LEAVING A MARK ON THE WORLD
I am collaborating with bookwriter and lyricist Amy Andrews to compose the score for a new musical. We have been working on the musical since February 2023, and are excitedly working towards a reading later this year.
Our musical adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse tells the story of a frustrated artist struggling with an unfinished painting, a rapidly changing world, and the decisions we make that shape our legacy. At the Ramsay family summer home on the remote coast of Scotland, our protagonist Lily Briscoe must confront other people’s expectations and her own fear to capture her artistic vision on canvas. Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay, their children, and their guests for the weekend all try, in their own way, to leave their mark on the world. The first act takes place in 1910 and the second act in 1920. In the intervening decade, a world war and global pandemic combine to create a world that is largely unrecognizable to those living in it. Those who survive must reexamine their understanding of legacy and how we care for one another as humans. Within this context, Lily must ultimately make the brave choice to finish her painting.
We’ve had the great fortune to present our work in a July 2023 cabaret at 54 Below with Women of the Wings, and a January 2024 cabaret, also at 54 Below with The Lonely Artists’ Salon. The video above is the performance of “Lily’s Vision”, sung by Aléna Watters.