Emily Warren Roebling learned enough engineering, mathematics and politics to run one of the nineteenth century's most ambitious construction projects while her husband lay ill, and Brooklyn's Bridge treats that as a story about acquiring power rather than a monument tour. Joseph Baker and Ray Roderick stage it in a former Sunday school hall in Fort Greene. Seeing it a mile from the bridge itself is the whole argument for going.
What to expect
The Space at Irondale is a soaring converted church hall on Lafayette Avenue with flexible seating and a long, open playing area. Expect a full book musical with a modest cast, period costume and a score that leans traditional rather than pop. Fort Greene's restaurant row on Lafayette and DeKalb makes an easy pre-show plan.
Good to know
- The Space at Irondale is on Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene; take the C to Lafayette Avenue or the G to Fulton Street
- The venue is a converted Sunday school hall with flexible seating, so arriving early gets a better spot
- Walk or bike over the Brooklyn Bridge beforehand if you want the full effect
- Fort Greene's restaurants on Lafayette and DeKalb are a short walk from the door
- The run ends in late August, so the last performances are the ones filling up
- Suitable for older kids interested in history and engineering
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Common questions
Who was Emily Roebling?
She was the wife of Brooklyn Bridge chief engineer Washington Roebling. When he was disabled by caisson disease, she learned the engineering and managed the project through to completion in 1883.
Where is The Space at Irondale?
It is Irondale Ensemble Project's home in a former Sunday school hall on Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
Is this a new musical?
Yes. It was first presented in concert at the York Theatre in Manhattan and had regional productions before this New York premiere staging.
