Tony Winner Duncan Sheik Talks New Score for Upcoming Musical SECRET LIFE OF BEES

As BWW recently reported, Vassar & New York Stage and Film have announced the complete casting for the 33rd Powerhouse Season's highly anticipated musical workshop production of THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES. Two-time Emmy Award winner Uzo Aduba ("Orange Is The New Black",GODSPELL,THE WIZ LIVE!) headlines the cast in the role of Rosaleen, joined by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Obie winner Eisa Davis ("House of Cards", Passing Strange) as June and Sophia Anne Caruso (Lazarus) as Lily.

The Secret Life of Bees is based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd, and features book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage (Sweat, Ruined), music by Tony Award winner Duncan Sheik (SPRING AWAKENING, AMERICAN PSYCHO), lyrics by Tony and Drama Desk nominee Susan Birkenhead (Ain't Misbehavin'), and directed by Tony winner Sam Gold (Fun Home).

Set in South Carolina in 1964, the story follows Lily Owens, a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father T-Ray, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters, Lily finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping.

In a new interview with Billboard, Tony winner Duncan Sheik chats about the new, original score he composed for this highly anticipated project. "There's definitely a Southern thing going on, but it's an interesting conversation between what I'd call white Southern music and black Southern music, and how those things intersect and relate to each other," says the creator. "So, for example, there's a song called "I've Got a Right to Know," which has a very R&B drum and bass groove but a really intense Southern-fried Allman Brothers guitar sound coursing through it. I'm definitely playing with these genres a little bit and trying to mix and match and hybridize them."

Asked if any current artists influenced his new score, he reveals, "The things I've been listening to are like, the new Kendrick Lamar record. It doesn't seem like the right reference point for this show, but what can I say? Thematically, there's a lot of stuff in that record that's very powerful about belief and faith, and there's a thread there about protest music."

Sheik has nothing but PRAISE for the musical's co-stars Sophia Anne Caruso and Uzo Aduba. "Sophia is [16] now, but she literally is the most sophisticated person in the room," he shares. "As an actor, she's above and beyond. I saw her doing the David Bowie thing [Lazarus] downtown, and instantly I knew she was a star in the making." He continues, "And Uzo and I have had a long history. We just did a workshop last month of this show [Alice By Heart] that's an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, and she was extraordinary. She's got a very big voice that's really present, really intense; you don't need to worry about putting a microphone on her."

Read the interview in full here

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos