Amber Iman, Austin Scott, Nick Rashad Burroughs and more join GODDESS at the Public Theatre - Spring 2025

RAFAELAAAAAA

The muse is back!

Got my tickets! The Amex presale is open.

Use code AMEXPRE25 to unlock performances. This was listed in the "ticket access" paragraph to the left of the calendar.

Tickets are now on sale - $113 for all seats

TotallyEffed said: "verywellthensigh said: "There is only one....GODDESS!

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You don't know SHlT!"

God, I LOVE this movie!

Jordan Catalano said: "I wish The Metwould commission an opera of "Showgirls"."



Different Places: An Opera

It is a masterpiece.

Okay, I feel kinda bad for hijacking this.

Back to discussing Goddess at the Public Theater!

broadwayben3 said: "Hi friends. I am a massive Amber Iman fan from Lempicka and I would love to see her in this, I just know nothing about it! Could someone give me some info about it? Opinions from past productions, etc. Anything is welcome! TIA!"

…Google is your friend.

broadwayben3 said: "Hi friends. I am a massive Amber Iman fan from Lempicka and I would love to see her in this, I just know nothing about it! Could someone give me some info about it? Opinions from past productions, etc. Anything is welcome! TIA!"

I dug up the long review I wrote on this message board when this show was in previews at the Berkeley Rep several years ago. I'm sure the musical has been revamped quite a bit since then, and the cast is different. If you're an Amber Iman fan, as I am, this is a must-see, though, even if the show still has the flaws it did then. This is probably more than you needed, or wanted, but I aim to please:

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The world premiere of Goddess, a musical comedy which I saw in its sixth preview on Saturday night, has so many brilliant elements that it feels almost churlish to point out flaws. I'll get to both, as I stumble through my inability to know the names of most of the songs because they aren't listed anywhere I can find.

The opening song is an introduction to the Moto Moto club, in Mombasa, Kenya, which is where much of the action takes place. It's a fantastic, high-energy dance number featuring the charismatic Roderick Covington (Once on This Island) as Ahmed, its host. Backed by a band that's stage right, the number characterizes the club as a sort of sanctuary for people whose daytime lives might be very different but who are united by their love of music. The energy and skill of the dancers are on impressive display, with Covington ending with a confident, "And that's just the opening act!" It got enthusiastic and lengthy applause that stopped the show. The second part of the show's one-two punch is its introduction of the club's new star singer, Nadira - played by Amber Iman - who walks down a staircase singing the sultry, R&B song, "Honey Sweet." It's about as compelling an opening combination as I've ever seen in a new musical.

Nadira has a secret. She's is actually the goddess Marimba, The Goddess of Music, who has descended from the heavens in search of love. She hasn't found it yet, though she is pursued by the club owner, Madongo (played by Lawrence Stallings, who was in the original cast of The Book of Mormon and Passing Strange). Nadira isn't interested, and Madongo is an alcoholic creep anyway. Nadira's mother also has placed a curse on her, which she doesn't realize.

Director Saheem Ali, associate artistic director of The Public Theater and director of Pulitzer Prize winner Fat Ham, conceived the story, which is based on an actual, but short, myth he learned about in his native Kenya. Playwright Jocelyn Bioh - best known for School Girls, or, The African Mean Girls Play - wrote the book. Michael Thurber wrote the score.

Iman is a star as Nadira. I had seen her before, in a fascinating turn as Pegga/Maria Reynolds in the first national tour of Hamilton that put her own spin on that dual role, but not like this stunning performance. She has a ballad midway through the first act, perhaps called "Learn to Love," about her quest for a romantic partner even though it meant defying her mother's wishes, that is just gorgeous. The costumes for her, and the entire cast, are by Dede Ayite, a two-time Tony Award nominee who does fantastic work. Iman is able to convey Nadira's longing, confusion, and kindness, as well as a flash of anger.

The less compelling half of the story is that of Nadira's love interest, Omari, a young man just returned from New York City (studying political science at Columbia University) who is the family's political heir. Omari is played by Phillip Johnson Richardson. His parents and grandparents have held high political office for generations and view that as their right and obligation. His parents are Hassan (played by Kingsley Leggs) and Siti (played by Kecia Lewis, a Broadway veteran dating back to Dreamgirls who has quite a powerhouse voice); his fiancee is Cheche (played by Destinee Rea). Omari is more interested in playing music than in running for office, but he goes along reluctantly with his parents' and fiancee's plans for him.

The actors do their best with the political legacy story. Rea, as Cheche, puts her all into an early comic number; the parents spar amusingly in a musical debate over who really runs things. The problem is the character of Omari. His desire to play music doesn't feel truly passionate. He goes through the motions as a politician, barely, but that story lacks the stakes it needs. Even a big second act solo by Lewis' Siti, emphasizing Omari's obligations, doesn't make up for the fact that Omari is a boring character with little interesting to say or sing.

Goddess, like Hadestown, is based on a myth. There's even a trio of singers who do some exposition work, though they are not manipulative and malevolent like Hadestown's Fates. Perhaps it's too much to expect a mythical story to work as full-fledged drama. But I was hoping Bioh, a talented and incisive comic writer, could pull together a story that didn't feel so feather-light for its male lead and his family. And there are dramatic moments that fizzle or, at the climax, are unnecessarily confusing. (Then again, it's possible I was just slow.)

As a result, the show lacks balance. The scenes at Moto Moto, including a funny romance between Ahmed and club bartender/manager Rashida (the actress Abena milks every comic ounce out of her character's one liners), sing. The weakness of Omari's rather generic character undermines his romance with Nadira. And after one listen, Thurber's score - after three fantastic songs in the first half-hour - doesn't stay strong enough. Sometimes that doesn't matter. Ahmed and Rashida's comic bit, "It's a Date," isn't a great song but works anyway on the charm of Covington and Abena. But sometimes I caught myself thinking that, despite the almost-uniform strength of the performances, the song wasn't all that good.

In the end, the show ends on a high, including a little coup de theatre that I won't spoil. Ali and the other creatives have said they are aiming for a show that celebrates "Black joy," and I think they succeed. It's the other parts of the show that feel like they need work.

The musical's official premiere is on Wednesday and it is currently scheduled to run through Sept. 25. Berkeley Rep out-of-town tryouts often extend a bit, but that's the schedule now. Goddess is definitely worth catching, though New Yorkers can probably feel safe in the knowledge that it will get there soon enough.

Updated On: 8/22/22 at 07:05 PM

In Berkeley, Amber Iman has ‘Honey Sweet’ and a terrific ballad. There were a couple of very entertaining group numbers. Iman’s other songs weren’t as good, though she’s wonderful throughout. The musical’s real problem then was the book. I don’t know what changes have been made.

Updated On: 3/8/25 at 07:48 PM

The timing doesn’t bode well. I wasn’t a big fan of Jocelyn Bioh’s book for Goddess, at least in the Berkeley Rep incarnation, even though I have loved her other work.

I’m looking forward to seeing Fat Ham in San Francisco.

But this suggests there were unresolved disagreements about the book, and now some sort of mad scramble to fix it. I suppose situations like this can work out, but how often do they?