Invisible Thread (musical)

Last updated
Witness Uganda
(previously titled Invisible Thread)
Music
Lyrics
  • Matt Gould
  • Griffin Matthews
Book
  • Matt Gould
  • Griffin Matthews
Productions

Witness Uganda (previously titled Invisible Thread) is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews. It was based on the true story of Matthews' humanitarian trips to Uganda, and his work to fund his nonprofit organization, Uganda Project. [1] The musical premiered under the title Witness Uganda on February 4, 2014 at Cambridge's American Repertory Theater, and ran through March 16, 2014. Under the title Invisible Thread, the show transferred to off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre in a production which ran during December 2015.

Contents

The show returned to its original title of Witness Uganda for a February 2019 run at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles. [2]

Synopsis

The American Repertory Theatre wrote:

When Griffin, a young man from New York City, volunteers for a project in Uganda, he finds himself on a journey that will change his life forever. Inspired by a true story, this rousing new musical, staged by Tony Award-winning director and A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus, exposes the challenges confronted by American aid workers and the complex realities of trying to change the world. [3]

The story was based on Matthews' experience in Uganda, as well as Gould's Peace Corps experience in Mauritania and other similar experiences.

Production history

The idea and creation for the musical began in 2008 when Gould and Matthews needed money for their non-profit organisation The Uganda Project. [4] Gould recorded Matthews ranting about his frustrations and how they could not raise money for the non-profit. [4] Gould composed music and incorporated it with the recording, beginning their project. [4]

Gould and Matthews initially performed the show by themselves to raise funds for The Uganda Project. [4] They were invited to perform at TEDx and Disney ASCAP. [4] During their Disney ASCAP performance, they were able to impress the composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz, who composed notable musicals such as Wicked. Gould said of the experience, "The show was a mess at that time, but we knew what the heart of it was." [5]

Gould and Matthews brought in additional members of the creative team, who also had foreign aid experience. Choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie previously taught dance in South Africa and the interns hired, mostly from Harvard University, had volunteering experience in Indonesia, Tanzania, and Uganda. [6]

Original production

The show premiered under the title Witness Uganda on February 4, 2014 at the American Repertory Theater. The show was directed by Diane Paulus, with Shira Milikowsky as the associate director.

Production Team
ProductionMember
ChoreographyDarrell Grand Moultrie
Set designTom Pye
Costume designEsosa
Lighting designMaruti Evans
Sound designJonathan Deans
Projection design Peter Nigrini
Music supervision, orchestrations, and vocal arrangementsMatt Gould
Music directionRemy Kurs
Electronic music designJeff Marder, Brian Li [7]
Band
InstrumentMember
Conductor/Keyboard 1Matt Gould
Keyboard 2Brian Li
ViolaAndrew Griffin
DrumsNathan V. Terry
GuitarCharlie Chronopoulos
BassJonny Morrow
PercussionSenfuab Stoney


The show starred Griffin Matthews as Griffin, Michael Luwoye as Jacob, Adeola Role as Joy, Emma Hunton as Ryan, Nicolette Robinson as Eden, Kristolyn Lloyd as Grace, Jamar Williams as Ibrahim, Tyrone Davis, Jr. as Ronny, and the ensemble of Melody Betts, Rodrick Covington, Kevin Curtis, LaTrisa Harper, Aisha Jackson, and Jamard Richardson. [3]

Later productions

The musical came to Diane Paulus' attention after it won the 2012 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater. [8] [9] She was impressed and noted it was like nothing she ever heard or read before. While she was working on Pippin at the American Repertory Theater, Schwartz mentioned there was a musical about Uganda that would interest her. The musical later won the Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater again in 2014. [10]

Under the direction of Diane Paulus, the show had a staged reading on October 23 and 24, 2014. [11] The cast included Julius Thomas III, Adeola Role, Adam Kantor, Michael Luwoye, Kristolyn Lloyd, Nicolette Robinson, Jamar Williams, Tyrone Davis, Jr., Amber Iman, Aisha Jackson, LaTrisa Harper, Rodrick Covington, Kevin Curtis and Jamard Richardson. [11]

The title was changed to Invisible Thread in 2015, [12] for a production at the Second Stage Theatre. Previews began on October 31, 2015 and it officially opened on December 2, 2015. [13] It closed in late December 2015.

