The Conversation

The Conversation is a new Off-Broadway musical about a couple, Marcus and Elle, and what happens to their relationship once the early excitement settles. It is an original story rather than an adaptation of a book or film, and it runs 70 minutes with no intermission.

The musical was conceived and written by its two stars. As of October 2026, Joshua Henry plays Marcus and Julia Harriman plays Elle, and the pair also wrote the music and lyrics. Henry won the 2026 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Ragtime, and Harriman played Eliza in the first national tour of Hamilton.

Mandy Hackett and Jenny Steingart produce this world premiere, a strictly limited engagement at the Astor Place Theatre.

Marcus and Elle fall in love quickly. There is a first date, a home of their own and plans for a shared future. The musical spends its time on what comes next, after the spark of new love has faded and the couple has to find out what is left between them.

The producers call the show intimate and unflinching, with room for both the tender and the painful sides of loving someone. The title and the show's own framing point to a single difficult conversation between the two. How it ends is something to find out in the theater rather than in advance.

The songs mix R&B, soul and contemporary pop. As of October 2026, they are performed by the same two people who wrote them, since the writers are also the leads.

The musical grew out of time spent on the road. Henry and Harriman started collaborating on songs during their time with Hamilton on tour. As of October 2026, previews are set to begin on November 17, 2026, with the official opening on December 7, 2026.