Theater Latte Da will premiere original musical

March 12, 2011.By Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press.

Theater Latte Da will premiere "Steerage Song," an original musical about early American immigrants, with a run June 2 through 5 at the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul.

Created by the Twin Cities theater company's artistic director Peter Rothstein along with musician and writer Dan Chouinard, the musical follows the journey immigrants took from Europe to the United States through Ellis Island. The pair spent several y ears gathering folk songs from 30 different European countries for the show, which also features patriotic numbers and Tin Pan Alley-style melodies.

"The history of immigration is both rich and cyclical," Chouinard said. "By remembering our own history, we can look with greater understanding on the faces of immigrants in our community today."

Tickets are $31 and $26 and are available through Ticketmaster.