Brooklyn’s Bridge: a Victorian Woman in a Man’s World

Featuring all Orlando talent for 17-performance show run in February 2025 

Join us for the world premiere of Brooklyn’s Bridge, a new musical. 

Following a workshop performance at Illinois State University in October 2019, a development production at Montclair State University in July 2021 and concert performances at Dr. Phillips Center in January 2024, Brooklyn’s Bridge is returning to Orlando for its first ever full-scale, professional debut! A new original musical with a book and lyrics by Ray Roderick, and music composed by Joseph Baker, Brooklyn’s Bridge is inspired by the extraordinary life of Emily Roebling, wife of Brooklyn Bridge Chief Engineer Washington Roebling. 

This show will tap an all-Orlando cast for its production including actors, musicians, and designers for a 17-show run beginning February 21 at Dr. Phillips Center’s Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater. With 21 original songs, the narrative of building the Brooklyn Bridge comes to life on stage through the eyes of political cartoonist Thomas Nast between the years of 1869-1883. 

While working in the caissons under the East River, Washington has a debilitating attack of “the bends” and becomes bedridden. For the next eleven years, only Emily is seen on the worksite, delivering plans, handling both engineering and political issues. As the bridge grows stronger, foundations to towers, cable to roadway, so does their love for one another, as Emily navigates the uncharted waters: a Victorian woman in a man’s world. The New York Times recently revised their obituary for Emily Roebling, acknowledging that SHE built the bridge. 

Brooklyn’s Bridge is part of the community at Dr. Phillips Center supported by OUC – The Reliable One. This series brings a spotlight to our diverse community and regional talent raising awareness of our community’s cultural offerings. This specific program is also supported by Nicholas Seidule. To learn more and purchase tickets for Brooklyn’s Bridge visit drphillipscenter.org. Tickets will be available through Local Wanderer.

Photos are available here. 

If you and your family want to learn more about the Brooklyn Bridge and Emily Roebling:

1. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David G. McCullough
2. Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge by Rachel Dougherty
3. A Picture History of the Brooklyn Bridge: With 167 Prints and Photographs by Mary J. Shapiro
4. Ken Burns America Collection: Brooklyn Bridge (DVD)
5. How Emily Saved the Bridge: The Story of Emily Warren Roebling and the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by Fried Wishinsky, illustrated by Natalie Nelson

If you are interested in learning more about the time period:

1. The Gilded Age in New York by Esther Crain
2. The Republic for Which it Stands: The United States during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865-1896 by Richard White
3. The Gilded Age by Judith Freeman Clark
4. The Gilded Age: A History in Documents by Janette Thomas Greenwood
5. The Gilded Age: Treasures from the Smithsonian Art Museum by Elizabeth Prelinger

If you are interested in stories of the era and historical fiction:

1. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
2. The Fifth Avenue Artists Society by Joy Callaway
3. The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood
4. The Gilded Hour by Sara Donati
5. The Gilded Age (DVD)