welcome

Welcome to our website for Gumbo Bottoms: A Big Muddy Musical, written by Meredith Ludwig and Cathy Barton. Our 2014 performances were well received and we are looking forward to visiting more towns in the future. Our performance on board the Queen of the Mississippi Riverboat harkened back to the days of the steamboats called “floating theatres” where it was common to find theatrical presentations. Many thanks to Turner Hall River Rats for the Arts for their continued support and for the funds provided by the Missouri Arts Council for this last run of performances.

If you missed the musical you’re still in luck. In January with the support of the Turner Hall River Rats for the Arts we went into Pete Szkolka’s studio in Columbia, Missouri and made a cast recording of all the songs and it is ready for your ears. You can listen right here and the album is available on CD or digital download.

Now available the cast album from Gumbo Bottoms
Listen and order here!


Here are some excerpts from Aarik Danielsens’s review which appeared in the Columbia Daily Tribune in June of 2014:

"Gumbo Bottoms" is a lively, loose-limbed affair that engages topics of race, class and belonging through the story of a genteel East Coast woman who finds her destiny once she reluctantly anchors herself in the Missouri River... Barton and Ludwig’s work is the perfect mix of simple string-band glories and the appropriately over-the-top style of musical theater. Those who haven’t seen the show will get a good sense of its story from these tunes, yet will be left craving more.

Of the "Overture" he wrote: Spry rhythms abound and tender tones abide as the melody gets passed around like a jug of sweet moonshine, its contents warming the listener from the inside out.

You can read the whole review in our news and events section.

We have been fortunate in the past to take the show on the road to Hermann, Jefferson City, Washington, and Columbia, Missouri, as well as the premiere stop in Boonville’s Thespian Hall in 2008. This web site will let you explore the history behind the musical, catch up on all the latest news and events, and learn all about the cast and crew involved in this delightful production. We now have a short video from the premiere called "Little Bit of Gumbo," and a review from our performance in Washington.

If your theatre is interested in mounting your own production of Gumbo Bottoms, we would be delighted to send you a script and music. Contact Meredith Ludwig at info@gumbobottomsmusical.com.



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