A new audio musical will be previewed in a live listening event ahead of its full podcast release.
Tony-nominated composer Lindsay Jones and playwright Todd Logan will host a one-night presentation of Botanic Garden the Musical on 2 March at the Dolby Theatre in New York City, three days before its public launch on 5 March.
The 70-minute show has been developed as an audio musical podcast and will be presented to an invited audience of 88 guests drawn from theatre, music and podcasting.
Attendees will listen collectively to the full production, followed by a live talkback and Q&A with Lindsay and Todd. A small reception will take place in the theatre lobby after the discussion.
Botanic Garden the Musical tells the story of Kate Goodman, a widow in her fifties who is trying to escape a first date.
She seeks help from her late husband, Jake, who remains present in her life with humour and opinions. The narrative moves between the present day and flashbacks spanning more than 30 years of marriage.
The production has been created specifically for audio, placing listeners inside the emotional perspective of its central character. It combines humour with reflection, while examining long-term relationships and ideas around moving forward after loss.
The musical will also be released on streaming platforms as part of the series A Walk In The Garden, presented by Next Chapter Podcasts. The series documents the project’s development from stage play to musical and then to audio drama.
Botanic Garden was first written as a play by Todd and launched in 2008, directed by Olympia Dukakis.
Lindsay worked on that production as sound designer. The play later won Best Play at the 2016 New York Theater Festival. Development of the musical version began in 2018, with Todd writing the book, Lindsay composing the score and both co-writing the lyrics.
There will be a very limited amount of free tickets available on a first come, first served basis on arrival.
