Goddess
Closing: June 15, 2025Goddess - 2025 Off-Broadway History , Info & More
Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street (between Astor Place & 4th St) New York, NY 10003
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.
Goddess - 2025 - Off-Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Goddess
Goddess: A Myth-Making, Magical New Musical
7 / 10
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.’
Review: How Music Came Down to Earth, in ‘Goddess’
7 / 10
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.
Category
Goddess History
Other Productions of Goddess
| 2025 | Off-Broadway |
Public Theater New York Premiere Off-Broadway |
Goddess - 2025 Off-Broadway Awards and Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Amber Iman |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Michael Thurber |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Puppetry | Julian Crouch |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical | Arnulfo Maldonado |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Darrell Grand Moultrie |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Dede Ayite |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical | Amber Iman |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical | Goddess |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Michael Thurber |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Choreographer | Darrell Grand Moultrie |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical | Nick Rashad Burroughs |
Videos
