Theatre alums Saheem Ali ’07 and Jocelyn Bioh ’08 are bringing their new musical Goddess to New York. The show is set to premiere in Spring 2025 at The Public Theater, where Ali also serves as Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director.
The new musical was conceived by Ali, who will also direct, and may fairly be called a passion project for the Kenyan-born director. “This musical is incredibly personal to me,” said Ali. “Goddess is inspired by a Kenyan myth that I’ve dreamt of bringing to the stage ever since I was a teenager.”
“It tells a story of a mysterious singer who arrives at Moto Moto, a vibrant Afro-jazz club in Mombasa,” said Ali. “She casts a spell on everyone, including a young man who’s torn between his family’s big plans for him, and his true desire to be a musician.”
Fellow alum Bioh, a 2024 Tony Award-nominee for her play Jaja's African Hair Braiding, wrote the book for the musical.
The team also includes Michael Thurber (music and lyrics) and Darrell Grand Moultrie (choreography).
The four artists are well acquainted, having previously collaborated on the 2021 Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Merry Wives, which transposed the bard’s original to South Harlem in a “joyful adaptation” lauded by the The New York Times.
Goddess had its world premiere in 2022 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California, a debut celebrated by The San Francisco Chronicle as “well on its way to the heavens.”
Initial tickets go on sale October 22, with more information available here.
