Traversing the country along the Mississippi River, the Cotton Blossom glides through 40 years of American history, from 1887 to 1927. Edna Ferber’s novel Show Boat was published in 1926 and the musical by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II followed in 1927, produced by Flo Ziegfeld. And what a musical! A gloriously melodic floating world, Show Boat is also rocked by the undertow of racism, up close and personal. In collaboration with NYU Skirball, the Target Margin Theater reimagines this classic musical with invention and daring. ”Show/Boat: A River is a true, ensemble-driven production,” says the company’s artistic director, David Herskovits. “We are not simply staging a 100-year-old classic, but recreating Show Boat, a famously unresolved work, for today’s audiences with a slew of contemporary considerations.” —Laura Jacobs