Trinity Rep in Providence offers a rare opportunity from April 15 to May 22 -- the chance to witness the world premiere of a new musical: Charles Strouse's "You Never Know."  Amanda Dehnert will direct, with choreography by Christopher D'Amboise.  

Billed as a love letter to the great American musical from the composer of "Bye Bye Birdie," "Annie" and "Applause," Charles Strouse's "You Never Know" is a multi-layered story with a blend of romance and suspense.

The jumping off point  is deceptively simple: a young man finds a musical his grandfather wrote but never finished.  He decides to bring the show to life and the audience travels back to that musical's setting, a  swanky Miami resort in 1948 with a colorful cast of characters -- the womanizing politician, his movie-star wife and our young songwriter hero.

Choosing to premiere his new musical is a decision that grew from the composer and director's mutual admiration. Strouse was impressed by Trinity Rep's conceptual take on "Annie" and praised Dehnert's interpretation of his beloved musical, commenting "I thought she was terribly inventive" and that her vision would match the quality of his new project.

Director Amanda Dehnert says that she has been working closely with Strouse on the project for over a year now, stating,  "Working on a new musical is a lot more 'hands on' than working on a new play.   Many parents are nurturing this new  'baby' to life - the writers, the directors, the choreographer, and the designers. Charles' love for this story and connection to it is huge, and that's inspiring to us all. It's the story of a young man who is at a crossroads in his life and has to make a decision between being an artist or taking the conservative road and becoming a lawyer like his father. At the end of the day, that is a question that a lot people can connect with∫. . .which road leads us to happiness?"

The cast consists of a mix of New York guest artists and familiar faces to local audiences. The musical's leading lady, Haviland Stillwell, was most recently seen on Broadway in "Fiddler on the Roof" with Harvey Fierstein. Gerritt VanderMeer comes to the production from his acclaimed performance as Harold Hill in the recent national tour of "The Music Man."

Supporting guest artists include: Julio Monge, Darryl Semira and Jay Montgomery  along with Trinity Rep resident company members Fred Sullivan, Jr., Rachael Warren, Mauro Hantman, Stephen Thorne and third-year Consortium student Ben Steinfeld.

Strouse's many credits as composer and lyricist include "Annie" and "Bye Bye Birdie" (and their sequels) "Applause," "It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman!", "Charlotte's Web,"  "Golden Boy," "A Broadway Musical," "I and Albert," "Charlie and Algernon," "Rags," "Dance a Little Closer" and "All American," among others.

For tickets and information, stop by the box office at 201 Washington Street in Providence, call 401-351-4242 or visit  www.trinityrep.com.