The critically acclaimed team behind the 2021 Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Merry Wives returns to The Public with the New York premiere of a new musical conceived and directed by Associate Artistic Director/Resident Director Saheem Ali, featuring music and lyrics by Michael Thurber and a book by Tony Award nominee Jocelyn Bioh. 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.
If there ever was an actress who could easily be the literal embodiment of music itself, it’s Amber Iman. Tony Award-nominated for her role in Lempicka last year, Iman is a powerhouse in the role of Marimba, the goddess in disguise as mild-mannered Nadira. Marimba/Nadira was an instant hit with my audience, bringing down the house before her first song (the sultry ‘Honeysweet’) had even finished. And for all of Nadira’s belting and ballads, Iman’s innate sweetness gives the character an essential vulnerability that highlights just how out of place she is in the mortal world when she’s not singing.
It’s no wonder that Omari wants to hang out at Moto Moto: The music is hot (the often-spellbinding Goddess songs—which include elements of R&B, Afrobeat, pop, East African taarab—are by Michael Thurber); the dancing is even hotter (thanks to choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie); there’s a super-sweet budding romance between Ahmed and proprietor Rashida (Arica Jackson); and he, and we, can’t get enough of Nadira’s soulful vocals. Side note: Someone needs to do a jazz album with Amber Iman, and it needs to include the ultra-lush ‘Honeysweet.’
| 2025 | Off-Broadway |
Public Theater New York Premiere Off-Broadway |
Videos