Noir

Music by Duncan Sheik
Book by Kyle Jarrow
Lyrics by Kyle Jarrow and Duncan Sheik
Originally Produced at Alley Theatre, Houston, TX
June 2 – July 3, 2022




A heartbroken man never leaves his apartment, finding his only solace in the music on the radio. Then a couple moves in next door.  Eavesdropping becomes his new entertainment - and his new obsession.  Soon he finds himself drawn into a web of love, lies, deceit, and danger. Inspired by early radio plays and classic film noir, this new musical is written by Broadway artists Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening) and Kyle Jarrow (SpongeBob SquarePants) and directed by Darko Tresnjak (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder).

Artistic Statement: Noir, by composer and lyricist Duncan Sheik and book writer Kyle Jarrow, is a new musical inspired by film noir. A writer sits in his apartment listening to the couple next door. From the sounds he hears, he imagines what is happening and starts to create a narrative. But, what is real and what is imagined? The play employs a foley artist to heighten our sense of reality and add another imaginative layer to the story. It is an intriguing mystery that really lives up to the tradition of film noir, and the music is just breathtaking. - Rob Melrose, Artistic Director

Grant Statement: The Edgerton Foundation’s support strengthens the Alley Theatre’s commitment to advancing the landscape of the American Theatre by developing and producing bold new plays. The cast and creative team of Noir will greatly benefit from the additional resources provided by this grant. With the Edgerton Foundation’s support, the Alley will host industry leading artists to create this exciting new musical, and Houston audiences will be first to experience it before it hits stages in New York and around the country. - Dean R. Gladden, Managing Director

Director: Darko Tresnjak

Noir is produced by special arrangement with Robert Cole, Mary Beth O'Connor, Carl Moellenberg, and Luckygodot LLC.