The Adding Machine: A Chamber Musical

Presented as a 90-minute musical adaptation of Elmer Rice’s 1923 expressionist masterpiece, The Adding Machine: A Chamber Musical tells the story of Mr. Zero, a cog in the great machine of American business. Rewarded for twenty-five years of hard work with a pink slip, Zero kills his boss, gets executed and ends up in the Elysian Fields.

Composer Joshua Schmidt captures the wildness and eclecticism of the 1923 text with a stirring score that includes influences from Stravinsky to Gospel to Rodgers and Hammerstein. The inventive and unique piece develops its continuity from the repetition of words, beautiful melodic fragments, haunting phrases of music, even entire songs recurring at various points throughout the play as dramaturgical and emotional points of reference.

In addition to the regular schedule, a performance is arranged for Monday, February 19 at 7:00pm.