record more than two decades earlier but lost touch until McPherson, now a Massachusetts housewife, encountered her former partner singing on a Brooklyn street corner as a means of support. She invited him to live with her and her family, and the two began to write songs based on Schoenfeld's experiences. They eventually wrote the plot with elements of Annie, Madame Butterfly, Movin' Out, Rent, and every fairy tale that ever ended happily ever after. The musical's stage premiere was on April 30, 2003 at the New Denver Civic Theater (Denver, CO) and ran through June 15, 2003. This production starred Eden Espinosa. The musical premiered on Broadway on October 21, 2004 at the Plymouth Theatre (renamed the Gerald Schoenfeld), and closed on June 26, 2005 after 284 performances and 27 previews. Directed by Jeff Calhoun, the cast included Eden Espinosa as Brooklyn, Karen Olivo as Faith, Kevin Anderson as Taylor, Ramona Keller as Paradice, and Cleavant Derricks as a street singer who acts as the narrator. National tour and other productions A 2006 national tour starred American Idol finalist Diana DeGarmo as Brooklyn and Melba Moore as Paradice. Cleavant Derricks reprised his performance as Street Singer, with original cast member Julie Reiber as Faith, and Lee Morgan as Taylor Collins. In 2008 Brooklyn made its professional regional premiere at Wisconsin's The Armory located in Janesville, WI. The limited engagement, arranged through Brooklyn's original producers, ran from May 8 to June 1, 2008. The Armory production featured Elyssa Samsel in the title role with John Edwards (Street Singer), Brett J. Frazier (Taylor Collins), Chelsea Waller (Paradice), and Julie Marie Eberhart (Faith). This production also added two more voices and featured Don Seward and Amy Linden in the ensemble. Baldwin Wallace College was granted the rights to put on a regional production in Berea, Ohio in April 2008. It played at Playhouse Square's 14th Street Theatre in May 2008. A Brazilian production played in June 2012 in São Paulo. In February, 2018, Footlite Musicals was granted rights to put on a production in Indianapolis, Indiana. The production was staged in cabaret style with the audience seated on the stage. The production was received favorably, selling out the vast majority of the shows. The production was nominated for and won Encore Association Awards in the following categories: Best Production of a Musical (Amy Douglas), Best Director of a Musical (Kathleen Clarke Horrigan),