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Tony Award winner Joshua Henry (Ragtime, Hamilton, The Scottsboro Boys) and Julia Harriman (National Tour: Hamilton; Concept Album: Warriors) have conceived, co-written and will star in The Conversation, a new original musical.
The production, with music and lyrics by Henry and Harriman, book by Dora Award winner Nick Green (Casey and Diana, Body Politic), and directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun, Topdog/Underdog, The Balusters), will begin previews on November 17, 2026 in advance of a Monday, December 7 opening night for a limited 10-week engagement at the intimate Astor Place Theatre (434 Lafayette Street).
Tickets will go on sale later this summer. Visit www.theconversationmusical.com to sign up for updates and priority access.
“Julia and I started writing songs together on the First National Tour of Hamilton,” Henry commented. “We quickly realized that we shared a love for Pop, Soul, and R&B and we knew we had to write something together with these musical influences. Over time, we realized we were building something that meant a great deal to both of us. The Conversation pulls from a deep desire to explore the beauty and messiness of navigating long-term relationships, and Julia and I can’t wait to share this ride with our audience.”
“What I love most about this project is how organically it came together,” Harriman said. “When it comes to our writing styles and voices, we found early on that our instincts and musicality are very similar. Creating this show and writing this music with Joshua has been extremely rewarding. The Conversation shows the good days, the hurt feelings, and the flaws within ourselves, all while figuring out how to share a life with someone else. It deals with universal relationship experiences and makes them deeply personal.”
The Conversation follows Marcus (Joshua Henry) and Elle (Julia Harriman) from the electric spark of their first date to move-ins, milestones, and the slow accumulation of everything left unsaid. The Conversation is an unflinching portrait of what it truly means to open your heart to another person. With a score that weaves Soul, R&B, and Modern Pop into bold musical theater storytelling that is intimate, honest, and emotionally gripping, The Conversation asks what it takes to choose love, even when it hurts, and what it takes to stay.
Biographies
Joshua Henry (Music & Lyrics/Marcus) is currently starring as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Ragtime, for which he won the 2026 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. Broadway credits include Into the Woods, Carousel (Tony nominated), The Scottsboro Boys (Tony nominated), Violet (Tony nominated) and many more. He also starred as Aaron Burr in the cultural phenomenon Hamilton, portrayed Gaston in ’s “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” and appeared in the Academy Award-nominated film tick, tick…BOOM! Joshua’s debut album Grow is available worldwide on all streaming platforms.
Julia Harriman (Music & Lyrics/Elle). Credits include Eliza in Hamilton (First National Angelica and Peggy Tours); Ami in the Netflix animated film Ultraman: Rising. She was a co-writer and featured artist on the Netflix series, “The Eddy” and a vocal consultant to Anna Kendrick for Pitch Perfect 3. Julia also plays the role of Mercy on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s and Eisa Davis’ concept album, Warriors.
Nick Green (Book) is a Dora Award-winning playwright from Toronto. His play Casey and Diana, which premiered at the Stratford Festival, was named “the most moving Canadian play of the year,” and continues to have productions across Canada and the United States, including this year’s Tony Award-winning regional American Players Theatre this summer. Other credits include Dinner with the Duchess (Crows Theatre, Next Stage Theater); In Real Life (book, Theatre Sheridan); Every Day She Rose(Nightwood Theatre, Black Theatre Workshop, ZeeZee Theatre); Dr. Silver (book, South Coast Repertory – Pacific Playwrights); Body Politic (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, winner of Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play); and Poof! The Musical (book, Capitol Theatre).
Kenny Leon (Director). Tony Award-winning director. Broadway: The Balusters; Othello; Our Town; HOME; Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch; Topdog/Underdog; Ohio State Murders; A Soldier’s Play; American Son; Children of a Lesser God; Holler If Ya Hear Me; A Raisin in the Sun; The Mountaintop; Stick Fly; August Wilson’s Fences, Gem of the Ocean, and Radio Golf. Off-Broadway: This World of Tomorrow (The Shed); King James; The Underlying Chris; Everybody’s Ruby; Emergence-See! (The Public); Smart People (Second Stage). Opera: Amahl and the Night Visitors; Margaret Garner. Television: Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia; Colin in Black & White; 4400; Amend: The Fight for America; American Son (adapted for Netflix); Hairspray Live!; The Wiz Live!; Steel Magnolias; Dynasty; In My Dreams. Author: Take You Wherever You Go. Artistic Director Emeritus: Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company. Senior Resident Director: Roundabout Theatre Company. Awards: Obie, Actors Fund Medal of Honor, George Abbott Lifetime Achievement for American Theatre, Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre.
