Every day is opening night.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

LINCOLN CENTER THEATER
ANNOUNCES COMPLETE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR
“NIGHT SIDE SONGS”
A NEW MUSICAL
AS REHEARSALS COMMENCE TODAY 

WORDS AND MUSIC BY THE LAZOURS
DEVELOPED WITH AND DIRECTED BY TAIBI MAGAR

PREVIEWS BEGIN SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14
OPENING NIGHT SET FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 1 

HEADSHOTS CAN BE FOUND HERE

Rehearsal photos by Ali Wonderly HERE.

New York, NY (January 20, 2026) – Lincoln Center Theater announced today the complete cast and creative team for the new musical Night Side Songs, written by The Lazours who are reuniting with Lortel and Obie Award-winning director Taibi Magar, as rehearsals commence today. Night Side Songs will star Robin de Jesús as ‘Dr. Henry Verlaine / Lillian Jones / Uncle Jere,’ Brooke Ishibashi as ‘Yasmine,’ Jonathan Raviv as ‘Frank,’ Mary Testa as ‘Desirée / Prudence of Dursley,’ and Kris Saint-Louis as ‘Pilgrim / Nurse / Harris Reading.’ Performances will begin on Saturday, February 14^th, with an official opening night set for Sunday, March 1 at LCT’s Claire Tow Theater (150 W 65^th Street).

To download cast headshots, please click here.

The creative team for Night Side Songs includes Alex Bechtel (Music Direction), Matt Saunders (Set Design), Jason Goodwin (Costume Design), Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Design), Justin Stasiw (Sound Design), Taylor Williams and The Telsey Office (Casting), and Elizabeth Emanuel (Stage Manager), with the score developed with Madeline Benson.

Tickets are currently on sale at LCT.org. A new block of tickets has just been released for all performances.

Night Side Songs is about the small human connections that make up the vast tapestry of our lives. Inspired by Susan Sontag’s insight that “illness is the night side of life,” this transformative new musical brings us together to explore how song heals us and empowers our spirits.

With a stirring folk score by the acclaimed duo The Lazours (We Live in Cairo) and visionary direction by Taibi Magar (We Live in Cairo, Macbeth In Stride), Night Side Songs amplifies the voices of those who navigate the complexities of health—patients, caregivers, and medical professionals alike. What emerges is a moving portrait of how we show up for one another. How love can be the most powerful medicine. Night Side Songs reminds us of the strength we find in community, and the healing that happens when we truly listen.

Night Side Songs originated in a world premiere co-production between American Repertory Theater at Harvard University and Philadelphia Theatre Company, following a commission by American Repertory Theater. The show was further developed and presented by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the Under the Radar Festival.

Night Side Songs is supported by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Judith Champion Playwrights’ Vision Fund and Mel Litoff, and the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation.

Support for LCT3 is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation, the Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, and members of the LCT3 Council.

Endowment support for LCT3 is provided by Daryl Roth, James-Keith Brown and Eric Diefenbach, and The Judith Champion Playwrights’ Vision Fund and Mel Litoff.

Season Support is generously provided by Daryl Roth, Denise Littlefield Sobel, and American Airlines.

The 2025 – 2026 LCT3 season is dedicated to Leonard Tow, whose leadership, generosity, and vision helped shape LCT3.

BIOGRAPHIES

Robin de Jesús (Dr. Henry Verlaine / Lillian Jones / Uncle Jere). Broadway: The Boys in the Band (Tony nomination), In the Heights (Tony nomination, Drama Desk Award), La Cage Aux Folles (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), Wicked, Rent. Off-Broadway/regional: Little Shop of Horrors (The Muny); Homos, or Everyone in America (Labyrinth Theater Company); Domesticated (Lincoln Center Theater); In The Heights; Patti Issues; Cabaret; Aladdin; Two Gentlemen of Verona; Grease; Lonnie/Jake; A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings; Zorba. Film: tick, tick… BOOM!, Camp, Gun Hill Road, 11:55 Holyoke, Elliot Loves, HairBrained, Fat Girls. TV: “Black Rabbit,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “How to Make It in America.” Cabaret: Crush to Crushed, The Struggle is Real (54 Below).

