3 / 10
Last weekend I witnessed the premiere of The Seat of Our Pants at The Public Theater, and found the show to be pretty much a dud both as a musical and a production, only sporadically brightened by lively performances. This bums me out so much that it’s difficult to detail much about the misguided production that opened on Thursday, so let’s be brief before salty tears wreck my keyboard.
10 / 10
It’s been over three years since Lincoln Center’s ambitious and winning revival of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of apocalypse-meets-absurdity The Skin of Our Teeth, which originally premiered on Broadway—mid-World War II—in 1942. Now the Public Theater is mounting Ethan Lipton’s knockout-excellent original musical adaptation, The Seat of Our Pants. The show, just shy of three hours long (booking to Dec. 7), is crisply directed (by Leigh Silverman), exquisitely performed by a starry, award-garlanded cast, and one of New York’s musical highlights of the year, on or off-Broadway.
A new video has been released featuring Micaela Diamond performing “Ordinary Girl” from The Seat of Our Pants, the world premiere musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth.
The world premiere of the new musicalTHE SEAT OF OUR PANTS opens tonight at The Public Theater, featuring a cast led by Ruthie Ann Miles, Micaela Diamond, Amina Faye, Damon Daunno, Shuler Hensley, and Andy Grotelueschen. Read the reviews!
The Public Theater just celebrated opening night for the world premiere of THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS, featuring a cast led by Ruthie Ann Miles, Micaela Diamond, Amina Faye, Damon Daunno, Shuler Hensley, and Andy Grotelueschen. Check out photos from the big night here.
The Public Theater has released first-look production photos for the world premiere of THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS, featuring a cast led by Ruthie Ann Miles, Micaela Diamond, Amina Faye, Damon Daunno, Shuler Hensley, and Andy Grotelueschen.
Public Forum returns to The Public this season with Public Forum: Notes, where Attendees can go behind the curtain with acclaimed artist Ethan Lipton at this free event as he shares the creative journey of crafting songs for The Seat of Our Pants.
The world might be ending in Ethan Lipton’s The Seat of Our Pants, but in rehearsal Ruthie Ann Miles, Micaela Diamond, and Amina Faye are singing through it anyway. Because what else can you do? Watch the song in rehearsals in this video.
The Public Theater will begin previews for the world premiere of THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS, the irreverently funny musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth. See rehearsal photos here!
You can now get a first look inside rehearsals for THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS, the world premiere musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth.
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Ethan Lipton |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical | Kaye Voyce |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Leigh Silverman |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | Ruthie Ann Miles |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Micaela Diamond |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Ethan Lipton |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Ethan Lipton |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | The Seat of Our Pants |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger |
| 2026 | Drama League Awards | OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL | Leigh Silverman |
| 2026 | Drama League Awards | OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL | The Seat of Our Pants |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical | Micaela Diamond |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Costume Design | Kaye Voyce |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical | Ruthie Ann Miles |
