It's been twenty years in the making, but it's time for audiences to meet SHIMMER. An industry workshop of the new musical will take place in the newly-refurbished Dome at Yale University's Schwarzman Center on June 1st from 7pm-10pm.
Five-time Broadway lyricist Michael Korie ("Grey Gardens," "War Paint") teamed up with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis ("Central Park Five," "X," "Angels in America") to adapt acclaimed novelist and playwright Sarah Schulman's novel, Shimmer, with Schulman penning the book.
Alongside music director Alan Johnson, Woolly Mammoth's Jess McLeod directs the new musical, which boasts snappy lyrics, a crackling book, and a thrilling jazz score. "The music isn't jazz-like or jazz-inspired," Korie said. "It is jazz."
Set in McCarthy-era New York, SHIMMER examines life through the eyes of emblematic Americans excluded from the power system at play. The show challenges audiences to reevaluate the post-war era, the American Dream, and the birth of social movements for women, the queer community, and African Americans while reflecting on the turbulent political and cultural landscape of America today.
SHIMMER is presented in partnership with Yale Schwarzman Center, Midnight Oil Collective, and Long Wharf Theatre as part of the Yale Innovation Summit. Parties interested in attending can register here through May 19th (contingent upon availability).