Rehearsals are underway for Britta Johnson’s Life After, a new musical “full of humor, large of heart” (Talkin’ Broadway), making its Chicago premiere at Goodman Theatre this summer, directed by Lucille Lortel Award-winner Annie Tippe. In addition to behind-the-scenes photos of the artists in rehearsal (now available in the Goodman Theatre Press Room), the playwright/composer gives a sneak-peek at her work with “Poetry”—the song she characterizes as the “beating heart of the story”—now available for viewing. Leading the cast is Samantha Williams (Broadway’s Caroline, Or Change and Dear Evan Hansen) as teenaged Alice—a young woman who, in search of facts, uncovers a more complicated truth as she pieces together events of the fateful night that changed her family forever. Life After appears June 11– July 17; opening night is Wednesday, June 22. Tickets ($25 - $80, subject to change) are now available at GoodmanTheatre.org/LifeAfter or by phone at 312.443.3800. The Goodman is grateful for the support of JP Morgan Chase & Co. (Lead Corporate Sponsor) and Winston & Strawn LLP (Corporate Sponsor Partner).
“Throughout my tenure as the Goodman’s artistic director, I have prioritized musicals that express a wide range of emotions and tell a variety of stories, and I am absolutely thrilled by Life After—Britta Johnson’s distinctly 21st century musical,” said Robert Falls. “Through powerful melodies and rich harmonies, we are moved to consider our own experiences with the moments in life that upend us. Britta’s score is lush, complex, and stirring—but perhaps most strikingly, it seems to come directly from her own heart.”
A Toronto-based playwright/composer/lyricist, Johnson began writing Life After as a teenager, informed by her own experiences as a young person grappling with grief. The Goodman’s Chicago premiere marks the third major production of Life After in five years—following its American debut at San Diego’s The Old Globe (2019) on the heels of an extended, multiple Dora Award-winning world-premiere with Toronto’s Musical Stage Company and Canadian Stage (2017).
“’Poetry’ was one of the first songs I ever wrote—and not a note of it has changed,” said Britta Johnson. “I’ve tried to preserve that initial kernel that came from me when I was a teenager. It is the beating heart of the story—walking with someone who hasn’t walked through this before. As I have grown older, I have, like everybody, experienced loss over and over again; it’s a part of life. But I’ve tried to maintain access to that younger version of myself that asked these questions for the first time.”
With big humor and bittersweet wit, this “luminous new musical…lush, poetic and surprisingly funny” (The San Diego Union-Tribune) explores how we move through and live with loss. Samantha Williams (Broadway’s Caroline, Or Change and Dear Evan Hansen) leads the cast of nine as 16-year-old Alice, with Ashley Pérez Flanagan (Fury), Lauryn Hobbs (Fury), Paul Alexander Nolan (Frank), Lucy Panush (Hannah), Bryonha Marie Parham (Beth), Jen Sese (Mrs. Hopkins), Skyler Volpe (Kate) and Chelsea Williams. The production features Choreography by Ann Yee and Music Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations by Lynne Shankel.
THE COMPANY OF LIFE AFTER
Fury……………………Ashley Pérez Flanagan
Fury……………………Lauryn Hobbs
Frank…………………..Paul Alexander Nolan
Hannah………………..Lucy Panush
Beth…………………....Bryonha Marie Parham
Ms. Hopkins………......Jen Sese
Kate…………………....Skyler Volpe
Fury…………………….Chelsea Williams
Alice………..................Samantha Williams
Understudies for this production include Ariana Burks (Alice/Kate); Alanna Chavez (Furies/Ms. Hopkins); Antoinette Comer (Beth); Claire Kwon (Furies/Hannah); and Stef Tovar (Frank).
Choreography by Ann Yee
Set Design by Todd Rosenthal
Costume Design by Sarafina Bush
Lighting Design by Yi Zhao
Sound Design by Joanna Lynne Staub
Music Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations by Lynne Shankel
Music Direction by Chris Kong
New York Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting/Merri Sugarman, CSA and Chicago Casting is by Lauren Port, CSA and Rachael Jimenez, CSA. Dramaturgy is by Jocelyn Prince; Briana Fahey is the Production Stage Manager; Mario Wolf and Nikki Blue are the Stage Managers.
ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Visit Goodman theatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre’s accessibility efforts.
Touch Tour and Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, July 9, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset. NOTE: Touch Tours for the 2021/2022 Season will not have access to the stage due to current health and safety protocols, but will feature alternate pre-show sensory introductions.
Sensory-Friendly/Relaxed Performance: Tuesday, July 12 at 7:30pm
ASL-Interpreted: Friday, July 15 at 8pm – An American Sign Language interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Spanish Subtitles: Saturday July 16 at 8pm.
Open-Captioned: Sunday, July 17 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE
Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement.
Led by Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earner two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades. The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.
Using the tools of the theatrical profession, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand the cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered free of charge for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.
As a cultural and community organization invested in quality, diversity and community, Goodman Theatre is committed to using the art of theater for a better Chicago. Goodman Theatre’s Action Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Access (IDEAA) was born out of the belief that progress means action, which includes building on the decades-long commitment to using art, assets and resources to contribute to a more just, equitable and anti-racist society.
Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation on the new Goodman center in 2000.
Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Rebecca Gilman, Dael Orlandersmith, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Kimberly Senior, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor and Mary Zimmerman. Jeff Hesse is Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Fran Del Boca is Women’s Board President and Craig McCaw is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.