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The special Jewish LGBT+ musical set to take Broadway by storm

A Transparent Musical explores the intersection of Jewish and queer history

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From L to R: Liz Larsen, Zachary Prince, Daya Curley, Adina Verson, and Sarah Stiles in the world premiere of "A Transparent Musical" at Center Theatre Group / Mark Taper Forum May 23 through June 25, 2023. Photo credit: Craig Schwartz Photography

Broadway is set to host a unique musical which explores the intersection of Jewish and queer history.

Producers of A Transparent Musical, the stage adaptation of the Amazon Studios comedy series that recently completed its world premiere run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, are planning to bring the show to New York in 2024.

The musical follows a Jewish family navigating a parent’s coming out as a transgender woman in her 60s. 

It follows the Pfefferman family’s youngest child Ali as they navigate the ups and downs of self-discovery. 

The official synopsis reads: “Ali’s Los Angeles Jewish family is filled with secrets, but when their parent, Maura transitions to the transgender matriarch she always knew she was, the family is forced to confront their own identities and navigate their relationships with each other. 

“Through a revelatory story of acceptance and self-expression, A Transparent Musical explores the intersection of Jewish and queer history while celebrating the imperfectly human and startlingly familiar aspects of a universally relatable family.”

The team behind the production said they focused on increasing representation - especially after the original series was criticised for casting a cisgender actor in the starring role.

Nick Pepper, per, head of US SVOD Wholly Owned Development at Amazon Studios, said: “Transparent remains an incredibly impactful series with salient representation for the LGBTQIA+ community.

“This is the ideal series and characters to bring from series to stage, and we are thrilled to partner with Tony-winning Broadway Producer Eva Price. 

“We hope the audience walks away inspired after experiencing this poignant story.”

Adina Verson, who identifies as nonbinary and plays Ali, the family’s youngest sibling, added: "I’ve never seen a show with so many trans actors.

"It’s an incredible room full of unique, incredible performers who honestly haven’t often been given the stage that they deserve.”

The musical would be the latest in a string of Broadway productions for Amazon’s MGM Studios, following Some Like It Hot and New York, New York.

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