\ud83c\udfad NEW! Miami Theatre Newsletter<\/p>\n
American History Unbound’s \u201cWe Chose to Go to the Moon,\u201d a multimedia production that brings the story of America\u2019s race to the moon to life through live music, archival footage, historic artifacts, and storytelling, will be performed at New World Center in Miami on Saturday, April 25. A free public viewing of the live performance will be projected on a grand outdoor scale at SoundScape Park through the New World Symphony\u2019s WALLCAST, allowing South Florida audiences to experience the production in a shared, open-air setting.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfad NEW! Miami Theatre Newsletter<\/p>\n
\u201cWe Chose to Go to the Moon\u201d touches down in Miami after a sold-out limited engagement<\/a> at Carnegie Hall<\/a> on April 7 and 8.\u00a0<\/p>\n Created and narrated by writer and historian John Monsky as part of his acclaimed American History Unbound series, \u201cWe Chose to Go to the Moon\u201d explores one of the most ambitious scientific and exploration achievements in American history\u2014from the earliest days of the Mercury Program through the triumph of The Apollo<\/a> 11 Moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin<\/a> in July 1969.<\/p>\n Presented by Griffin Catalyst in partnership with American History Unbound, the production is an immersive, large-scale experience combining live performance with rare archival footage, historic flags, and imagery drawn from NASA, the National Archives, and other sources. The show follows Griffin Catalyst\u2019s presentation at the New World Center in May 2025 of \u201cThe Eyes of the World: D-Day to VE Day,\u201d writer and historian John Monsky\u2019s story of the climactic closing year of World War II and Miami\u2019s role in it.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s performance, of a story with meaningful roots in Florida\u2019s Space Coast, is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer<\/a> (\u201cSpring Awakening,\u201d \u201cChess\u201d) with music arranged by Ian Weinberger (\u201cHamilton\u201d), featuring an acclaimed cast of stage and screen actors and vocalists, including Skylar Astin<\/a>, Brent Comer<\/a>, Claybourne Elder<\/a>, Elizabeth Gillies<\/a>, Taylor Louderman<\/a>, and Joy Woods<\/a>. Neil Armstrong\u2019s son Mark Armstrong<\/a> will perform a special tribute to his father.<\/p>\n The production also features iconic music of the 1960s and 1970s, including \u201cFly Me to the Moon,\u201d \u201cRocket Man,\u201d \u201cSpace Oddity,\u201d and \u201cMy Generation,\u201d reflecting the cultural, political, and emotional complexity of the tumultuous era in which the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs unfolded.<\/p>\n The production follows the journeys of the astronauts, engineers, scientists, and families behind the country\u2019s ambitious space program, transporting audiences from launch pads to Mission Control and into classrooms and living rooms around the world where millions of viewers watched history unfold in real time. The performance reaches a crescendo in the fulfillment of President John F. Kennedy\u2019s 1961 challenge to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth.<\/p>\n The partnership builds on Griffin Catalyst\u2019s broader commitment to strengthening freedom and democracy by connecting Americans to the ideals and individuals that define our shared story. Recent efforts include transformative support for the National Medal of Honor Museum, the Navy SEAL Foundation, and the Call of Duty Endowment, as well as initiatives to facilitate public access to foundational documents\u2014including a loan of a rare first-edition copy of the U.S. Constitution and an early printing of the seventeen proposed amendments that became the Bill of Rights, as well as the acquisition and planned public display of historic editions of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment.<\/p>\n