Buzz Aldrin's Story Takes Center Stage in New Musical Production

A new musical production called "1969: The Second Man" explores Buzz Aldrin's incredible adventures and accomplishments. (Image credit: “1969: The Second Man”)

Buzz Aldrin's story takes center stage in "1969: The Second Man," a new theatrical production that explores the life of the second man on the moon.

Self-described as a "folk-rock fable for the runner-up in all of us," "1969: The Second Man" explores Aldrin's journey to the moon and what it was like to "come in second." After returning from his historic extraterrestrial exploits, reporters asked Aldrin if he wished he had been the first to step foot on the moon, and to some people's surprise, he responded, "I didn't really want that because of the added heartache."

The creators of "1969: The Second Man" seem captivated by Aldrin's contentedness with landing second. They told Space.com in a statement that this production tells this story through the eyes of Aldrin, who became more myth than man after his trip to the moon. [In Photos: Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 Moonwalker and Astronaut Icon]

The cast of “1969: The Second Man” has fun in rehearsal. (Image credit: Madeleine Foster Bersin)

"1969: The Second Man" combines a Space Age tale with a six-piece band and unique musical stylings. The cast will include Jacob Brandt, Paris Ellsworth ("Go! Go! Gilgamesh"), Lizzie Hagstedt ("Sweeney Todd" national tour), Angel Lin ("Interstate"), Maya Sharpe ("Hair") and Tony Aidan Vo ("The Great Leap").

If you want to join the cast and follow Aldrin's incredible adventure into space, you'll want to check out this production. Previews for "1969: The Second Man" begin Aug. 24, and opening night is set for Aug. 28 at the 4th Street Theatre, as a part of the 2018 Next Door at New York Theatre Workshop season. The production will run through Sept. 8. Tickets are now available online.

Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her @chelsea_gohd. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Chelsea Gohd
Senior Writer

Chelsea “Foxanne” Gohd joined Space.com in 2018 and is now a Senior Writer, writing about everything from climate change to planetary science and human spaceflight in both articles and on-camera in videos. With a degree in Public Health and biological sciences, Chelsea has written and worked for institutions including the American Museum of Natural History, Scientific American, Discover Magazine Blog, Astronomy Magazine and Live Science. When not writing, editing or filming something space-y, Chelsea "Foxanne" Gohd is writing music and performing as Foxanne, even launching a song to space in 2021 with Inspiration4. You can follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd and @foxannemusic.