NEW YORK—Part family bonding experience, part history lesson, part exercise in nostalgia, Michael Aguirre’s “The Greatest Hits Down Route 66” takes the audience on a trip down one of America’s most storied highways. Presented by New Light Theater Project, this play with music can now be seen at 59E59 Theaters.
A Journey Down America’s Highway
It’s 1999, and the Franco family is about to take a trip on the “Mother Road,” as Route 66 is affectionately known. Their journey will take them from Chicago to California and back again. To be more specific, they'll drive along what remains of the Mother Road. Route 66 was officially removed from the U.S. Highway system in 1985 but has been kept alive since via a legion of historians, aficionados, towns, sites, and signs marking its route.The Franco family consists of father, Wolf Man (Kristoffer Cusick); Mother Dearest (Erika Rolfsrud), Eldest (Martin Ortiz), the couple’s 17 year-old son; and Wee One (Kleo Mitrokostas), their youngest boy, age 8. The trip is based on an actual journey the playwright took with his father.
