A housewife in ’69 walks off the Earth she knows

‘You Are Here’ premiering at Terris Theatre

Goodspeed Musicals likes to create and experiment at its Terris Theatre in Chester, and theaterloving locals know it’s a good venue to potentially see something good take its first steps.

The latest effort arrives Friday for a run through June 10 — Neil Bartram and Brian Hill’s musical “You Are Here.”

It’s July 1969, when the civilized world stops to watch the moon landing on TV. But it’s also a time of huge social upheaval, the Vietnam War, “Hair” on Broadway ... A mature Chicago housewife, Diana, walks out on her comfy suburban life for something better, or at least different.

“We plan to spend our time here,” says Bartram and Hill in writers’ notes, “developing the piece to see if Diana’s journey into the wildly unsettled world of 1969 will resonate with audiences who are experiencing the equally

unsettled world of 2018.”

The bittersweet musical will be directed by Sarna Lapine (Broadway revival of “Sunday in the Park with George”); playing the 50-something housewife Diana will be Tony Award nominee Patti Cohenour, who was the first American to play Christine Daaé in the original company of “The Phantom of the Opera.”

Also featured will be Andrea Frierson as Voice 1, Stacia Fernandez as Voice 2, and “Spamilton: An American Parody” star Dan Rosales as Voice 3.

Goodspeed describes the production as an “intimate, hilarious and heart-breaking tour-de-force musical (that) will leave you cheering for the resilience of the human spirit.”

Hill and Bartram wrote book and music for “The Theory of Relativity” (Goodspeed Musicals 2015), now available for licensing

through Music Theatre International, and “The Story of My Life,” which debuted at the Terris Theatre prior to its premiere on Broadway in 2009.

Curtain times are Wednesdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 and 6:30 p.m.

Tickets ($49-$54) are available through the Goodspeed Box Office (860-873-8668), open seven days a week, or online at goodspeed.org.

Diane Sobolewski / Goodspeed Musicals Patti Cohenour (Diana) from the new musical “You Are Here.”