News
'PERFECT PICTURE' PUTS ROCKWELL IN THE SPOTLIGHT
July 13, 2018
By Greg Sukiennik
MANCHESTER — It's not every day that talented stage actors, dancers and singers, recognized as among the best at their craft, find their way to Manchester to premiere a Broadway musical.
That day is July 20, when the curtain rises on "Perfect Picture," a musical based on the life of Norman Rockwell and starring Tony and Emmy award winner Lillias White at Southern Vermont Arts Center's Arkell Pavilion. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on July 20, and 3 and
7:30 p.m. on July 21.
The show, which is co-produced by Joshua Sherman Productions and The Mill, Sherman's East Arlington-based creative space, is being directed by four-time Tony nominee Randy Skinner. It's the centerpiece of the 4 Freedoms Festival, a monthlong celebration of Rockwell, who made Arlington his home and inspiration for 13 years. The New York Times called the musical one of this summer's 15 must-see theater productions.
Sherman, who is also a physician at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, has been watching the development of his mother and aunt's musical about Rockwell for years, in stage and concert settings across the country, including New York's Lincoln Center. "I grew up in house full of music and heard the development process ," Sherman said. "It's what inspired me to have a good understanding of what artists need to move projects forward and collaborate effectively."
"Finally having the opportunity to have a Broadway cast and all-star director and choreographer stage this production is thrilling as we plan on moving it forward to New York," he said.