Musical numbers

2015 off-Broadway (Second Stage Theatre)

Casts

RoleOriginal A.R.T. CastOriginal Off-Broadway CastOriginal Studio Recording Cast [14]
GriffinGriffin MatthewsGriffin Matthews / Jeremy Pope*Griffin Matthews
RyanEmma HuntonCorey MachEmma Hunton
RonnyTyrone Davis Jr.
GraceKristolyn Lloyd
Jacob Michael Luwoye Kameron Richardson
Eden Nicolette Robinson
JoyAdeola Role Cynthia Erivo
IbrahimJamar Williams
Rain Lady(did not exist)Melody Betts Ledisi
EnsembleMelody Betts, Aisha Jackson, Latrisa Harper, Kevin Curtis, Jamard Richardson, Rodrick CovingtonJason Herbert, Aisha Jackson, Latrisa Harper, Kevin Curtis, Jamard Richardson, Rodrick Covington

* Jeremy Pope played the role of Griffin at certain performances

Related Research Articles

<i>1776</i> (musical) 1969 musical by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone

1776 is a musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The show is based on the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, telling a story of the efforts of John Adams to persuade his colleagues to vote for American independence and to sign the document. The show premiered on Broadway in 1969 where it received acclaim and won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The original production starred William Daniels as Adams, Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson and Howard Da Silva as Benjamin Franklin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Repertory Theater</span> Professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to neglected works of the past; and to established classical texts reinterpreted in refreshing new ways. Over the past forty years it has garnered many of the nation's most distinguished awards, including a Pulitzer Prize (1982), a Tony Award (1986), and a Jujamcyn Award (1985). In 2002, the A.R.T. was the recipient of the National Theatre Conference's Outstanding Achievement Award, and it was named one of the top three theaters in the country by Time magazine in 2003. The A.R.T. is housed in the Loeb Drama Center at Harvard University, a building it shares with the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club. The A.R.T. operates the Institute for Advanced Theater Training.

<i>Pippin</i> (musical) Musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

Pippin is a 1972 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Roger O. Hirson. Bob Fosse, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto. The musical uses the premise of a mysterious performance troupe, led by the Leading Player, to tell the story of Pippin, a young prince on his search for meaning and significance. The 'fourth wall' is broken numerous times during most traditional productions.

Melvin Richard "Dakin" Matthews is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and theatrical scholar. Best known as Herb Kelcher in My Two Dads (1987–1989), Hanlin Charleston in Gilmore Girls (2000–2007), and as Reverend Sikes in Desperate Housewives (2004–2012).

Dick Scanlan is an American writer, director, and actor.

Diane Marie Paulus is an American theater and opera director who is currently the Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Paulus was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for her revivals of Hair and The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, and won the award in 2013 for her revival of Pippin.

Peter Kellogg is a musical theater book writer and lyricist. He wrote the lyrics and the book for the 1992 production of the Broadway musical Anna Karenina, for which he received two 1993 Tony Award nominations, one for Best Book of a musical and one for the Best Original Score. He also wrote the lyrics and book for the musicals Chasing Nicolette, Desperate Measures, Lincoln In Love, Stunt Girl, Money Talks, and The Rivals which have been read and produced regionally. Kellogg also received the New York Musical Theatre Festival 2006 award for Excellence in Musical Theatre Writing (Book) for Desperate Measures. On June 3, 2018, Kellogg won the 2018 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics for Desperate Measures.

Lynne Wintersteller is an American actress best known for her work in the theatre. A gifted soprano, she has appeared in several musicals including starring in the original production of Maltby and Shire's off-Broadway musical Closer Than Ever in 1989 at the Cherry Lane Theatre. A critical success, Closer than Ever ran for 312 performances and a CD recording was made on the RCA Victor label. For her performance in the production she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. Wintersteller also starred as Mother Jones in Cheryl E. Kemeny's "Mother Jones and the Children's Crusade" at the New York Musical Festival in 2014.

<i>The Donkey Show</i> (musical)

The Donkey Show: A Midsummer Night's Disco is a theatrical adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The production, created in a disco-era style, was written by Diane Paulus and her husband Randy Weiner and the members of Project 400, Emily Hellstrom, Jordin Ruderman, Rachel Murdy and Anna Wilson. It first appeared Off-Broadway, opening August 18, 1999. The show subsequently ran for six years including venues in England, Scotland, France and Spain. After a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival the Donkey Show came to London for an 8-month run in Londons West End. The London show was produced by David Babani and Graham Kentsley. Rob Goodmonson (NYC) played the part of the DJ in the UK production. In 2009, the show was revived by the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for which Paulus is Artistic Director. The club/theater space used in Cambridge is called OBERON, after the king of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The show ran in that space until September 2019.

