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.
And Iman is what joy sounds like: satiny, sultry, unpredictable, unforced. There is no tension in her steamroller belt. Her riffs and curlicues drop off her like cherry blossoms. If Thurber’s lyrics are too often generic, not repaying close attention, no matter; the star gets the big points across. That is, after all, what stars do, in heaven or on earth.
For all its flaws, there's a lot to cherish about Goddess. Arnulfo Maldonado's lush set brilliantly bridges the secular and celestial worlds. Dede Ayite decks out the cast in African-influenced streetwear complemented by Nikiya Mathis's luxurious hairdos. Bradley King's purple and blue lighting gives off an ethereal glow, and choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie's athletic moves are impressive. And best of all, there's Iman, every inch a deity, beguiling us with her smoky, honeyed timbre and delivering an emotional epiphany through music that the dialogue can’t match.
| 2025 | Off-Broadway |
Public Theater New York Premiere Off-Broadway |
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