Broadway in Worcester presents ‘Night Side Songs’ in the Little Center
Broadway in Worcester will present Night Side Songs, a musical by Central Massachusetts natives Daniel and Patrick Lazour and directed by Taibi Magar, in Little Center’s Michelson Theater on Tuesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. The musical is produced by American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University in association with the Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC).
Tickets are $65, general admission, and are available from Broadway in Worcester.
Night Side Songs, performed for — and with — an intimate audience,is a communal music-theater experience 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 was commissioned by the A.R.T., and the world-premiere production ran last month at PTC and as part of New York City’s Under the Radar Festival in January. The performance at Clark follows Massachusetts runs at the Cambridge Masonic Temple and Hibernian Hall in Roxbury.
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)
In its review of the show, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “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 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.
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. 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.”
Broadway in Worcester and Night Side Songs is supported by the George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation; the Fletcher Foundation; UniBank; JJ Bafaro, Inc.; Carr Financial Group; Jim and Nancy Coghlin, founders, DetecTogether; the Greater Worcester Community Foundation; and Calliope Productions.