A musical called The Band’s Visit is the biggest hit on Broadway right now. It’s based on an Israeli film of the same name. At the Tony Awards this month, the play was nominated 11 times and took home 10 awards. One of the biggest sweeps in recent memory.
One of its producers is Tom Perakos, who has lived near Hailey, Idaho, for decades. He is also producing a Fourth-of-July themed pops concert, "Salute To America The Beautiful," at the Sun Valley Pavilion on July 7, 2018.
Tom Michael visited him at his home in Hailey and began by asking how he first came to the Wood River Valley. It all started during a spring break in college, when he and his friends threw a dart at a map and his landed on Sun Valley.
He described his work with the other producers on The Band's Visit, which was adapted from a 2007 indie film in Israel, about an Egyptian Muslim band that gets lost and spends a day in a small town in the Israeli desert. This musical tale of cross-cultural connections was well-received by critics and audiences on Broadway when it launched in late 2017.
Perakos describes his love of American theater, particularly Broadway musicals, and recounts the challenges of working on the Great White Way. He also previews a holiday-themed concert featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sutton Foster, who are singing pop standards at the Sun Valley Pavillion on July 7.
The Band's Visit is one of only four musicals in Broadway history to win all six of the largest-category awards: Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Direction.
