Penguin Rep Theatre will present Flying Toward the Sun, a new musical about asylum seekers, with book by Bill Nabel, music by Neil Berg, lyrics by Berg and Nabel, musical staging by Ian Coulter-Buford, and direction by Joe Brancato, Friday, August 14 through Sunday, September 6 in Stony Point (Rockland County)
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Brancato calls Flying Toward the Sun “a rousing new musical full of heart and soul” by Penguin favorite Neil Berg, whose musical The Sabbath Girl (co-written with Cary Gitter) had its world premiere at Penguin before moving Off-Broadway to 59E59 Theaters in 2024.
In Flying Toward the Sun, it’s 2015 and Gary Campbell plans on saving the world. But it’s only his first day on the job as an immigrant official and he confronts heartbreak – and hope – as he listens to the challenges and dreams of those looking to forge new lives in the U.S. … and then must decide their fate.
The cast includes Carolyn Burch (Syracuse Stage, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre: Frozen), Ian Coulter-Buford (2025 Broadway World Off-Broadway Award winner, Carbonell Award nominee), Joy Del Valle (Goodspeed Opera House: Fiddler on the Roof; LA Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago: West Side Story), Eric Elson (Regional: American Idiot, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Once), Jonny Lee Jr. (Geffen: Rise to the Top; Signature: Pacific Overtures; Utah Shakespeare Festival: Gold Mountain), Cheryl Stern (Broadway: La Cage Aux Folles, The Women (Roundabout); Off–Broadway: A Letter To Harvey Milk (co-author), Fiorello (Encores!), and Robert Zelaya (Broadway first National Tour: Kinky Boots, Once on this Island).
Shows will take place: Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Friday matinee at 2:00 p.m. (August 14 only), Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets are priced at $60. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more and young people (30 and under).
Cheap Thrills Night is Friday, August 14 at 7:30 p.m. when tickets are $30, half the regular price.
There will be cake and coffee with the cast following the official opening on Sunday, August 16. Following the show on Friday, August 28 will be a discussion among the artists and audience.
New this season is the introduction of Sweet Treats Friday – August 21 – when audience members are invited to arrive early and enjoy complimentary desserts before the show.
Mainstage productions take place at Penguin Rep Theatre, a repurposed hay barn, located at 7 Crickettown Road, Stony Point, NY. “The converted barn, circa 1880, has never been more inviting” (The New York Times). Horn adds, “It’s theatre so close you can feel it, with comfortable upholstered seats and no seat more than 30 feet from the stage.” The theatre is air conditioned, handicapped accessible, and has plenty of free parking.
Performances are scheduled for Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m., select Friday matinees at 2:00 p.m., Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
For tickets or more information, visit www.penguinrep.org or call 845-786-2873.
