Cleaning out her grandmother’s home, Ellen Rabinowitz discovers a mysterious photograph of a soldier, tucked away in a box of keepsakes. And so begins this sweeping, heartfelt musical about one woman’s journey to unearth the secrets buried in her family’s past. Spanning three generations, “Unknown Soldier” unravels a delicate tangle of family lore, as Ellen chases the extraordinary story that unlocks her history—and charts her future.
“Unknown Soldier” has a book by Daniel Goldstein (Broadway’s “Godspell”), music by the late Michael Friedman (“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”), and lyrics by Goldstein and Friedman. The Arena Stage production is directed by Trip Cullman (Broadway’s “The Rose Tattoo”) and stars Kerstin Anderson (Broadway’s “My Fair Lady”), Riglee Ruth Bryson (“Annie” North American Tour), Adam Chanler-Berat (Broadway’s “Next to Normal”), Lora Lee Gayer (Broadway’s “Holiday Inn”), Nehal Joshi (Broadway’s “The Phantom of the Opera”), Perry Sherman (Broadway’s “Fun Home”), and four-time Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn (Broadway’s “Les Misérables”).
The musical has been hailed as “COMPELLING…a romantic mystery spanning almost a century” by The Washington Post, “GORGEOUS…ENGAGING…SIMPLY MAGICAL…a fascinating exploration of memory, love, and loss” by BroadwayWorld, and “MOVING…ENTHRALLING…EVOCATIVE…the memory musical unfolds with the delicacy of an heirloom music box” by DC Theater Arts.
“Unknown Soldier” plays at Arena Stage through May 5. Get tickets at arenastage.org/soldier.