Brooke Ishibashi (Yasmine). Originated and developed roles in: Into the Woods (2022 Broadway Revival, City Center Encores, National Tour); Night Side Songs (Under the Radar Festival, American Repertory Theater, Philadelphia Theatre Company); Cambodian Rock Band (South Coast Repertory, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Arena Stage, 5th Avenue/ACT); Good Person of Szechwan (The Public Theater, La MaMa). TV: NBC/Universal’s “People Are Talking” (lead). Recipient of the Unions Power America Grand Prize. For Gavin and JB. “Don’t miss it.”

Jonathan Raviv (Frank) is an Emmy award winner and original cast member of the 10-time Tony Award winner, The Band’s Visit. Selected Off-Broadway: Here There Are Blueberries (NYTW), Monsoon Wedding (St. Ann’s), Hound Dog (Ars Nova), Lightning Thief (Lucille Lortel), Band’s Visit (Atlantic). Selected regional: Night Side Songs (ART), Kismet (Granada), Fun Home (KC Rep), Into The Woods (Barrington). TV/Film: The Friend, Minyan, “Law & Order,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “The Blacklist,” “Zero Hour,” “Pan Am.” @jonathanraviv

Kris Saint-Louis (Pilgrim / Nurse / Harris Reading). Off-Broadway: Mexodus (Henry u/s), Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre. National Tour: A Christmas Carol. Favorite Regional: Once (Pioneer Theatre Company, Geva Theatre); Almost Heaven (Weston Theater Company, Riverside Theatre); HAIR (Berkshire Theatre Group). Proud to enter the Night Side with this incredible cast, creative and crew

Mary Testa (Desirée / Prudence of Dursley). LCT: Gardens of Anuncia, Marie Christine, A New Brain. Awards: The Legend of Off-Broadway Award, three Tony nominations, two Lortel nominations, six Drama Desk nominations, two Drama League nominations, two OCC nominations, an Obie Award, and a special Drama Desk Award celebrating Queen of the Mist and ‘Three Decades of Outstanding Work.’ Twelve Broadway Shows including: Oklahoma!, Wicked, Xanadu, Chicago. Countless Off-Broadway. Numerous TV and film appearances. Opera: Anna Nicole (BAM). Little Island: Galas.

Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour (Words and Music). Select theatre: We Live in Cairo (NYTW 2024, Lortel, Drama Desk, OCC noms), Night Side Songs (Under the Radar, A.R.T., PTC 2025), The Lunchbox (Lincoln Center Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2026), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (with Mark Sonnenblick). Film: Your Monster (Sundance 2024), Challenger: An American Dream (Bruce Cohen Productions, Spark Features). @frereslazour

Taibi Magar (Director) is an Artistic Director of Philadelphia Theatre Company, where she proudly premiered Night Side Songs in a co-production with A.R.T./Harvard. This work, along with We Live in Cairo, marks her deeply joyful collaborations with The Lazours. (Selected NYC) New York Theatre Workshop, The Signature, The Shed, The Atlantic, Soho Rep, Ars Nova (Selected Regional) A.R.T., CTG, Yale Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, Alley Theatre, The Guthrie Theater. International: Hamburg Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Malthouse Theatre (Melbourne), and Soho Theatre (London). Awards and Nominations: Obie, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel. MFA: Brown University. Her work on this piece is dedicated to her mother, Bonnie Magar.

Alex Bechtel (Music Direction) (he/him) creates new works of music, theatre, and musical theatre. He is the composer/creator of the musical Penelope, which has had productions at Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Signature Theatre DC, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival/Theatre Horizon, Ancram Center for the Arts and Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater. Off Bway: music/lyrics for Lightning Rod Special’s The Appointment. Regional: Pig Iron Theatre Co, People’s Light & Theatre Co, Arden Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, and 8 seasons of new music for Shakespeare at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. See and hear more at www.alexbechtel.com.

Matt Saunders (Scenic Design). Recent Off Broadway: Pipeline (Lincoln Center Theater), FLEX (Lincoln Center Theater), Walden (Second Stage), Jordans (Public), Daddy (New Group & Vineyard), Trophy Boys (MCC) Regional: A.R.T., Alliance, Guthrie, Goodman, Mark Taper, Berkeley Rep, Yale Rep, Huntington, Woolly Mammoth, Wilma Theater and Kennedy Center. Opera: The Apollo, NY Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic, Spoleto, Glimmerglass. Awards: Drama Desk, Audelco, Barrymore, Pew Fellow, Hodder Fellow at Princeton. Training: MFA, Yale School of Drama. Professor of Design at Swarthmore College.

