Imitation of Life

Imitation of Life is a new musical with a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, an original score by EGOT winner John Legend, and direction by Tony Award nominee Whitney White, and starring Tony Award winner Adrienne Warren.

Across the neon rush of 1920s Atlantic City and the harder edges of 1930s New York, two single mothers—one Black, one White—and their daughters build a life together, chasing success and love by very different rules. Their stories ask what we sacrifice to be seen—and what we pass down to the ones who come after us.

Inspired by Fannie Hurst’s best-selling 1933 novel and the beloved 1934 and 1959 Universal films, Imitation of Life arrives for its world premiere, reimagined in this strictly limited engagement.

Some stories take generations to find their stage. This is where Imitation of Life begins.