Mahalia

A fusion of narrative, riveting dialogue scenes, and over two dozen songs, Mahalia: A Gospel Musical traces the life and career of the world’s most loved gospel singer from her birth in New Orleans as a grandchild of plantation slaves through her rise to wealth and international fame. Mahalia won her first success on the gospel circuit, then goes on to phenomenal triumph at New York’s Carnegie Hall and the great concert stages of the world. Mahalia also lent her songs and spirit to the struggle for civil rights and became known as the “Voice of the Movement.”

In addition to the dynamic figure of Mahalia, the musical includes a host of vivid characters including her squabbling family in New Orleans, the driven and excitable gospel composer Thomas Dorsey, and her friend and mentor Martin Luther King.