Happy Pride Month! This June, we're celebrating with composing duo Ariella Serur and Sav Souza.
Serur (they/she) and Souza (they/them) are a real-life couple and writing duo based in Bushwick. While making their joint Broadway debuts in the revival of 1776, Serur and Souza spent their time off stage developing the new musical We Start In Manhattan, which they shared with us today.
Celebrating queer intimacy while representing trans and non-binary dating experiences in nuanced and expansive ways, We Start In Manhattan is loosely inspired by the start of Serur and Souza’s relationship. It follows the fictional story of Jess and Linc, two chaotic NYC queers who think they know themselves, until they are swept into a whirlwind cross country road trip together and begin to fall for one another and grow in ways they never anticipated.
The couple presented four songs from the show, including
“On Your Way," the opening number of We Start in Manhattan. Instead of reckoning with her impending cross-country move, Jess hops on a dating app. They match with Linc, a Brooklyn babe and self-identified slut who is just looking for another casual, easy hookup.
“Begin Again." After a smitten Linc surprises Jess in Pittsburgh (and she gets over the initial shock), Jess invites Linc to join her road trip for the month. When Linc’s nosiness reveals the real reason for Jess’ move, she’s forced to come clean about her past.
“Blurring the Lines." Three weeks into the trip, when a night of arguing ends in Linc ditching Jess to party on their own, they return as the sun rises and Jess lets them have it. They get back on the road, and between the arguing and the hangover, Linc has a panic attack. Knowing they can’t hide behind their charm anymore, Linc finally opens up to Jess.
“(Another) Santa Fe." Once they’ve handled some car troubles and recovered from their big fight, Jess lets Linc pick their final stop. They arrive in the outskirts of Santa Fe and the two city queers quickly realize this stop might not be up their alley, until Linc notices something.
We Start In Manhattan: In Concert! debuted to a sold-out crowd at The Green Room 42 in February of 2022, and sold out 54 Below in February of 2023. In the summer of 2023 the show was developed at Powerhouse Theater at Vassar College and Live & In Color (garnered a NAMT Frank Young Fund for New Musicals Grant). Powerhouse Theater presented the first NYC reading of We Start In Manhattan in the fall of 2023.
For this episode of the Songwriter Series, Serur and Souza were joined by director Ellie Heyman, musical director and pianist Jeremy Lyons on the Sing for Hope piano, Skyler Vople on bass, and Paige Durr on drums.
Sing for Hope harnesses the power of the arts to create a better world. Our creative programs bring hope, healing, and connection to millions of people in hospitals, schools, care facilities, refugee camps, transit hubs, and community spaces worldwide. A non-profit organization founded in New York City in response to the events of 9/11, Sing for Hope partners with hundreds of community-based organizations, mobilizes thousands of artists in creative service, and produces artist-created Sing for Hope Pianos across the US and around the world. The official Cultural Partner of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Sing for Hope champions art for all because we believe the arts have an unmatched capacity to uplift, unite, and heal. Learn more at SingForHope.org.
Stay up to date with We Start In Manhattan at WeStartInManhattan.com.
