Broadway in Worcester Will Host Night Side Songs in April

Broadway in Worcester will present Night Side Songs, a musical by Daniel and Patrick Lazour and directed by Taibi Magar, for one night only on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 7:30 pm. The musical will be performed at the Little Center's Michelson Theater on the campus of Clark University. Night Side Songs is produced by American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University in association with the Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC).

Night Side Songs was commissioned by the American Repertory Theater (A.RT.) at Harvard University.The new musical will make one Massachusetts tour stop in Worcester following its A.R.T. run: March 27 - April 6, 2025 at The Cambridge Masonic Temple (1950 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge) and April 9 - 20, 2025 at Hibernian Hall (184 Dudley St., Roxbury). More information at AmRep.org/NightSideSongs. The world-premiere production previously ran last month at PTC and as part of New York City's Under the Radar Festival in January.

Night Side Songs is a communal music-theater experience performed for-and with-an intimate audience that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit. Inspired by American writer, philosopher, and cultural critic Susan Sontag's observation that "illness is the night side of life," this genre-breaking theatrical kaleidoscope by Richard Rodgers Award recipients Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour (We Live in Cairo, Flap My Wings) and directed by Taibi Magar (We Live in Cairo, Macbeth In Stride) gives voices to doctors, patients, researchers, and caregivers. A folk-inspired score and interconnected stories spanning time and perspective take us on a journey through illness that brings us closer to life.

Night Side Songs recently received critical praise during its Philadelphia run with the The Philadelphia Inquirer praising the work: "There is a naked honesty in the production that builds intimacy and trust. If the purpose of art is to comment on the human experience, it would be difficult to find a more human statement than Night Side Songs."

The cast of Night Side Songs will feature:

• Jordan Dobson (Hadestown and A Beautiful Noise on Broadway)

• Robi Hager (Spring Awakening and Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway, among others.)

• Brooke Ishibashi (Into the Woods on Broadway, Cambodian Rock Band at South Coast Rep)

• Jonathan Raviv (The Band's Visit on Broadway, Here There Are Blueberries at NYTW, among others)

• Mary Testa (Oklahoma! and Wicked on Broadway, among others)

Night Side Songs features scenic design by Matt Saunders, costume design by Jason A. Goodwin, lighting design by Amith Chandrashaker, sound design by Justin Stasiw, and music direction and piano arrangements by Alex Bechtel. Casting is by Taylor Williams, CSA. Elizabeth Emanuel is production stage manager, and Olivia McQuerry is assistant stage manager.

The Lazours' personal experiences and extensive interviews with patients, caregivers, and medical professionals inform the stories of Night Side Songs. "It is an absolute joy to be returning to Cambridge with our new musical," said The Lazours. "We've always considered A.R.T. an artistic home, it is an honor and a privilege to share this piece with its audiences. We hope Night Side Songs gives voice to patients and caregivers on the illness journey-a journey too often travelled in the shadows and spoken of in whispers."

Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour are brothers and music theatre writers originally from Boylston, Massachusetts. Their original musicals include We Live in Cairo (American Repertory Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, dir. Taibi Magar) and Night Side Songs (Under the Radar, Philadelphia Theater Company, American Repertory Theater, dir. Taibi Magar) They are writing a musical adaptation of Ritesh Batra's film The Lunchbox (Lincoln Center Theatre commission) and wrote original songs for Caroline Lindy's feature, Your Monster (Sundance 2023, Audience Award). Their movie musical Challenger: An American Dream is being developed with Bruce Cohen Productions and Spark Features. Original songs by The Lazours can be heard on their independently released albums: Two Short Songs in a Minor Key, Lullabies, Freres, Flap My Wings (Songs from We Live in Cairo) and Beth's Homemade Cowboy Breakfast. They are Jonathan Larson Grant and Richard Rodgers Award recipients, MacDowell and Yaddo Fellows, and New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspects. Patrick holds a B.A. from Boston College and Daniel holds a B.A. from Columbia University.

Broadway in Worcester was founded by Worcester native Eric Butler in 2022 and has presented such Tony Award winning artists as Laura Benanti, Kelli O'Hara, Jessie Mueller, Santino Fontana, and the legendary Chita Rivera. Butler reflects, "In a season featuring sold out concerts from Megan Hilty, two-time Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole and Grammy Award winner Billy Stritch, and Cheyenne Jackson, we couldn't be prouder to add Daniel and Patrick Lazour's Night Side Songs to the line-up. The Lazours have a unique voice that is being recognized, deservedly so, as the future of the American musical. With a long-standing respect for the artistic vision of the A.R.T., we are thrilled to be partnering with this award-winning regional theater to provide Central Massachusetts audiences an opportunity to see this new production on its one and only Massachusetts tour stop."

The Lazours add, "It's very meaningful that Broadway in Worcester is hosting us for a performance of Night Side Songs, a show inspired by and set here, our hometown. We have always felt that this is a city of kindness, humor, and introspection, with indelible personalities and a heart as big as the DCU! We're really looking forward to singing with you."

"A.R.T. commissioned The Lazours believing that their vision, curiosity, and heart-stirring music would combine to create something that holds the power to heal," said A.R.T. Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus. "Night Side Songs expands boundaries-not only of what theater can be, but what it can do. I am moved each time I'm in communal song with fellow audience members, and I can't wait for audiences to feel their own catharsis in community."

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