'Let Freedom Ring' Puts America's Story Center Stage

Pushcart Players, New Jersey’s touring theater for young and family audiences, is bringing its production of  “Let Freedom Ring” to Florham Park schools. 

The musical celebrates the nation's birth and development with authentic folk songs and an animated story of significant moments in U.S. history.

“We focus on people in early America—what they thought and how they felt,” said Ruth Fost, Pushcart Players co-founder and playwright. “What was it like to have the courage to leave the familiar and explore the unknown?
"These are ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary goals.” 

"Let Freedom Ring" opens with the beginning of time, moving quickly to the arrival of the first Americans from Asia. With the passage of approximately 30,000 years (in under five minutes!), “Freedom” introduces a new wave of Americans in 1620. Among the new settlers are four main characters: Sam, Sarah, Jennie and Ginny. They transcend time, distance and circumstance to lead the audience—chronologically and geographically—through two centuries of the country’s past.

Scenarios focus on the Boston Tea Party, the U.S. Revolution, westward expansion, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the California Gold Rush and Industrialization with a goal of teaching and inspiring audiences of all ages, Fost explained.

“The finale is a spirited musical salute to the unique texture and rich character of our great nation,” she said. “It’s a tribute to democratic ideals.”

The musical combines traditional folk songs with original works. Incidental music and orchestrations are by Larry Hochman, who has collaborated with Pushcart co-founder Carole Wechter, since the company’s inception. Hochman won the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his co-orchestration of “The Book of Mormon.” He also orchestrated “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” “The Addams Family” and “Jane Eyre,” among others.

“Let Freedom Ring” will present in-school performances in Florham Park, as well as in West Milford, Clifton, Newark and Hopatcong, and in New York and Connecticut, between now and February 2014.