The Public announces two new musicals for 2025 season

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

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 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.

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.

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

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. 

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 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

So funny to read my comment from July about bring conflicted on both these shows.  In the end I bought tickets to both BUT  ​​I also have tickets to other things for the same times.

For this I got a ticket for a Sunday evening when I had already planned to see Seth Meyers & John Oliver at the Beacon Theatre. Six weeks or so out that's looking well sold so if I see this I'm hoping I can dump that easily. 

Those went on sale long before this show & its cast was announced.  My thinking more recently was that skipping the opportunity to see Micaela Diamond  would be a big mistake.