Performer, composer, lyricist and writer Larry Owens will present the world premiere concert debut of his new musical, The American Football Musical, a satire of The Blind Side-esque sports/white savior films, at Adelphi University Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Saturday, April 27. The musical will begin at 3 p.m. in the Olmsted Theatre of the Adelphi PAC. The event will also be live-streamed.

Set in Tennessee, Owens’ The American Football Musical is a Southern rock musical meets sports comedy that follows the platonic love story between a Southern white football mom and the Black athletic prodigy she adopts. Owens’ full-length book musical satirizes white savior narratives in popular culture and examines the complexities of chosen families. Owens is joined by a company of Broadway actors including Tony nominee Kerry Butler (Beetlejuice, Xanadu, Hairspray) and Tony nominee Mary Testa (Oklahoma!, Xanadu, Gardens of Anuncia) – witness the birth of Broadway’s next hit musical theatre sensation. Additional cast members will include Roe Hartrampf (Diana), Anne L. Nathan (Funny Girl, Thoroughly Modern Millie), Keri René Fuller (Six), Allison Blackwell (New York, New York), Emily Koch (Wicked), Celeste Rose, Malachi Beasley, Jack Hale, Sam Marzella and Ruby Doran. The performance will be directed by Larry Owens with music direction by Josh Kight.

Owens has more than 20 television and film credits since his breakout role as Usher in the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Off-Broadway production of A Strange Loop including Abbott Elementary, A24’s Problemista, and Search Party. He is also the author of The Talk Show (his directorial debut at the Tribeca Film Festival under the title The Gag starring Sherie Rene Scott) and Five Sisters, a play about gendered succession written in verse and AAVE. In addition to being a Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel and Obie Award winner, Owens is a recipient of a 2023 Jonathan Larson Grant.

This musical event is funded by the American Theatre Wing, Jonathan Larson Grant and Saw Mill Foundation Grant, produced in association with Orsetto Productions (Giuliana Carullo) and cast by Scotty Anderson, CSA.

Tickets for Larry Owens are currently on sale for $25, with discounts available to seniors, students, Adelphi alumni and Adelphi employees. Livestream tickets are $15. For more information call the Lucia and Steven N. Fischer Box Office at 516-877-4000 or email boxoffice@adelphi.edu. Regular box office hours are Wednesday through Friday from Noon until 5 p.m. and the box office is also open two hours before ticketed events. Ticket sales and additional information are also available online at adelphi.edu/pac.

The Adelphi PAC is one of Long Island’s premier cultural arts venues for entertainment of all kinds. See more about other upcoming Adelphi PAC offerings at adelphi.edu/pac.