After a heartbreaking postponement for Mountain Theatre Company last season, due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene, MTC’s long-awaited production of The Burnt Part Boys is set to make its debut this August. The cancellation hit the cast and crew hard, halting months of passionate preparation and artistic momentum. Under the direction of Scott Daniel with vocal direction by Lori Nielsen Lindsay, the company returns this summer with renewed determination and heart. This powerful, folk-infused musical about grief, hope, and resilience resonates even more deeply after a year of waiting – and the MTC cast is ready to give it the debut it has always deserved.
Returning to the MTC stage after appearing in Rock of Ages, Alex Pletikapich will star as younger brother Pete, a youngster who is deeply inspired by movie heroes and renders The Burnt Part useless. Spencer Bethers (MTC’s Home for the Holidays: Sounds of the Season) will join as older brother Jake, a roughhouse brother who has taken over the lead role as caretaker in their home. Alongside Bethers, Michael Robert Krebs will be seen as Chet, the best friend of Jake who also works in the mine in the town. Dusty, the fun-loving, saw-playing best friend of Pete will be played by William Field. Katie Berger Wood will reprise her role as runaway Frances (The Burnt Part Boys, Freefall Theatre). Al Dollar, a recent BroadwayWorld winner for “Best Performer in a Musical” in MTC’s Catch Me If You Can will return to the MTC stage. Rounding out the cast of miners includes Terrance McQueen (MTC’s Forever Plaid) and James Arthel Reilly.
After its world premiere in 2010, The Burnt Part Boys became one of the most imaginative and heartfelt original musicals in recent memory. Set in an Appalachian mining town that was the scene of a tragic disaster many years before, Pete is fighting to claim his past. His older brother Jake is hoping to forge a future. With their friends, they each embark on a life-altering journey to the mine that took their father’s life. By turns magical, inspiring, raucous, and playful – the story is set to a driving and haunting mid-century bluegrass-inspired score. MTC is grateful to hone in on the talent of national and local talent in our orchestra with Matt Stern on the piano, Nico Remy on the drums, Olivia Massey on the viola, Jackson Hopper on the upright bass and featuring Master Fiddler Meade Richter, with guitar and music direction by Bo Garrard. The Burnt Part Boys is an empowering and thrilling theatrical experience for all ages. This heartwarming adventure with a book by Mariana Elder, music by Chris Miller and lyrics by Nathan Tysen, this musical will be sure to capture your heart as it finds the peaks and valleys of darkness within us all.
The creative team includes Set Design by Scott Daniel and Jeff Weber with Weber Scenic (MTC’s Catch Me If You Can), Sound Design by Bo Garrard (MTC’s Resident Sound Designer), Lighting Design by Mike Wood, and Costume Design by Beck Jones (RuPaul’s Drag Race). Follow along with our new series; Harmony in Highlands: The Making of The Burnt Part Boys on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@mountaintheatrecompany where you can get a first-hand look behind the scenes in our orchestration recording, building the costumes, rehearsals with the cast and more.
Students under the age of 18 who are residents of Macon, Jackson, Transylvania, or Rabun Counties receive free Green Level tickets reserved in advance to any of MTC’s productions in our mission for #Theatre4All. Performances are Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2:00 P.M.; Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 P.M. Tickets range from $68 – $78. You can currently check out MTC’s in repertory productions of The Marvelous Wonderettes and Forever Plaid now through July 13th at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. Tickets and more information are available at mountaintheatre.com.
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