The Public announces two new musicals for 2025 season

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 9:56am

GODDESS (New York Premiere in Spring 2025)

Conceived by Saheem Ali

Music & Lyrics by Michael Thurber

Book by Jocelyn Bioh

Choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie Directed by Saheem Ali

 

SEAT OF OUR PANTS (World Premiere Musical in Fall 2025)

Music & Lyrics by Ethan Lipton

Based Upon the Play The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder

Directed by Leigh Silverman

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=932013878756520

[Kad]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 9:59am

Nice to see the Public doing musicals that aren’t so baldly aimed at transferring. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 10:12am

Kad said: "Nice to see the Public doing musicals that aren’t so baldly aimed at transferring."

Goddess has every intention on transferring. Mara Isaacs and No Guarantees are attached. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 10:13am

Kad said: "Nice to see the Public doing musicals that aren’t so baldly aimed at transferring."

I don't know about SEAT, but GODDESS very much has a commercial producer (billionaire Christine Schwartzman's No Guarantees) and is aiming for Broadway. But I suppose it's a less commercial project than, say, an Alicia Keys catalogue musical.

[inception]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 12:09pm

What is Goddess about?

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 1:25pm

inception said: "What is Goddess about?"

From Berkeley Rep website (2022 production): 

A mysterious singer arrives at Moto Moto, a steamy Afro-jazz club in Mombasa, Kenya. She casts an entrancing spell on everyone, including a young man who has returned home from studying in America. Will the big plans for his life — stepping into a political legacy and marrying his fiancée — be upended?

Inspired by the myth of Marimba, the Goddess who created beautiful songs from her heartbreak, this is a rousing tale of romance, the supernatural, and the quest towards one’s truest self.

[Ke3]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 1:26pm

jacobsnchz14 said: "GODDESS (New York Premiere in Spring 2025)

Conceived by Saheem Ali

Music & Lyrics by Michael Thurber

Book by Jocelyn Bioh

Choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie Directed by Saheem Ali



SEAT OF OUR PANTS (World Premiere Musical in Fall 2025)

Music & Lyrics by Ethan Lipton

Based Upon the Play The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder

Directed by Leigh Silverman

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=932013878756520"

Is Skin of Our Teeth in the public domain now or have they just granted rights? If so, I'd loveeee to know what it was about Kander and Ebb's that got the rights revoked.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 1:33pm

It’s not uncommon for rightholders to grant permission for multiple adaptations of a work. Especially if this one varies drastically from the source material and/or the K&E musical.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 1:44pm

I saw Goddess at Berkeley Rep. It definitely was NOT primetime ready.  But, it's been a couple years and I'm really excited to see what changes have been made in that time. 

A Skin of Our Teeth musical is SOOO right up my alley, I'm PUMPED for that one. 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 1:49pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "It’s not uncommon for rightholders to grant permission for multiple adaptations of a work. Especially if this one varies drastically from the source material and/or the K&E musical."

I mean I think the question is more about how rights for Skin of Our Teeth (and also Our Town) got revoked from their musical adaptations so those musicals were never able to go anywhere (the Skin of Our Teeth adaptation was meant to go to the West End but got pulled because of that).  So it's interesting that the estate is granting rights again.  Though I really enjoyed the recent revival so I'm excited to see what it looks like

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 1:56pm

The Kander and Ebb version was quite the disaster, no? 

[merle57]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 2:41pm

Schmidtand Jones did a wonderful version of Our Town but the rights were pulled. Kander and Ebb did an interesting version of Skin, but the rights were pulled. The Wilder estate -- which made millions off of Hello Dolly -- seems to have a history of granting the musical rights, then pulling them after regional or off-Broadway productions. I would love to hear the Kander and Ebb version. It is an interesting play for musical adaptation. 

[halfhourcheckwithmerman]

Posted: 7/8/25 at 2:39pm

Full cast for THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS this fall is pretty wonderful. 

The Seat of Our Pants will feature Ben Beckley (Ensemble), Kelly Belarmino (Understudy), Ally Bonino (Fortune Teller), Bill Buell (Turkey/Ensemble), Cole Burden (Understudy), Damon Daunno (Henry Antrobus), Micaela Diamond (Sabina), Amina Faye (Glady Antrobus), Andy Grotelueschen (Announcer/Ensemble), Shuler Hensley (Mr. Antrobus), Allison Ann Kelly (Ensemble/Musician), Michael Lepore (Telegram Boy/Ensemble), Nat Lopez (Ensemble), Ruthie Ann Miles (Mrs. Antrobus), Geena Quintos (Mammoth/Ensemble), León Ramos Tak (Understudy), David Ryan Smith (Ensemble), Ruth Sternberg (Mr. Fitzpatrick), and Angela Travino (Understudy).

[inception]

Posted: 7/8/25 at 6:22pm

Micaela Diamond joining this is new info.

I have space left for one show in November... was thinking maybe CSC's The Baker's Wife?  Unless I scrap something else like Seth Myers at Beacon Theatre 

[Musigamist]

Posted: 7/8/25 at 6:42pm

inception said: "Micaela Diamond joining this is new info.

I have space left for one show in November... was thinking maybe CSC's The Baker's Wife? Unless I scrap something else like Seth Myers at Beacon Theatre"

I saw this production of The Baker's Wife at the Menier, and really enjoyed it. It really is just a soap opera set in a French village on stage. The staging and energy of "Bread" is a winner and choices made for some of the minor female characters to feature their relationships were high points. The one part I didn't love was the staging of "Meadowlark"

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

While the song is being sung, the balcony creakily rolled out a few feet from the house, not during a dramatic moment, and then rolled back a little later. It was either ill-timed or poorly executed, but honestly it could have been dropped and the moment not really suffered.

The cast really elevated the material, though, so I'm looking forward to seeing the cast at CSC

[inception]

Posted: 7/9/25 at 9:48am

I found the website for the composer for Seat of Our Pants - ethanlipton.com - & a lot of his music sounds like Tom Waits lite to me. He had another show last Fall: We Are Your Robots at Polonsky Shakespeare Center.  Read a review of that.  Not sure if this new show will be to my tastes even with this cast.

 

Also read reviews of Menier production of Baker's Wife & doesn't sound like it overcame integral problems with the show.  Best songs - like Bread -kind of remind me of Jerry Herman.  The French feel reminds me so much of Dear World, but I think that's a better show with more interesting themes.

I'm so conflicted about what to see!

Updated On: 7/9/25 at 09:48 AM