New musical explores the ‘conscience of Congress’ through hip-hop beats
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For the past seven years, Psalmayene 24’s effort to craft a musical about John Lewis — the “conscience of Congress” himself — has required no shortage of soul-searching.
The D.C.-based theater-maker set out to write a play focusing on the late Georgia congressman’s early life as a civil rights activist. When workshopping the material, however, Psalmayene 24 could feel Lewis’s life begging for a melodic treatment and pivoted to a musical. Then, after Atlanta’s Theatrical Outfit mounted the world premiere in the summer, the playwright realized there was still work to be done. So he decided to shake up the sound and bring in a new composer to rescore the show ahead of its D.C. debut.
