Troubadour, a country music musical, is at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta until February 12.
Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre paired up with Sugarland singer-songwriter Kristian Bush to put on a country music musical. Troubadour, set in the 1950s, follows the relationship between a country star and his son as they navigate life and the expectations of upholding family legacies — a familiar theme in country music.
Written by Atlanta’s Janece Shaffer and featuring original music by Bush, the story follows country music legend Billy Mason on the eve of retirement, while his timid son, Joe, finds the courage to step into the spotlight. On his journey, Joe joins forces with an unlikely pair, Inez, a budding singer-songwriter, and Izzy, a rodeo tailor on a mission. Through their collaboration a revolution is born and country music is changed forever.
In a recent interview with NPR, Bush explains that the idea for the musical derived from a clothing exhibition at the Country Music Hall of Fame.
“It started out with church wear, dark clothes, dark pants, white tops, string ties, very, very plain,” Shaffer explains. “And then there was this moment in the exhibition where it exploded with color and decoration and rhinestones — I wanted to know what happened at that moment.”
From there, Bush emailed his idea to Atlanta playwright Shaffer, they met up, and by the end of breakfast, they’d written the show’s first song, “Father to the Son.”
In the end, Bush wrote 16 songs for the show, with 14 making the final cut. Check out the video below for a preview of the show.
Troubadour will close this Sunday, February 12 at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Click here for tickets and more information.