Jason Goodwin (Costume Design) (he/him). Born in Virginia, is a Brooklyn-based costume designer making his Lincoln Center Theater debut. He earned his BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Production & Design Studio, receiving the Outstanding Achievement in Design award. Jason has supported projects on and Off-Broadway, including: Aladdin (National Tour), Tina the Tina Turner Musical (National Tour), Back to the Future the Musical (Broadway), Hell’s Kitchen (The Public Theater), Disney’s Hercules in Hamburg, Germany, All of Me (The New Group), Criminal Queerness Festival (National Queer Theatre), Packages O’ The Things We Deliver (National Black Theatre), Loving vs Virginia (Virginia Opera).

Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Design). Broadway: Prayer for the French Republic (Tony Nom.), Purpose, Merrily We Roll Along. Off Broadway: The Public, Playwrights Horizons, NYTW; Regional: 2ST, MTC, Steppenwolf. Opera: Glimmerglass Festival, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera. Dance: The Lyon Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet of New Zealand, The National Dance Company of Wales. Recipient of The Drama Desk and Henry Hewes awards; Union Trustee for United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE; and professor at The University of Maryland.

Justin Stasiw (Sound Design). Broadway: Lempicka. Broadway (as Associate): Moulin Rouge!, Beetlejuice, Frozen, Once on This Island, Anastasia, Something Rotten!, Side Show, It’s Only A Play. International: Manila: Delia D, The Band’s Visit, Ghost, Jersey Boys, Sweeney Todd. Off-Broadway: Pericles, The Jonathan Larson Project, Night Side Songs, The Big Gay Jamboree, We Live in Cairo, The View Upstairs, Songbird. Regional: Select: 5^th Avenue Theatre, Asolo Rep, Shakespeare Theater Center, ACT Theater, Ogunquit Playhouse. Justin is a proud member of IATSE and of USA/829.

Elizabeth Emanuel (Stage Manager) (she/her) is thrilled to return to this beautiful piece. Broadway: Death of a Salesman (2022 Revival); Linda Vista. Recent Off-Broadway: Masquerade (LWE Entertainment); Magnificent Bird / Book of Travelers (Playwrights Horizons); Three Houses, The Comeuppance, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, Cambodian Rock Band, Octet, Boesman and Lena, and Thom Pain (Signature Theatre); All the Devils Are Here (Octopus Theatricals); Toni Stone (Roundabout); Notes from Now (Prospect Musicals). For Beth.

ABOUT LINCOLN CENTER THEATER

LCT’s mission is to bring exceptional theater to life. Building on a legacy of artistic excellence, LCT strives to expand what is possible: to make the magic of theatre more palpable, empowering visionary artists and extending the invitation for the community to join in celebrating the power of live performance. To see that mission to fruition in a new era at the New York institution, commencing with the current 2025-2026 season, Lear deBessonet assumes the role of Kewsong Lee Artistic Director, alongside Managing Director Mike Schleifer, Executive Producer Barlett Sher, Stacey and Eric Mindich Producer Nicole Kastrinos, Executive Director of Development and Planning Naomi Grabel, and LCT3 Artistic Director and Producer Maria Manuela Goyanes.

Following the season launch on July 30, 2025 with the free Silent Disco Listening Party of the Warriors concept album by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis, deBessonet opened her inaugural season at the Vivian Beaumont Theater with a new production of her celebrated New York City Center Gala revival of Ragtime, the American premiere of the 2025 Olivier Award-nominated play Kyoto and the family opera Amahl and the Night Visitors at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, and The Comedy Series with LCT3 at the Claire Tow Theater. The season also includes upcoming productions of The Whoopi Monologues at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater; Night Side Songs, A Woman Among Women and The Reading Series with LCT3 at the Claire Tow Theater; as well as expanded programming including collaborations with groundbreaking artists and one special benefit at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Founded in 1985 by Board Chair Hon. John V. Lindsay, Executive Producer Bernie Gersten and Director Gregory Mosher, and led for 33 years by André Bishop, LCT is one of the leading nonprofit theaters in the country, producing an annual season of plays and musicals that have been seen by millions around the globe. It is one of 11 autonomous constituents of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Each year, the three theaters that make up LCT welcome nearly 300,000 audience members to its home on the Lincoln Center campus.

Over the last 40 years, LCT and its outstanding productions have received many of the highest accolades, including 87 Tony Awards, 97 Drama Desk Awards, 79 Outer Critics Cricle Awards, 33 Obies, 11 NY Drama Critics Circle Awards, and one Pulitzer Prize, as well as two finalists.

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