Inspired by the 1929 Ukrainian avantgarde jazz musical, Radio 477! has original songs and text by New York City-based Yara Arts Group in collaboration with artists in Ukraine. Presented at the Berezil Theatre in Kharkiv in 1929, Hello, This Is Radio 477! was the first jazz musical in Ukraine, featuring catchy songs, wild dances, dazzling set design, and fabulous costumes. Although the show captivated audiences, the Communist Party bosses did not like it and it soon disappeared from the repertoire. The musical's text and score were assumed lost in the Stalinist purges that followed. A few years ago, Virlana Tkacz, director at the Yara Arts Group in New York, discovered the conductor's score hidden in an archive. Now, it has inspired a new theater piece created by Yara Arts Group and Ukrainian artists. The show features musical arrangements and compositions by Anthony Coleman, inspired by the original music by Yuliy Meitus. The text, based on the original structure of the show, is written by Serhiy Zhadan, Ukraine's renowned poet who lives in Kharkiv.
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