AT MARIST UNIVERSITY & THE BARDAVON
With music and lyrics by John Legend, BOOM FOR REAL is a love letter to genius, to Black art, and to the radical act of mourning out loud.
Experience the next chapter of BOOM FOR REAL before anyone else! Hear never-before-heard demos by John Legend, see selected scenes from the musical, and join Obie Award-winning writer Marcus Gardley (The Color Purple, 2023) for a behind-the-scenes look at this highly anticipated musical about Jean-Michel Basquiat.
BOOM FOR REAL
Music by John Legend
Book by Marcus Gardley
Directed by Kamilah Forbes
BOOM FOR REAL is a new musical that tracks the meteoric rise and mysterious spirit of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Brooklyn-born artist who became one of the most celebrated painters of the twentieth century. When Basquiat dies young, his soul is left unmoored — bound to this world by his father's unspoken grief — and the only way forward is a negotiation with Baron Samedi himself. Part elegy, part mystery, and part celebration, the show asks what it means to be chosen, to be seen, and to finally let go. With music and lyrics by John Legend, BOOM FOR REAL is a love letter to genius, to Black art, and to the radical act of mourning out loud. ​
BOOM FOR REAL is presented in cooperation with The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Significant supported from Ina Meibach and Barbara Manocherian, and additional support from Nick Daly.
Saturday, July 25
Symphonic Hall at Marist University
4:00pm
Casting announcement coming soon.
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This performance will be fully bilingual in American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English.