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Imitation of Life,\u00a0<\/em>a new musical featuring a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright\u00a0Lynn\u00a0Nottage and featuring music and lyrics by EGOT winner John\u00a0Legend, will make its premiere this fall at Off Broadway’s\u00a0The Shed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Based\u00a0on\u00a0Fannie Hurst<\/a>‘s 1933 novel (and the 1934 and 1959 Universal Pictures films) of the same title, it follows a Black mother and a white mother both\u00a0struggling to raise their daughters in a\u00a0world shaped by inequalities, set against the backdrop of 1920s Atlantic City and 1930s New York. Tony Award nominee\u00a0Liesl Tommy<\/a> will direct the production.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the novel\u2019s narrative is very much a product of its time, its themes of race, class, and\u00a0gender in America continue to resonate today. As artists, we are drawn to Imitation of Life\u2019s enduring emotional power\u00a0and its potential to be reimagined in ways that feel both contemporary and urgent. It has been a profound joy to\u00a0collaborate on bringing this story to the stage, and we are thrilled to premiere this musical at The Shed, where we look\u00a0forward to sharing the beautiful and deeply moving journey of Delilah and Peola Johnston with audiences,\u201d said Nottage, Legend, and Tommy\u00a0in a joint statement.<\/p>\n Casting,\u00a0further creative team information, and run dates\u00a0will be revealed at a later date.\u00a0<\/p>\n This project is a brainchild of Tommy and\u00a0dates back to at least 2023.<\/a>\u00a0It\u00a0will mark the first musical written by singer-songwriter\u00a0Legend,\u00a0who became an EGOT winner in 2018 with his Tony win as a producer on Manhattan Theatre Club’s Jitney<\/em>. He also supplied a song to 2017’s SpongeBob SquarePants<\/em> and starred in the title role of Jesus Christ Superstar<\/em> for NBC’s 2018 live TV production. <\/p>\n Nottage made her Broadway debut with 2017’s Pulitzer-winning and Tony-nominated Sweat<\/em>. Her play Clyde’s<\/em> made a Broadway bow in 2021 via Second Stage Theater, and she penned the book to jukebox biomusical MJ The Musical<\/a><\/em>\u2014which continues its Broadway run.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Tommy made her Broadway debut in 2016 directing Eclipsed<\/em> by Danai Gurira and starring Lupita Nyong’o. It made history as the first play on Broadway created by and starring a team of Black women. Tommy was nominated for a Tony Award for her direction of Eclipsed<\/em>. <\/p>\n National Black Theatre<\/a>, John Legend<\/a> and Mike Jackson of Get Lifted Film Co., Crocodile Eyes, Universal Theatrical Group<\/a>\u00a0(UTG), Sue Wagner<\/a>, John Johnson, Mickey Liddell<\/a> and Pete\u00a0Shilaimon of LD Entertainment<\/a> and The Shed serve as\u00a0producers.<\/p>\n For more information, visit here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n