The Secret Life of Bees Extends at Atlantic Theater Company
(© Ahron R. Foster)
Atlantic Theater Company has announced that its world-premiere production of The Secret Life of Bees will extend for one week. Originally set to close on July 14, it will now run through Sunday, July 21, at the Linda Gross Theater.
Based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees features a score by Tony winner Duncan Sheik and Susan Birkenhead, with a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage. Sam Gold directs.
The cast features Romelda Teron Benjamin (Queenie, ensemble), Joe Cassidy (Clayton, ensemble), Vita E. Cleveland (Violet, ensemble), Eisa Davis (June), Matt DeAngelis (Silas, ensemble), Manoel Felciano (T-Ray), Brett Gray (Zach), Jai'Len Christine Li Josey (ensemble), LaChanze (August), Anastacia McCleskey (May), Saycon Sengbloh (Rosaleen), Nathaniel Stampley (Neil), and Elizabeth Teeter (Lily).
The creative team includes choreography by Chris Walker, scenic design by Mimi Lien, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Jane Cox, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier, puppets by AchesonWalsh Studios, musical direction by Jason Hart, music contraction by Antoine Silverman, orchestrations by Duncan Sheik and John Clancy, incidental music orchestrations by Duncan Sheik, hair and makeup design by Cookie Jordan, fight direction by UnkleDave's Fight House, and dialects by Dawn-Elin Fraser.
The Secret Life of Bees is described as follows: "South Carolina, 1964. Lily Owens, a restless white teenager, struggles with her merciless father and the haunting memory of her mother's death. When Rosaleen, her black caregiver, is beaten and jailed for asserting her right to vote, Lily's rebellious spirit is ignited. She and Rosaleen escape on an adventure where they are taken in by a trio of black beekeeping sisters. While Lily tries to unlock the secrets of her past, she and Rosaleen find solace in the mesmerizing world of bees and spirituality in this extraordinary tale of awakening, fellowship and healing."
