New Jodi Picoult Musical, With Brian Stokes Mitchell, Matt Doyle, and More, to Stream
(© David Gordon)
Bestselling author Jodi Picoult and playwright Timothy Allen McDonald will present the world premiere of Breathe, a new series of five interlocking musicals, which will premiere on Friday, May 14, at 8pm ET on Overture.
Written throughout the pandemic, with the production supervised by Jeff Calhoun, Breathe chronicles the impact of Covid-19 on five very different relationships. Each of the stories has a different cast and creative team, with Picoult and McDonald co-authoring the scripts and stories.
The five works are as follows:
Fever, with score by Rob Rokicki and Rebecca Murillo, is directed by Emily Maltby and stars Denée Benton & Rubén J. Carbajal. It follows a young woman, whose one-night stand extends far longer than expected.
Matt Doyle and Max Clayton star as a couple reexamining their relationship in Aches, with score by Daniel Mertzlufft and Kate Leonard, and direction by Joe Barros.
Lorin Latarro directs Patti Murin and Colin Donnell in Swelling and Irritation, following a dual-career couple homeschooling their children, with score by Doug Besterman and Sharon Faughn.
Zhailon Levingston helms Fatigue, written by Ethan Pakchar and Douglas Lyons, in which a Black police officer weighs his career against the passions of his son, a grassroots organizer. Josh Davis, T. Oliver Reid, and Daniel Yearwood star.
Finally, Kelli O'Hara and Brian Stokes Mitchell star in Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler's Shortness of Breath, in which a widow searches for closure. Jeff Calhoun directs.
Breathe was filmed in March 2021 at the 92 Street Y's Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York City without an audience, in compliance with all New York State safety regulations. The orchestra was produced and recorded by Dan Rudin, with orchestrations and arrangements by Lynne Shankel and Meg Zervoulis serving as music supervisor.
