Imitation of Life

Imitation of Life is a new musical set to open Off-Broadway in the Griffin Theater at The Shed, the nonprofit arts center in Hudson Yards. Lynn Nottage wrote the book, John Legend wrote the music and lyrics, and Whitney White directs. It is a world premiere, co-produced by The Shed and National Black Theatre for a short run of six weeks that the producers call strictly limited.

The source is Fannie Hurst's 1933 novel and the two Universal Pictures films made from it, in 1934 and 1959. Nottage, Legend and Liesl Tommy, who first proposed the project, said together that the book reflects its own era while still speaking to American life today, and that they wanted to reimagine it for a current audience.

At the center of the musical are two women raising daughters alone, one of them Black and the other white, who build a life together. The action begins in Atlantic City and moves to New York, with the New York scenes set in the 1930s. The world around the families is split along lines of race and class, so the two women chase success and love under very different conditions.

The characters include Delilah, Bea, and their daughters Peola and Jessie, each of whom is played by two performers, one for the girl and one for the adult. The writers describe the heart of the show as the journey of Delilah and Peola Johnston. Legend names love, identity, race and resilience as the themes he sees in it.

Legend writes both music and lyrics, and this is his first full musical as a composer. He completed his EGOT in 2018, the Tony coming from his work as a producer of the Manhattan Theatre Club revival of Jitney. Brandon Michael Nase is the music supervisor and Ben Covello the music director. Bryan Carter and Charlie Rosen, both Tony Award-winning orchestrators, share the orchestrations, and the show is performed with a live orchestra.

As of October 2026, Adrienne Warren plays Delilah, Jessica Vosk is Bea, Michael Luwoye is Elroy and Charlie Thurston is Archie. Aleyse Shannon is Adult Peola, Scarlett London Diviney is Young Peola, Karli Dinardo is Adult Jessie and Lily Gilliam is Young Jessie. Warren won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and has worked on developing Delilah over several years. Vosk played Elphaba in Wicked, and Luwoye played Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton.

Other producers include Universal Theatrical Group, the live-theater arm of the studio behind both films, along with LD Entertainment, Get Lifted Film Co. and Tommy's company, Crocodile Eyes.

The project began as Tommy's idea. She pitched a musical version of the novel to Universal Theatrical Group, then recruited Legend and Nottage as its writers. Its development was first made public in 2023, followed by developmental workshops.

On February 12, 2026, The Shed announced it for the fall as a four-week engagement, with Tommy directing. On May 15, 2026 the run was moved to late November and extended to six weeks, and White was named director. No reason was given for the change, and Tommy remains a producer. First previews are set for November 21, 2026, with opening night on December 3, 2026.