Top Hat Productions is bringing back “Amazing Grace” for another chorus.

The musical opens Friday for a two-weekend run at Fairview Arts & Outreach Center. In 2019 Top Hat was the first non-professional theater to produce the Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron musical.

“It was still on tour when we received the rights, and we were their sort of flagship experiment,” director Brian Palumbo said. “They didn’t have the formal scripts printed or any of the formal materials. We went literally by the tour notes, and there were conductor score notes from the tour when we received it.”

Top Hat patrons have been asking for an encore since that initial run, Palumbo said. Those materials now are available for regional and community theaters, but Palumbo decided to stick with the touring script, not only because he already was familiar with it but because he thought it was better.

“Sometimes some of the raw things are better, but they don’t make the cut at the end,” he said. “I think some of the changes that they made once it continued on make it more mainstream … I really like the version we had. That’s why I asked for those rights again, because I just feel like it’s a little more raw.”

The musical tells the story of John Newton, a former slave trader who became an abolitionist as well as an Anglican priest and hymn writer. Newton’s many songs include the popular hymn that gives the show its title.

Most of the leads from the 2019 production will reprise their roles, Palumbo said, but it’s also bittersweet because a couple of cast members from the original staging have died in recent years.

The cast includes Anthony Villa, Robert Noble, Jessica Murphy, Joe Borzacchiello, Damin Devan, Jeremy Davis, Lynnz Gonzalez, Michelle Jones, Rachell Joy, Nikita Jones, Taeshawn Madison, Tom O’Donnell, Bella Sauceda and Tylor Zuniga.

Recent improvements at Fairview allow Palumbo to add some nuances to the staging that were more difficult to achieve in 2019.

“We just completed a brand new digital sound system with state of the art digital microphones, and we had Bose come in and analyze the speakers,” Palumbo said. “So when the storms are happening, it’s really going to feel like you’re there … Anywhere you sit, the sound is very, very clear, and you can even hear the breath of the actors. I think it’s going to really help and enhance the show. I think that he (technical director Jeffrey Chan) has the ability to enhance my vision or to make my vision more of a reality with the tools that we have now on our stage.”

And that vision includes creating a show that will appeal to all audiences.

“I come, obviously, from a Christian perspective, and I’m a spiritual person, but I think that you do not have to be spiritual to enjoy this production,” Palumbo said. “I think people hear the title and think, ‘Oh, it’s a churchy play,’ or it’s a religious production. There is definitely an amazing message in the show, but it’s not at all a preachy show.

“It’s a story for all people of all walks of life, and they can get something from it. I also think that with all of the hate that is going on right now within our government and our leadership, I think that this is a perfect redemption story and a perfect indicator of what the past can teach us.”

If you go …

WHAT: Top Hat Productions — “Amazing Grace”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 23

WHERE: Fairview Arts & Outreach Center, 4220 Youngstown-Poland Road, Youngstown

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $18.75 and are available online at tophatproductions.thundertix.com.