Randy Weiner is an American playwright, producer and theater and nightclub owner. Weiner co-wrote the Off-Broadway musical The Donkey Show and, as one-third of EMURSIVE, produced the Drama Desk Award winning New York premiere of Punchdrunk's Sleep No More. He is co-owner of NYC "theater of varieties" The Box and The Box Soho.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teal Wicks</span> American singer and stage actress (born 1982)

Teal Wicks is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba in the Broadway, San Francisco, and Los Angeles productions of the musical Wicked and as Mary Barrie in the musical Finding Neverland.

<i>Johnny Baseball</i> Musical

Johnny Baseball: The New Red Sox Musical is a musical with a book by Richard Dresser and a score by brothers Robert Reale and Willie Reale. The story involves circumstances relating to the Curse of the Bambino. The musical had a preview run in Massachusetts that began on May 14, 2010. The musical's world premiere was on June 2, 2010 at the Loeb Drama Center of the American Repertory Theater.

The Best of Both Worlds is a musical with book and lyrics by Randy Weiner, music by Diedre Murray, and additional scenes by Diane Paulus, loosely based on William Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale.

<i>Finding Neverland</i> (musical)

Finding Neverland is a musical with music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy and a book by James Graham adapted from the 1998 play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee and its 2004 film version Finding Neverland. An early version of the musical made its world premiere at the Curve Theatre in Leicester in 2012 with a book by Allan Knee, music by Scott Frankel and lyrics by Michael Korie. A reworked version with the current writing team made its world premiere in 2014 at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Following completion of its Cambridge run, the production transferred to Broadway in March 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Odom Jr.</span> American actor and singer (born 1981)

Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. is an American actor and singer. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical Hamilton, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in the same year. His performance was captured in the Disney+ live stage recording of Hamilton which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Limited Series or Movie nomination.

<i>Waitress</i> (musical) 2016 musical by Sara Bareilles

Waitress is a musical with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles and a book by Jessie Nelson. The musical is based on the 2007 film of the same name, written by Adrienne Shelly. It tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a baker and waitress in an abusive relationship with her husband, Earl. After Jenna unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she begins an affair with her doctor, Dr. James (Jim) Pomatter. Looking for ways out of her troubles, she sees a pie baking contest and its grand prize as her chance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Luwoye</span> American actor of Nigerian descent

Michael Luwoye is an American actor of Nigerian descent, known for playing the title role in the Broadway musical Hamilton. In 2022, was nominated for the Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice Performance in a Preschool Animated Program for his role in Baby Shark's Big Show!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolette Robinson</span> American stage and television actress

Nicolette Kloe Robinson is an American stage and television actress. She is known for her role as Jane in the television show The Affair and Jenna in the stage musical Waitress, the latter of which marked her debut on Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Abud</span> American theatre actor

George Abud is a Lebanese-American actor, playwright, and musician. He is known for playing Camal in the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of The Band's Visit, receiving a Daytime Emmy Award for his work on the show's NBC Today Show performance.

Griffin Matthews is an American actor, writer, and director. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.F.A. in musical theater.

References

  1. "ugandaproject". Uganda Project. 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  2. McPhee, Ryan (January 7, 2019). "Ledisi, Hamilton Alum Amber Iman, More Set for Witness Uganda's Los Angeles Bow". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2019-02-18.
  3. 1 2 "Witness Uganda". American Repertory Theater. 2014-02-04. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Carly Schwartz (2014-03-09). "'Witness Uganda' Is Destined To Be A Broadway Hit (And It's Also Making The World A Better Place)". Huffingtonpost.com. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  5. Friedman. pp. 3-4
  6. Paulus, Diane (2014-02-25). "Welcome to the A.R.T.!". Witness Uganda, A New Musical (program). Boston, MA: Dig Publishing LLC: 1.
  7. "Brian Li - Witness Uganda". BrianLi.com. January 2012.
  8. "American Academy of Arts and Letters - Award Winners". Archived from the original on 2010-09-12. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  9. "Witness Uganda | TheaterMania". 18 February 2014.
  10. "2014 RICHARD RODGERS AWARD IN MUSICAL THEATER IS GIVEN TO WITNESS UGANDA". American Academy of Arts and Letters. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  11. 1 2 Hetrick, Adam (23 October 2014). "Staged Reading of Witness Uganda Musical, with Adam Kantor and Amber Iman, Held in NYC". Playbill. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  12. Ronald, Christian (February–April 2014). "A Catalyst for Discourse". A.R.T. Guide. Boston, MA: Dig Publishing LLC. p. 7
  13. http://2st.com/shows/current-production/Invisible Thread #calendar
  14. Cristi, A. A. "Cynthia Erivo, Nicolette Robinson, and More Featured On WITNESS UGANDA Cast Album Out Today". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-06-02.