NEXT Festival 2017
NEXT is Theater Latté Da's New Work Festival showcasing three works that stretch the boundaries of musical storytelling. Each show in the Festival receives public performances providing audience members the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the creative process. Following each performance is an in-depth conversation with the playwrights, composers and lyricists. Be a part of Theater Latté Da's commitment to the next generation of the Great American Musical.
GODDESS
Conceived by Saheem Ali & Mkhululi Z. Mabija Music by Michael Thurber Book by Jocelyn Bioh Lyrics by Mkhululi Z. Mabija, Michael Thurber, Jocelyn Bioh & Saheem Ali
Directed by Saheem Ali Music Direction by Sanford Moore
Goddess is a contemporary spin on an ancient folk tale about Marimba, the deity of music. Set in the East African port of Mombasa, at the steamy jazz club Moto Moto, it tells the story of Nadira, the club’s beautiful headliner and the fate of the men drawn to her siren song. With a score that draws from jazz, afrobeat and taarab, Goddess is a story about love, destiny, and the confluence of traditional beliefs with the modern world.
Saturday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. & Monday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m. Ritz Theater
FIVE POINTS
Book by Harrison David Rivers Music by Ethan D. Pakchar & Douglas Lyons Lyrics by Douglas Lyons
Directed by Peter Rothstein Music Direction by Denise Prosek
Five Points is set in New York City in 1863 amidst the tumult of the Civil War. It chronicles the journeys of two men, Willie Lane, a young black performer at the famed Almack’s Dance Hall, and John Diamond, an Irish immigrant and former jig champion, as they risk everything in pursuit of the American Dream. Inspired by real events, this world premiere musical is about what happens when cultures collide. Yes, there is often chaos, but every once in a while, something extraordinary happens.
Thursday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m. & Saturday, July 29 at 7:30 p.m. Ritz Theater
UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL
By Glen Berger Music by Frank London
Directed by Peter Rothstein Music Direction by Dan Chouinard
A Dutch librarian embarks on a quest to find out who anonymously returned a library book; a travel guide that is 113 years overdue. A clue scribbled in the margin of the book and an unclaimed dry-cleaning ticket then take her on a mysterious adventure that spans the globe and the ages. The librarian, who has never left her native town of Hoofdrop, grows determined to track down the offender. As she travels around the world on her obsessive search, she finds herself on a journey that not only unlocks ancient mysteries, but also moves her to new revelations about her place in the universe.
August 7 at 7:30 p.m.
The Playwrights' Center
