York, NY 10012

View on map

View theatre details

Obie Award-winning Target Margin Theater, in collaboration with NYU Skirball, presents a daring reimagining of the seminal musical Show Boat, now re-envisioned as Show/Boat: A River. This bold adaptation reframes the 1927 classic for today’s audience, exploring America’s transformation from the 1880s through the Jazz Age—journeying from steamboats to airplanes, vaudeville to radio and the Spanish-moss South to the bustling city of Chicago amid the Great Migration.

Show Boat is both a powerful narrative and a historical reflection, revealing a legacy marked by violent racism while striving for a more just America. Director David Herskovits, known for his provocative interpretations, brings a fresh perspective to this quintessentially American masterpiece. Building on Target Margin’s renowned tradition of re-envisioning classic works, this new staging promises the company’s trademark extravagant theatricality, intricate design layers and a vibrant celebration of language, song and spirit.

Show/Boat: A River challenges us to confront our past and envision a reimagined America for 2025, bridging the gap between history and the present with striking relevance.

Part of the 2025 Under the Radar festival.

Off Broadway Musical

Age Guidance: 14

Audience Advisory:

The production includes Racially offensive language and incidents.

Performance Schedule:

WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY @ 7:30 PM
SUNDAY @ 3 PM

Added performance January 13 @ 7:30 PM

Cast

Alvin Crawford
Caitlin Nasema Cassidy
Suzanne Darrell
Edwin Joseph
J Molière
Steven Rattazzi

Music

Jerome Kern, orchestrated by Dan Schlosberg and vocal arranged by Dionne McClain-Freeney

Lyrics

Oscar Hammerstein II

Book

Oscar Hammerstein II

Written by

David Herskovits

Choreography

Caroline Fermin

Accessibility:

Box Office

Shagan Box Office in the lobby of NYU Skirball, 566 La Guardia Place (just south of Washington Square South).
Hours: Tues - Sat, noon to 6pm and two hours before show times.

Directions Subway

B, D, F and A, C, E all service West 4th Street and are the shortest walking distance to the center. Other trains within walking distance include N,R at 8th Street, 6 at Astor Place, 1,9 at Christopher Street and L,N,Q,R,W,4,5,6 at Union Square