The new musical adaptation of Fannie Hurst’s novel Imitation of Life, featuring a score by John Legend and a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, will begin performances on September 9, per deadline.com.
The production, directed by Liesl Tommy, is scheduled for a limited four-week engagement at The Griffin Theater at The Shed through to October 4.
A co-production between The Shed and the National Black Theatre, the staging represents a significant development in the venue’s efforts to nurture new American musical theatre. The production will feature a full cast and a live orchestra, though specific casting and design team details are expected at a later date.
The musical is based on Hurst’s 1933 novel and the subsequent film adaptations released in 1934 and 1959. The narrative follows the intertwined lives of two single mothers, one Black and one White, and their daughters as they navigate the complexities of race, class and identity in 1920s Atlantic City and 1930s New York.
In a joint statement, the creative team noted that while the original story is a product of its era, the themes of gender and social inequality remain contemporary and urgent. They described the stage reimagining as a profoundly moving journey for the central characters, Delilah and Peola Johnston.
The project is John Legend’s debut as a lead musical theatre composer. Although the EGOT winner previously contributed to the SpongeBob SquarePants musical and held production credits on Broadway’s Jitney and Ain’t Too Proud, this is his first full-scale stage score.
The premiere follows a long cinematic history for the property, most notably Douglas Sirk’s 1959 version which earned Academy Award nominations for Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner. This musical adaptation seeks to modernise the source material’s exploration of racial passing and the American Dream.
