An Early Look at the World Premiere of I & You: The Musical at McCarter Theatre

 An Early Look at the World Premiere of I & You: The Musical at McCarter Theatre

Creating a new musical takes years. It’s slow work. Collaborative, messy, and vulnerable. It takes love, patience, and a willingness to rewrite again and again until the story sings—literally. I & You: The Musical, making its world premiere this fall at McCarter Theatre Center, is a product of that kind of labor.

Running September 13 through October 12, the musical is based on the acclaimed play I and You by Lauren Gunderson—one of the most produced playwrights in the country for nearly a decade. The original 2013 play, directed by Sarah Rasmussen, now finds new life as a musical through Gunderson’s reunion with Rasmussen, who currently serves as Artistic Director at McCarter. The music and lyrics are by Bangladeshi-American composer and performer Ari Afsar.

This creative team brings a blend of theatrical depth and fresh perspective to the project. Afsar, best known for playing Eliza in Hamilton (Chicago), is a Sony Masterworks recording artist, social activist, and lyricist with past work developed at Berkeley Rep and La Jolla Playhouse. She sings one of the new songs from the show—“Caroline”—in an early clip released by McCarter.

The project also includes:

• Movement Director: Steph Paul, a Haitian-American director and choreographer whose recent work includes Sanctuary City at Steppenwolf Theatre and How to Defend Yourself at New York Theatre Workshop (NYT Best Theater of 2023).

• Music Director: Sujin Kim-Ramsey, who music directed KPOP on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and whose background includes classical and jazz composition as well as musical theatre writing at NYU Tisch.

• Dramaturg: Julie Felise Dubiner, McCarter’s Director of Artistic Initiatives and a veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

• Director: Sarah Rasmussen, whose past work includes the premiere of I and You at Marin Theatre Company and a string of productions at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage, and La Jolla Playhouse. She was previously Artistic Director of Jungle Theater in Minneapolis and is a recipient of a Princess Grace Award and a Fulbright fellowship.

Afsar, Gunderson, and Rasmussen are developing this piece under a commission from McCarter, with support from the BOLD Theater Women’s Leadership Circle. It’s a co-production with Olney Theatre Center.

I & You follows two 17-year-olds—Caroline, who is stuck at home with illness, and Anthony, an overachieving classmate with a backpack full of Walt Whitman and waffle fries—as they reluctantly partner on a school project. The story, originally staged with just two characters in one room, unfolds into something much larger: a meditation on connection, grief, time, and what it means to be seen.

Lauren Gunderson’s plays have been translated into over a dozen languages and produced around the world. She’s a two-time Steinberg/ATCA Award winner and a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Her latest anthology, Revolutionary Women, is published by Bloomsbury.

Afsar, a Dramatists Guild Fellow and Broadway Advocacy Coalition Artivism Fellow, released her debut album We Won’t Sleep with Sony Masterworks and has opened for Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris. She’s currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration at NYU Wagner.

I & You: The Musical joins McCarter’s legacy of developing new musicals, including Dreamgirls, Ride the Cyclone, Betsey Brown, Empire Records (World Premiere), and Take Flight (American Premiere). The company has also launched classics like Our Town and Bus Stop, and regularly presents artists such as Alvin Ailey, Samara Joy, Esperanza Spalding, and Jon Stewart.

Tickets and subscriptions are available now at mccarter.org. 

For group sales, contact groups@mccarter.org.