Days after taking home the Tony Award for his lead role in Ragtime, Joshua Henry is not slowing down. The acclaimed performer has announced The Conversation, a new original musical he co-wrote with Julia Harriman, in which both will star.
The project has been years in the making. Henry and Harriman first crossed paths on the first national tour of Hamilton, where Henry played Aaron Burr and Harriman played Eliza Hamilton. The two discovered a shared love of Soul, R&B, and Pop, began swapping songs, and eventually brought in Dora Award-winning playwright Nick Green, who wrote Casey and Diana, to shape the story into a full musical. Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon, known for A Raisin in the Sun and Topdog/Underdog, will helm the production.
The Conversation follows Marcus, played by Henry, and Elle, played by Harriman, from the electric spark of their first date through move-ins, milestones, and the slow accumulation of everything left unsaid. The score weaves Soul, R&B, and modern pop into what the creative team describes as an unflinching portrait of what it truly means to choose love, even when it hurts.
For Henry, the project is a return to his musical roots. “Soul and R&B is where I live, but coming off of Ragtime, it’s the perfect opportunity to be like, ‘Hey, just remember, these are the other things that I can do too,'” he said. For Harriman, writing her own work offered something equally personal. “I was never the look that they wanted. I wasn’t Asian enough, I wasn’t white enough,” she said. “So it felt like it was about time to see someone like me on stage singing the kind of music that I wanted to hear on stage.”
The production was planned before Henry’s Tony win, though he acknowledges the momentum will only help. He will complete his run in Ragtime this August before heading into The Conversation.
The Conversation begins previews November 17 at the Off-Broadway Astor Place Theatre, with opening night set for December 7 for a limited 10-week engagement. Mandy Hackett and Jenny Steingart produce. Tickets go on sale later this summer at theconversationmusical.com.