It will be another exciting season at Lincoln Center Theatre, especially with the announcement of a new musical making its Broadway premiere there in the spring of 2020. Flying Over Sunset, with a book by James Lapine (Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George), music by Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, If/Then) and lyrics by Michael Korie (Grey Gardens, War Paint), is scheduled to open at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on April 16, 2020, with previews commencing on March 12. Lapine will also direct.
Though a work of fiction, Flying Over Sunset is nevertheless inspired by real life creative types Aldous Huxley (author of Brave New World), Clare Booth Luce (politician and author of the play The Women), and Cary Grant (movie star) who experimented with LSD during the 1950s. Before the drug was declared an illegal substance, many people partook in LSD. The musical will explore the effects the drug took on those who did. Flying Over Sunset brings all three of these personalities together and examines the journeys they take under the drug’s influence.
Playing the roles of Huxley, Luce, and Grant will be Harry Hadden-Paton (My Fair Lady), Carmen Cusack (Bright Star), and Tony Yazbeck (Finding Neverland), respectively. Additional casting will be announced at a later date. The production will also feature choreography by Michelle Dorrance, artistic director and founder of Dorrance Dance.
Scenic design for Flying Over Sunset will be by Beowulf Boritt, Toni-Leslie James providing costumes, Bradley King designing lighting, and Dan Moses Schrier on sound. Projections will be designed by Jeff Sugg.
Mark Robinson is the author of the two-volume encyclopedia The World of Musicals, The Disney Song Encyclopedia, and The Encyclopedia of Television Theme Songs. His forthcoming book, Sitcommentary: The Television Comedies That Changed America, will hit the shelves in October, 2019. He maintains a theater and entertainment blog at markrobinsonwrites.com.